The Boba Bus is a new food truck based in the Huntington area, but recently set up in Charleston, and I had to give them a try.
Boba/bubble tea, lemonade, and create-your-own drinks are all on the menu. You can pick a base from black tea, green tea, or milk tea. You can add peach, raspberry, mango, strawberry or passionfruit flavors. And, you can opt for tapioca balls or popping boba.
I kept it simple with a strawberry milk tea with tapioca balls. It was refreshing, and I love how generous they are with the tapioca. That extra chew makes it all the better for me.
Grade: A
"Locally owned and nationally known, Cousins Maine Lobster brings authentic Maine lobster to neighborhoods across the U.S. by way of our food trucks, food halls & brick & mortar restaurants. As seen on Shark Tank, We bring our customers the most authentic Maine seafood experience by staying close to the source, proudly serving premium, wild-caught, sustainably harvested lobster from Maine, accompanied by our signature Downeast Maine hospitality.
Started in 2012 by real-life Cousins and Mainers, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, Cousins Maine Lobster began with two things: A Food Truck, and a shared vision to extend the highest-quality Maine lobster to the lobster-starved masses. Growing up in Maine, lobster was tradition, and always a reason to gather family, friends and loved ones to share a special meal. After appearing on Shark Tank a few months later, Jim & Sabin partnered with Barbara Corcoran and began franchising, partnering with local owners and entrepreneurs to bring Maine lobster to over 30 cities across the country.
Since 2012, Cousins Maine Lobster has been continually featured on the most influential entrepreneurial and culinary programming, including Shark Tank, The Food Network, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNBC, The Chew, the Cooking Network, and more. Voted best Lobster Roll on the West Coast by Tasting Table three times, Cousins Maine Lobster regularly appears in leading publications Inc., Entrepreneur, Saveur, Food & Wine, Zagat, Eater and many more." One of these famous food trucks made a stop in Charleston outside of Fife Street Brewing. I had heard about this business, and I was excited to see it come to my own backyard. Me, along with half the City of Charleston. I joined an already lengthy line at around 11:50 a.m. They opened at noon. At about 1:30 p.m., I received my food. A quick note on this: I am a huge supporter of local businesses. In fact, one of the reasons I even have this blog is to showcase those hidden gems across Appalachia. But, I am also a supporter of letting people enjoy what they enjoy. Something new, out of the ordinary, limited, etc. is going to be exciting to people and that's OK. I want to try the same food that Barbara Corcoran tried that made her invest in this company. It is an experience, and you can spend the other 365 days of this leap year supporting our local restaurants in town. You can support both. Starting with the menu, it has lobster rolls, soups, tots, quesadilla, tacos and grilled cheese. While waiting, I initially started with just an item or two in my head, but as time went on, my order grew to double the size to make the wait worth it. Here is what I went for:
Maine Roll: Our Maine roll features Maine lobster, served chilled with mayo, on a New England roll, with a lemon wedge. One of our two classic roll styles, the Maine Roll is a favorite of Mainers and purists alike.
Connecticut Roll: Our Connecticut Roll features Maine lobster, served warmed with butter and lemon, on a New England Roll. The second of our two classic styles, our Connecticut Roll is our most popular roll and often referred to as heaven on a bun.
New England Clam Chowder
Lobster Bisque The lobster rolls themselves are fairly small – maybe the size of a regular hotdog – so two was the perfect size. Both were topped with big hunks of fresh lobster, though I truthfully did not notice much of a difference in the two rolls, because the the butter or mayo were very minimal. Lobster meat is a touch sweet, which was delicious with the buttered bun. I didn't even mind the bite of shell I got. The clam chowder was hot, which was the main thing that attracted me to it in 30° weather. But, it was flavorful, and one of the better versions I have had. Creamy, flavorful and perfectly salty. The lobster bisque was thick and sweet and paired great with the oyster crackers I sprinkled on top to add a touch of salt. Plus, easily the best Whoopie pie I've ever had. I didn't even really think I liked them until this one. Overall, something a little different, and interesting to try.
Started in 2012 by real-life Cousins and Mainers, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, Cousins Maine Lobster began with two things: A Food Truck, and a shared vision to extend the highest-quality Maine lobster to the lobster-starved masses. Growing up in Maine, lobster was tradition, and always a reason to gather family, friends and loved ones to share a special meal. After appearing on Shark Tank a few months later, Jim & Sabin partnered with Barbara Corcoran and began franchising, partnering with local owners and entrepreneurs to bring Maine lobster to over 30 cities across the country.
Since 2012, Cousins Maine Lobster has been continually featured on the most influential entrepreneurial and culinary programming, including Shark Tank, The Food Network, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNBC, The Chew, the Cooking Network, and more. Voted best Lobster Roll on the West Coast by Tasting Table three times, Cousins Maine Lobster regularly appears in leading publications Inc., Entrepreneur, Saveur, Food & Wine, Zagat, Eater and many more." One of these famous food trucks made a stop in Charleston outside of Fife Street Brewing. I had heard about this business, and I was excited to see it come to my own backyard. Me, along with half the City of Charleston. I joined an already lengthy line at around 11:50 a.m. They opened at noon. At about 1:30 p.m., I received my food. A quick note on this: I am a huge supporter of local businesses. In fact, one of the reasons I even have this blog is to showcase those hidden gems across Appalachia. But, I am also a supporter of letting people enjoy what they enjoy. Something new, out of the ordinary, limited, etc. is going to be exciting to people and that's OK. I want to try the same food that Barbara Corcoran tried that made her invest in this company. It is an experience, and you can spend the other 365 days of this leap year supporting our local restaurants in town. You can support both. Starting with the menu, it has lobster rolls, soups, tots, quesadilla, tacos and grilled cheese. While waiting, I initially started with just an item or two in my head, but as time went on, my order grew to double the size to make the wait worth it. Here is what I went for:
Maine Roll: Our Maine roll features Maine lobster, served chilled with mayo, on a New England roll, with a lemon wedge. One of our two classic roll styles, the Maine Roll is a favorite of Mainers and purists alike.
Connecticut Roll: Our Connecticut Roll features Maine lobster, served warmed with butter and lemon, on a New England Roll. The second of our two classic styles, our Connecticut Roll is our most popular roll and often referred to as heaven on a bun.
New England Clam Chowder
Lobster Bisque The lobster rolls themselves are fairly small – maybe the size of a regular hotdog – so two was the perfect size. Both were topped with big hunks of fresh lobster, though I truthfully did not notice much of a difference in the two rolls, because the the butter or mayo were very minimal. Lobster meat is a touch sweet, which was delicious with the buttered bun. I didn't even mind the bite of shell I got. The clam chowder was hot, which was the main thing that attracted me to it in 30° weather. But, it was flavorful, and one of the better versions I have had. Creamy, flavorful and perfectly salty. The lobster bisque was thick and sweet and paired great with the oyster crackers I sprinkled on top to add a touch of salt. Plus, easily the best Whoopie pie I've ever had. I didn't even really think I liked them until this one. Overall, something a little different, and interesting to try.
The Lunchbox Food Truck is located primarily in North-Central West Virginia, and I was lucky to catch them at one of the last farmers markets of the season in Bridgeport.
They offer a small variety of options, like smashburgers, chicken tacos, Filipino eggrolls, hand-cut fries and more.
I ordered their "Street Cart Chicken & Rice," which had marinated chicken, yellow rice, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato and butter garlic naan. This was so flavorful; it might sound plain - but the seasonings and different textures made this an A+ in my book. The eggrolls were not as crispy as I would have preferred. But, flavor was still there.
Grade: A
The Kenova Fire Department has been hosting food trucks on the last Saturday of the month and at other select weekends.
I visited a few times to try some new-to-me food trucks, like: Macy's Grill, Marz Food Bar Food Truck, M&J Rolling Cafe, Lil Orbits Mini Donuts and American Smokehouse BBQ & Grill.
Plus there were others I've already visited, like Holy Smoke BBQ, Saved by Grace BBQ, Twisted Grill, Viper Wood Fired Oven Pizza, Southside Sliders, Wild & Wonderful BBQ, Muncheez, Bite Mi and Frios Gourmet Pops.
I still haven't tried: Happy Guys Concessions, Hillbilly Hibachi, Dutch Fryers, Matney's Pizza, Saylors Reef, Chuys Mexican Street Food, Emmaa's Cool Treats, Triple C's Coffee Truck, H&K Love for Food and Taste of Heaven Lemonade.
Macy's Grill - Just a frozen lemonade here hit the spot.
Marz Food Bar Food Truck - Loaded nachos here with chili and cheese hit the spot.
M&J Rolling Cafe - I had fried fish tacos here that I'm still dreaming about. Perfectly crisp with a sweet and sour sauce, plus loaded with toppings.
Lil Orbits Mini Donuts - these mini donuts are piled up and crispy. Just the glazed was delicious for me.
American Smokehouse BBQ & Grill - I got some loaded naachos here, complete with pulled pork. I wouldn't have hated more BBQ sauce, but it was still tasty!
I hope they continue to do this next summer - or maybe during some of the major holidays during the year.
And if you hear of the ones I've not been to posting up somewhere, let me know!
Which is your favorite?
The Noshery is a food truck that sets up at Olin's Day & Night Market. It's a little outside my area, so I was excited to check it out.
Once I arrived and looked ove the menu, the item that stood out to me was the "Blue Creek Special," which said it was "a local favorite originating at Maynor's Market" with ham, pepperoni, hot peppeer cheese, onion, mild banana peppers and tomato.
Maynor's Market was apparently a beloved Elkview store that was important to the community. And this sandwich specifically seemed to be a local favorite. My favorite part of this sandwich was that it was buttered and grilled, so it gave the cheese that gooey texture. I wouldn't have minded something to lighten it up, because these flavors were a bit heavy and dense all together. But, tasty? Absolutely.
Grade: B
There is a bright teal food truck making an appearance in Kanawha City lately. It is dishing out the unlikely duo of coffee and hotdogs, but the name pulls it all together: The Beanie Weenie.
Beanie options include a peanut butter coffee with strawberry drizzle, a mocha coffee with peanut butter drizzle, and the one that caught my eye was The Dudded Milk: caramel coffee with chocolate and caramel syrup. (Side note: Milk duds are one of my favorite candies).
My coffee was quite tasty. Sweet, milky, and no hint of bitterness. Just well-rounded satisfaction.
I ordered the Country Roads hot dog, which is a deep-fried hot dog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. I don't know that I noticed a big difference with the deep-fried hotdog, and I wish the slaw was a little bit more cohesive and had something to hold it more together. It was a bit piecey, rather than a paste consistency.
Overall, not a bad meal if you are in the mood for brunch: breakfast - coffee and lunch - hotdog.
Grade: B
Let me set a scenario for you: It's a cool late summer/early fall day. You're at the farmers market. There's a donut food truck. Does it get much better? I caught Drifter Doughnuts at tbe Bridgeport Farmers Market recently and had to get my hands on these mini donuts.
They serve a small boatload of mini donuts topped with all sorts of goodies, like fruit, nuts, caramel, and even bacon. I went for cherry crisp, which had cherry pie filling, cream cheese icing and graham cracker crumbles. Sweet, crisp donuts with that fruity, comforting topping - a delish snack on this day.
Grade: A
Sassy Pig BBQ is a food truck that I tried out while attending Cryptid Bash at Freefolk Brewery in Hico.
The food truck specializes in pulled pork – platters, sandwiches, nachos, and topped on baked potatoes or macaroni & cheese. Wings, ribs, and hotdogs round out the menu, along with potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw sides.
I went for their special, which was macaroni and cheese topped with pulled pork, black olives, jalapeños, barbecue sauce, and sour cream. These toppings left a little to be desired. It ate a little on the salty side with the olives. I would have loved some crunch - maybe a slaw - to bring in some creaminess.
Grade: B
Black Draft Farm & Distillery is a lovely agritourism destination that I've seen grow over the years. My first visit was to their home property with a barn in the back.
Now, they have a full-on event venue in Martinsburg that plays host to music, food trucks and more every weekend.
Not only that, but they also began serving their own food - hot dogs. So, I had to check that out. First - a little about their booze.
"Founded in 2014, we joined the growing number of artisans seeking to blend our techniques with the West Virginia traditions of times past. We chose to first produce our First Harvest Moonshine because it reflected our commitment to following generations of folks producing fine corn whiskey right here in West Virginia. Over time, the high quality and explosive popularity of our First Harvest Moonshine inspired us to dream bigger and expand into Bourbon. Water in our area comes from the same type of limestone aquifers that western Kentucky distilling legends use. Naturally, we saw the mineral laden waters Berkeley Springs water as a perfect foundation for producing a great tasting bourbon. The overwhelming demand to our first Straight Bourbon batches proved we had another outstanding product to share with our friends and locals. Over the next 3 years, we added 3 more terrific flavors: Rise & Shine Coffee, White Julep Moonshine, and Black Draft Vodka. Each is perfect for mixing or sipping straight over ice."
And then the hot dogs - pretty simple, to be honest. I think it's more so to just have some in-house snacks. I had mine with ketchup, and there's the option to add chips and a drink.
There was also a food truck set up - Rumsey Food Truck - where I got some additional bites: a pepperoni roll, some eggrolls, and a riblet sandwich using a BBQ sauce made with Black Draft Distillery booze. Love that!
Good food, good drinks, what more could you ask for?
What other food trucks do I need to try next?
Grade: A
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