The Grilled Cheese Truck

A few years ago, if you had suggesting grabbing lunch from a mobile catering truck, my response would have been "You mean eat food from a Roach Coach?"

Food trucks have come a long way, baby.

Once upon a time, the only place you'd see food trucks would be outside manufacturing plants and other industrial areas, feeding greasy burgers, chips and sodas to blue collar workers like my Dad (he was the one I first heard call them Roach Coaches). Nowadays, food trucks are at the forefront of a mobile dining revolution in major cities across the country. The Smithsonian even recently released a list of the 20 Best Food Trucks in the United States.

In Los Angeles, one of the most popular food trucks around serves a favorite sandwich from your childhood with a few new twists. Meet The Grilled Cheese Truck!

I found The Grilled Cheese truck through Facebook and Twitter, where they announce their daily melting spots and menu specials. I drooled and yearned with each new post but made a deal with my boyfriend that I would wait until he was visiting Los Angeles so we could have our "first time" visiting "The Truck" together. That was last September and it was a beautiful sight!

We decided to order different sandwiches so we could each try a couple of different things. Mine (on the left) was The Caprese Melt -- roasted whole garlic bread, fresh Mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic syrup -- and it was yummy. The boyfriend ordered what The Grilled Cheese Truck folks affectionately call the "Fully Loaded" aka The Cheesy Mac and Rib -- macaroni and cheese with sharp cheddar, BBQ pork and caramelized onions. Simply put, the "Fully Loaded" was ORGASMIC. 


It's now my regular order every time I visit the truck.

Last week I stopped by the truck for lunch and managed to pause long enough to get some photos before devouring my choices. The top photo in the triptych is a close up of the "Fully Loaded" oozing its beautiful cheesy goodness. You get a wider view of it in the bottom left photo. The bottom right was a new sandwich I wanted to try -- The Brie Melt. It's cranberry walnut bread, double cream brie, sliced pears, honey and fresh thyme. Definitely a winner, but the "Fully Loaded" remains my go to sandwich.

Next time I find the truck, I'm going to try one of their dessert choices! S'more melt, anyone?