BY DIANA VALLETTE
The folks over at Visit Lake Charles secured another great opportunity for our city. In case you missed it, Food Network rolled in on Jan. 29 to film an episode of The Great Food Truck Race. The reality show features seven food trucks and chef Tyler Florence. Each episode happens at a different location, and the overall winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000.
The seven trucks were spread out near the lakefront behind the Lake Charles Events Center. I snuck over to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t able to try anything, but Xennial Dee, the guy behind Never Trust A Skinny Man food reviews, waited 3.5 hours to get his $25 sandwich.
Was it worth it? “No sandwich is worth that wait, but … it’s a good sandwich,” he said. “The slaw is great, but I wish they would’ve toasted the bun.” He gave the sandwich 8.7 out of 10.
Toward the end of the first day, when the food trucks started running out of food and turning hungry people away, one food truck owner took matters into his own hands. He bought lobster (the dish was supposed to have shrimp) so he could keep serving and ended up charging $54 for a serving of pasta.
Someone in the SWLA Restaurant News & Reviews Facebook page said, “Would have to be Jesus Himself for those prices, and I would’ve still asked Him to multiply it like the loaves and fishes.”
The seven food trucks were: Wally’s Waffles, a Chicago-based food truck serving up sweet waffles like Nutella with chocolate and bananas and savory waffles like their braised short rib waffle; Down To Get Tacos, an Arizona-based food truck serving simple, authentic Mexican food; Argentina’s Empanadas, a food truck out of Kansas serving artisan empanadas (I saw a black bean veggie option that made my mouth water); Bao Bei, a food truck out of Maryland serving Taiwanese street food; Fishnet food truck, a Maryland-based truck serving blackened fish tacos and crabby fries; Sola out of New Orleans serving poboys; and Plates on Deck, eclectic soul food.
No word yet on when the episode will air, but it’ll be interesting to see our little corner of Louisiana on Food Network soon!
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