Written By: Shawn Krajewski
Once a year, in Salem, Massachusetts, we have the Food Truck Festival. It is a fantastic event where food trucks from all across the US come to Salem------and a couple of other locations around the US------to sell their goods. This festival is the perfect place to try out new foods and be more adventurous than normal. That being said, if you don't want to, there are still options for "regular" food. Now, here are the best food trucks I sampled at the festival. (However, note that I didn't go to every food truck.)
Rensauce BBQ
First, and one of the best, is Rensauce BBQ. If you attend this festival, you have to try Rensauce BBQ. They sell Korean-style BBQ on skewers and various other hand foods, so they are perfect for eating on the go. Pork belly is my personal favorite, and it is also their most popular. Its flavor is sweet and savory, and the texture is soft enough to come right off the stick. The only dish that could beat this one is their chicken skewer. Speaking of which, their chicken is also great and has a wonderful texture. I definitely prefer their chicken over the pork, but the pork has a better blend of sauce and meat.
Rensauce BBQ also has other goodies, such as Spam Onigiri and boiled and fried dumplings. Now, I know Spam Onigiri sounds weird, but it is really good. Surprisingly, spam, rice, and dried seaweed work perfectly together! Overall, I highly recommend you visit Rensauce BBQ. I promise you won't regret it.
Esquite: Mexican Street Food
Esquite: Mexican Street Food specializes in two things, corn and churros. I got the churros because they looked more appetizing than the cup of corn. However, as my mom pointed out, looks can be deceiving because she tried the corn and loved it. In fact, after trying them last year, she was looking forward to getting another cup this year.
Nevertheless, I went for the churros, and wow, they were amazing! Each serving comes with 8 to 10 churros in those paper bowls you usually eat hotdogs in at baseball games. With the churros, you also get small cups of chocolate and custard to use as a dip. Overall, they were delicious, and my only gripe was that there were too many. I am not a big sweets lover, so I can't have too many sugary delights. That being said, you know you have a good business when the only complaint about your food wasn't the taste but the sheer amount of them.
Crème Brû LA
As the name implies, this truck sells crème brûlée. A crème brûlée is a custard dessert with caramelized sugar on top. Typically the dish is for fancy establishments, which is why Crème Bru LA is so special; they make crème brûlées that are not only casual but also portable. In fact, the desserts are served in these little jars, making them easy to carry and eat.
The crème brûlèes are incredibly high quality, as are the rest of their dishes. The flavor I recommend is just simple vanilla, but my mom got the lavender flavor, which I tried and was amazing! The texture of the dessert was wonderful as if it were wrapping my tongue in a soft blanket. Overall, their desserts are beautiful, and I highly recommend going here, especially towards the end of your trip.
Honorable Mentions:
There were a few other food trucks that I didn't spend a lot of time with but also have some notable qualities I'd like to mention.
Whoo(pie) Wagon: This food truck is wonderful as it sells traditional whoopie pies, along with "woofie" pies. "Woofie" pies are whoopie pies for dogs, which my dog Ralph loved.
South Shore Taco Guy: I wasn't in the mood for tacos, but this is still a great place to try.
Goodway Gourmet: Lastly, there is Goodway Gourmet, which is not a food truck but has fantastic cakes. I tried a coconut cake and it was delicious.
*More information about the festivals can be found here.
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