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For anyone who hasn't heard of the latest food frenzy* to sweep the Las Vegas Valley, allow us to fill you in.
Gourmet food trucks, like so many trends, initiated in California, to the best of our knowledge. Distinct from other mobile eateries like traditional ice-cream vans, hot dog carts, and taco trucks, this new breed of restaurants-on-wheels tends to specialize in high-end fast food and ethnic delicacies, including interesting fusion concepts and family recipes -- gourmet sliders, exotic tacos, home-made Italian ices, and the like.
It was earlier this year that we became aware of the first food truck in Las Vegas, and we attribute the rise of this concept to the parallel growth of social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which allow the vendors to keep in touch with their followers and fans in real time and let people know where they're going to be and, on occasion, where they're not going to be, on account of traffic snarl ups, mechanical issues, and so on.
Part of the point of food trucks is that they move around, both to busy locations around town, or by appointment to individual businesses that invite them over. Hence, we can't answer the second part of your question, since you never know from one day to the next where a truck's going to be (although some have general schedules, subject to change); if there's one you're interested in trying, hook up via their social networking platforms to keep in the loop.
The first food truck we came across in Las Vegas was called Relish, which we think started up in 2009. It was a gourmet hot dog vendor that we were looking forward to trying (particularly their bacon popcorn) but, just as we were gearing up to review it for the LVA newsletter, it vanished. Perhaps before its time, we can at least credit Relish with blazing a trail that now seems to see a new truck popping up almost on a monthly basis, although there have been other casualties, too: Guinea Pigs Street Meat, another gourmet hot dog vendor, is no more; likewise Scratch Foods, as far as we can tell, which specialized in healthy organic fare.
To date, the only food truck we've tried is the LBS Patty Wagon, which is a spinoff from the gourmet, eco-friendly burger restaurant at Red Rock (and now also Holstein's at Cosmopolitan). We liked the sliders, although what we really loved was the fresh fruit salad with a bargain $3 price tag (see LVA September, 2010). Since we tried it, they've also started serving breakfast, so you can catch the LBS Patty Wagon from 6 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m. As with all of these, check their Twitter/Facebook for updates, so you don't make a special trip only to be disappointed.
At the time of this writing, we're served by 10 different food trucks, with offerings ranging from authentic healthy Hawaiian-style wraps, to Japanese specialty burgers, and from Korean-influenced tacos, to gourmet Angus sliders. You can find details for all of them in the new Food Truck section in our Restaurant listings. Be sure to post a review and rating if you try any of them.
*Actually, food trucks may no longer deserve the distinction of being the latest culinary fad; that probably goes to "pop-up" dining, which has only just infiltrated the Las Vegas market, although the two have so far gone hand in hand, since our first pop-up experience involved a food truck. But that's a whole different subject for another day...
