We covered the new food-truck phenomenon earlier in the year (see QoD 6/1/2010). Since then, new ventures have been hitting the streets on what seems like a weekly basis, bringing to Las Vegas the delights of mobile "gourmet" barbecue, tacos, burgers, cheesesteaks, sliders, noodles, hot dogs, sloppi jo's, ices, desserts, and more.
A real sense of community seems to be building between the operators of the various food trucks, and social events featuring an array of mobile cuisine are becoming part of the Las Vegas street-party scene started by First Fridays.
On December 11 last year, the first Las Vegas Street Food Throwdown took place, pitching Slidin' Thru's gourmet mini-burgers against Hanshiktaco's Korean tacos in the parking lot of Lee's Discount Liquor in Summerlin. That's Hanshiktaco's regular stomping ground, but the sliders narrowly won out.
The second event was hosted by Studio 21 Tattoo in March and was a very democratic affair, with LBS Patty Wagon taking the prize for Best Burger. Slidin' Thru winning in the Curbside Appeal category, and Fukuburger triumphing as People's Champ.
The next Street Food Throwdown is scheduled for 8 p.m. April 14 at the Metro Pizza at Tropicana and Maryland Pkwy., featuring desserts from Lulu's On The Move, Sloppi Jo's, Tasty Bunz, and Top Notch BBQ.
Meanwhile, Saturday March 11 saw the first Vegas StrEATS festival downtown, hosted by the El Cortez and featuring a half-dozen or more of the food trucks, plus DJs, local streetwear brands, and other cool stuff. We checked it out (see upcoming review in the April LVA newsletter) and had a blast. Judging by the success of the inaugural event, it should be ongoing and the plan is to stage a Vegas StrEATS on the second Saturday of the month. The next one's scheduled for April 9 and will be even bigger. Click to see the flier for more details. If you're going to be in town, we thoroughly recommend checking it out as something different to do; just be prepared to wait in line for your food -- everything we tried was worth it.
For more information about the valley's various mobile gourmet eateries, check out our Food Truck section in Dining. They all have Twitters, which is the best way to keep in touch with your favorite truck's whereabouts, since like the rest of us, they're prone to traffic snarl ups, mechanical breakdowns, and other vagaries that can upset the schedule.
