Lunch In @ Cafe de Wheels

I started biking to work this week (well, last Friday I made it 1/2 way before getting a flat tire and walking the rest), and that has led to not packing a lunch, which has led to eating out, thereby likely negating the biking to work.  I've even been thinking of putting my last couple days of out-to-eat lunches in the "exercise" category of our budget, just so it's clear that these things are related.  But I digress...  Today's lunch - Cafe de Wheels.  Sarah and I have been before, but this was my first chance to try their much heralded burger (scroll down on this link).

The Food:  This trip was all about the Wheels Burger.  With American cheese, lettuce, tomato, Mike's mayo, catsup, and balsamic onion marmalade, this bad boy leads to a mouth full of flavors.  The burger was overcooked in my opinion (I suppose next time I email, I'll add a request, all though I don't know if they do that), but there was so much moisture and texture from the other ingredients that it was not a deal killer whatsoever.  The carmelized onions were the star of the show, and the catsup (ketchup?) and Mike's mayo blended together to form a creamy deliciousness as well.

I need to try it a few more times to be sure, but the Wheels Burger is definitely in the "Best Burger in Cincinnati" conversation.  It wasn't a Terry's burger, but as of today, I think this is my new #2, slightly ahead of Gordo's.  Plus, with it typically (this is a food truck, remember) within walking distance of work and at only $5, this is a great lunch option.

As for other menu items, I got the sweet potato fries on the side.  They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  It's funny how you get used to things and how it can nearly ruin other things.  In this case, a barely full cup of fries looked really small compared to my last cup of fries - an overflowing, nearly bag full, at Five Guys.  But I'll give the local guy the nod any day, so I'll put Cafe de Wheels in the Five Guys spot in the lunch rotation.

In a previous visit, Sarah and I sampled a couple of the sandwiches - the Cincinnati Cuban and the Grilled Cheese.  At $3.50, I expected the Grilled Cheese sandwich to be pretty small, and it was.  Nothing special there.  The Cuban was a bit disappointing with flavors that didn't stand out much, pork that was too dry, and the portion was also quite sparse (and at $6.50 I'd hoped for a bit more going on).  We had some of the fries with cheese on top and they were fine.

Bottom line - if you're going to Cafe de Wheels, I recommend the burger.

The Ingredients:  They do mention items from local bakeries - Servatii's and Shadeu - and at the very bottom of the to go menu in small print they note using "LOCAL purveyors" including Bleh-Avril, Servatii, Shadeau, and Findlay Market.  Props on the information about the local purchasing!  It'd be great to know where specific ingredients come from, as well as to have this information on the online menu.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  I placed this order via email (to what appears to be a cell number).  I asked for a reply about when to come pick it up and didn't get one, so I just walked up after a phone call with no answer as well.  My food was ready when I got there (maybe 10-15 minutes later), so it worked out well, but if they were busy or something it'd be nice to get an ETA for orders as an option in the future.

Now they've got a couple of small tables and chairs that they carry with them, so this can actually be a sit down option if you have the time and inclination.  And the folks in the truck have been friendly, so it's a well put together operation from what I can tell.

The website is a bit odd to navigate - at least on my browser (Firefox) you have to scroll down through a lot of empty space to get to what you're looking for.  They do have a cool GPS system set up so that you can know where they are, so that's pretty cool. 

I will definitely be heading back to Cafe de Wheels sooner rather than later.  I'm anxious to try their other burgers to see how they stack up with what is more than your basic basic burger.  The Tower of Power in particular sounds somewhere between ridiculous and ridiculously good - it's 1/3 lb. of beef, BBQ pulled pork, and cheddar on a Servatii egg bun (they say it's "funkalicious").  I promise to report back...

Lunch Out @ Senor Roy's Taco Patrol

Senor Roy's Taco Patrol is one of the handful of food trucks to hit the Cincinnati scene in the past several months.  I needed a quick lunch option, and remembered they usually post up for lunch at the corner of Main and Central Parkway - only a few blocks from my office.  I'm glad I tried it, but doubt I'll be going back.  It was quite disappointing.

The Food:  I ordered 3 tacos, one of each of the meats they offer - Grilled Chicken, Grilled Flank Steak, and Al Pastor.  I told them I wanted corn tortillas and then encouraged them to put any toppings they wanted to make them as good as possible.  I told them I like it pretty darn spicy, but not like I need to drink a gallon of milk spicy.

When I opened the styrofoam container when I got back to the office, the first thing I noticed was that I got flour tortillas - I guess that's the default.  But, the tacos looked large and colorful, so I was hopeful.  It went downhill from there.  All three meats are listed on the menu as being marinated or rubbed with something, but all three were almost flavorless.  Maybe I got a batch that had been missed or something.  There was a  sweet and smoky mango salsa they put on a couple of the tacos that was pretty good, but for so many ingredients all 3 tacos were severely lacking in flavor.

The Ingredients:  They don't mention anything about local, organic, or sustainable ingredients.  Who knows, maybe they'll come around some day.  I hope so, it's a great concept, and it simply should not be that hard (or expensive) to increase the amount of seasoning and spices they're using to greatly improve the product.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Two guys were operating the truck when I got there, and they were both very nice.  They seemed happy that I'd let them pick the ingredients.  The service was fast too, so I wasn't made to wait around, which was good.

After eating, I did a quick search to see what others had been saying about this taco truck.  From the looks of it, get in mah belly's experience wasn't any better than mine.  Who knows, they're new, maybe they'll improve with time.