Poutine--that's fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds (yum!)--has been a popular menu item in the Bay Area for a few years now. I guess it was only a matter of time before a food truck doing variations on that theme showed up. And only a matter of time before our paths crossed at SOMA StrEat Food Park. That day came for me and the Smothered Food Truck, at least I think that's their name, though they also seem to go by Smothered In Sauce, either way, you get the theme.
Beyond the classic version they do a handful of variations and toppings and except for the seafood one, they all looked appealing. Plus they come in 2 sizes--single serve and the I'm gonna be a hog and eat all this size--though they call it a double. Since I want to try more than one style I opt to get the single for each selection.
First up is The Beast--ground beef, spicy Italian sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms and cheddar cheese for $7. I also paid the $1 upcharge and got a fried egg on top, just because. Okay, this isn't exactly poutine as there was no gravy for this one--it's more like nacho toppings and an egg on fries instead of chips. Be that as it may, I still liked it. Every thing (at least this day) was cooked to order so fries are hot and crispy and you get more than enough toppings to go around. Having the egg made it feel a little like breakfast since there was also sausage. Think of it as sort of a deconstructed scramble. I liked the seasoning in the sausage mixed with ground beef, kind of reminded me of meatloaf a bit, which I find mighty tasty. Did it need the egg? No, but it was nice to have some kind of runny-ness over the fries. My only thing would be if they could come up with a gravy that complemented these ingredients that would be great. Still, nicely done.
The Southern--popcorn chicken and country gravy for $8. This tastes exactly as it looks. You get a generous portion of chicken bites and ample gravy to cover it all. Again, cooked to order so crispy, fresh and hot on all accounts. Chicken was tender and juicy. My main qualm here is the country gravy could have used some more flavor. Normally this made from grease of sausage with flour, a little milk, salt and black pepper. I think it really could have used some more of the last two. I couldn't really tell if this was made from sausage drippings or not, it was more like flat white sauce without taste. For me, if they just kick up the seasoning on the gravy this would be really amazing. As is, eh, I'd probably try something else next time.
For the most part, I'm gonna say yes on the Smothered Food Truck. Prices are pretty decent for the portions you get and you won't feel totally gouged. Plus, if you get the double size it's a better value and more than enough for two to share. If I'm gonna eat non-sweet carbs, I'm gonna do it with fries and if I can get them covered in stuff, well, even better.