FOOD TRUCK QUICK BITE: BACON BACON AGAIN AGAIN
A couple years ago I hit up Bacon Bacon's storefront shop to see if the bacon was all it was crisped up to be. I did, however, come away a bit disappointed it wasn't better than I was hoping for. Maybe I put too much pressure on the food under the guise that "everything is better with bacon." Sadly, that is not always the case and because of this, I'd generally just steered clear of the food truck version. Then one day I decided, well, why not try them. They lasted this long, they must be doing something well, right?
I decided to start out with a little appetizer that they were highlighting this evening--a corn salad.
Corn, red peppers, chunks of pork belly, cotija cheese and a sprinkle of bacon on top. First, I will say this was not a dish best served cold. It would have been nice to know that is how it came as I probably would not have gotten it had I known. From the taste of it, seems these were just a bunch of pre-made cups they kept in the fridge until ordered. This might have been fine if they sprinkled the bacon on top after taking it out, but the bacon was cold, fridge cold, which is unappealing and unappetizing as a whole. Cold bacon looses all the crispness that can make it so tasty. Cold pork belly also has a bit of ick factor. Due to it's fat content, when it is cold the fat hardens and is more like a chunk of lard than pork belly. I'm not sure whose idea it was to serve this cold but they should have their bacon license taken away. Bacon just ain't good cold, room temp, sort of, but cold and hard--never. Had this dish been warm roasted corn with fresh cooked belly and crunchy bacon bits, it might be a different story. As is--no, no and no all around.
Trying to forget the corn travesty, I also got the bacon fried chicken sandwich with spicy slaw and bacon. Well, the chicken was supposed to have been panko breaded and fried according to the menu, however, there was no panko, breaded, crusted or otherwise, to be found on this small sliver of a breast. In fact it looked like the breast was just dropped into a deep fat fryer and cooked within an inch of its life or till it got that really, really, really dark brown color you see. Not so much crisped as charred. Unsurprisingly it was dry too. Maybe whoever was working the truck wasn't properly trained. Maybe they hadn't really read the menu. Maybe they were out of panko. Maybe they just don't know how to cook chicken. Or maybe I should have just known better. Hey! We're a bacon truck! What do we know about frying chicken!
This wasn't a total lost cause as I did like the slaw and you do get ample bacon, though it could have been crispier. Plus, I feel like when I had this at their brick and mortar location it was bigger and on like a french roll or something. From the truck it's on this small bun and at $10 a pop the size to cost ratio just doesn't work out for me. It would almost be better if they just drop the price, add a couple more slices and serve up a bacon and slaw sandwich--no overcooked chicken needed. I probably would have been much happier and able to get past my corn disappointment.
Unfortunately, I have to add my sandwich sadness to that cold appetizer and altogether it makes me 0 for 2 with Bacon Bacon. I guess I somehow believe that doing a total bacon inspired truck is really a no brainer, but it appears I am wrong. Or at least my choices have been wrong. Either way, no matter how much I worship at the alter of bacon, I'm just going to have to find another place to get my pork prayers on.
