Food Truck Quick Bite: Mt. Joy....fried chicken sandwich!!!

I do so love a food truck! Anyone who has been following my missives knows I am always up for trying (most of) them. They were a constant presence in SF and, surprisingly, NC while I was trapped there. I make a point to try and get around to ones that catch my stomachs attention. Here in Seattle it seems to be a different story. As far as I can tell there was some ordinance passed around 2011 that but constrictions on where they could be and so on, not to mention the cost to run in this city. All around it has led to a dearth of accessible city options which, really, seems more like a disappearance of them anywhere outside of one off festivals near the Seattle Center grounds. Looks like people have been hoping for some kind of renaissance of them for at least a year now and the mayor would like to try and get more of them downtown to help revitalize the area. Considering the glacial pace of red tape and bureaucracy here (and pretty much everywhere) we will see if that happens. I can have hope!

Till then, when one does some kind of pop-up on my radar, I definitely try to make some time to find it and try it. Such is the case with Mt. Joy, one serving up fried chicken sandwiches and tenders and pretty much nothing else. Okay, they also have fries and shakes but their main focus is the chicken and if they can do it well, then I’m all for it. It doesn’t hurt to specialize if you know what you are doing. Seems they have been doing pop-ups and a food truck around the area with an eventual goal of a brick and mortar location. They are all about local, farm raised and all those buzzwords new sustainable places like to throw around. I won’t go into here as you read all about them on their website. For me, I am like, sounds great, okay, sure, but how does it taste? This is my final concern and the one that will keep people coming back if they can pull it off.

Situated, at least for now, in the parking lot of that often troubled and now closed free standing Starbucks on Olive Way, they have decked out the lot with hay bales, tables and other stuff to give some kind of down home farm vibe in the city aesthetic. At least, I think that is what they were going for, but who knows. Marketing folk always have and idea. The menu is simple, a couple of sandwich variations, some fries, a tender and fries combo and a handful of shakes. We all know I am a sandwich guy so I just zero in on that and a side of fries, because you gotta right?

**spicy fried chicken sandwich and fries**

I went for the spicy chicken breast and side of fries. Couple notes, you choose either white meat $13 or dark meat $15 which I found odd as usually dark goes for less and also, seemed like a lot, but I was there and whatever. Also, the side of fries will set you back another $4 not to mention they have no sort of combo deal thus $17 plus tax and tip is so inclined which brings it to around $20 without beverage.

The fries were pretty good. Your standard straight cut Idaho potato, cooked to order and salty seasoned well for me at least. Not exactly a large portion and then if you want one of their dipping fry sauces that would set you back another buck. I’m a basic ketchup, which they didn’t have at all, guess it was a good thing I got this to go and ate back at my pad. Overall, good enough fries that were hot and crispy.

Here we have the spicy chicken sandwich and the menu spiel—Made with pasture-raised chicken, regenerative flour, and a freshly baked sweet bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and a honey habanero spread. And if you are wondering what regenerative flour is—a product of sustainable farming systems that focus on encouraging soil fertility, maximizing biodiversity and reducing chemical inputs. If that doesn’t explain it enough for you then feel free to look it up.

First bite impressions, it still had some crunch, you get the kick of spicy pretty good which I like, but if you are a low to medium person, may be too much. There was probably a bit too much honey on it also. A drizzly hint is nice as a back bit sweetness, but mine had maybe a tablespoon too much. It is very wet with all that is going on in the pic you see. Like so many sandwiches before the bun really could not hold up and as you can see got both flat and then eventually soggy. I really think some of these places need to rethink bun types, or maybe it is just me. I like when the sandwich can at least hold together from first bite to last. As is, the fried breast was still both crispy (with all the wet) and juicy which was nice. The crispy seemed to be helped by there being more of the dredge on it and that it was cooked a little longer? possibly? As the color on it was more of a dark brown. Still, it didn’t taste burnt and the breast wasn’t dry so you have give them props for proper cooking. Personally I might have not paired this tomato and let it at pickles and lettuce since it already has a spice kick, plus maybe that may have cut down on some of the wet, again, personal choice.

It was a pleasant enough sandwich even with all of that going on and I guess I accept the pricing as it seems standard in this town. Though I still can’t help comparing it to good ol’ Bok-a-Bok which gives you a juicy thigh without the upcharge and has a combo deal with tots or fries that will be less cost and they even throw in a side dip of choice. I know I should try to judge on its own but you do have to know your competition, particularly if you plan to try and open a location in roughly the same neighborhood. It think in a pinch I might swing Mt. Joy if I was down that way and didn’t feel like walking all the way over to 10th and someone else was buying and it was raining and….and….and so on. We will see if they are able to get a foothold into the neighborhood and make a success of it so good luck as it can be tough on food trucks and brick mortar locations in this city. Not to mention all the fried chicken sandwich options. If nothing else, it is nice for now to have a food truck option instead of the current desert of nothing. Maybe someday this city will loosen up and we will get more choices. Till then I will keep on the lookout—and not just for the fried chicken ones. At this point I will try most anything—it is what I do.