FREE Food Truck Lunch On Wednesday

If you haven't caught on yet, it is #KeyRewardsWeek and Clevelanders have already enjoyed free Starbucks on Monday and a free Josh Cribbs T-shirt on Tuesday at participating locations. That's right, folks--- KeyBank is basically "picking up the tab" Monday-Sunday through different promotions each day.

Wednesday's freebie is one that I was pretty excited to learn about. They have partnered with 10 area food trucks to offer a FREE lunch.Now, you'll have to find the trucks on your own. They'll be scattered throughout the area, and you can track them through social media.

Here is a list of the participating trucks:

- JiBaro (@JibaroWorldEats)
- StrEat (@strEatmobile)
- Nosh Box (@TheNoshBox)
- Fahrenheit (@rock1chef)
- Dim and Den Sum (@DimAndDenSum)
- Hodge Podge (@hodgepodgetruck)
- Umami Moto (@UmamiMoto)
- Motor Mouth (@MotorMouthFood)
- Zydeco (@ZydecoBistro)
- Sweet! The Mobile Cupcakery (@mobilecupcakery)

I love that KeyBank decided to partner with local, independent food trucks during Key Rewards Week. You do not have to be a Key member to get this offer. You can learn more about the week-long promotion and other offers at www.keyrewardsweek.com.

But, the fun doesn't stop there for one lucky reader. KeyBank is offering a $25 MasterCard gift card to one of you. Just simply leave a comment on this post telling me which food truck you want to try for FREE tomorrow, and you'll be entered to win. I will pull a random winner on Thursday.

Go forth and be "rewarded" with a free lunch on Wednesday thanks to KeyBank!

Disclosure- KeyBank offered myself and one reader a $25 gift card in exchange for this post. However, I believe in promoting the partnership with our area food trucks for this promotion and the opinions stated are 100% my own.

Second C-Town Chow Down

Last weekend, area food trucks gathered once again for the second installment of the C-Town Chow Down. As you well know, the first time this event took place there were some logistical issues and many complaints from attendees. I, too, had some problems with the event but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was the first one. I give them credit for a fantastic concept, and who knew that they would experience crushing crowds. We Clevelanders just love our food, especially fun food! Well, our patience and understanding paid off this time because things certainly ran smoother last Sunday. April's Chow Down did experience a lower attendance in my opinion, but the trucks also seemed better prepared. Some offered two order windows, like JiBARO, which allowed them to take orders and serve food quickly and efficiently. We arrived early again (10:45 a.m.), but when we were finally leaving the area around 1:30 p.m. the trucks were still serving and lines were manageable. It was cold and windy (again), but that didn't keep people away! I am just looking forward to the first Chow Down on a warm, sunny day.

So, here's what we ate...

Unfortunately, we started off on a high note and the food we sampled slowly went downhill from there. First up, was a Cheesesteak from Chef Rocco Whalen's Fahrenheit truck. Last time, Rocco ran out of food so we weren't chancing it this time. I've had this sandwich at other food festivals, such as the Taste of Tremont, in the past and it never disappoints.Then, we headed to Umami Moto for a Bahn Mi with pulled pork, mayo, diakon-carrot pickle, cilantro and jalapenos on a French baguette ($6).
It was a little dry, but other than that we had no complaints. The flavor was mild, but nice, and the cool vegetables added a crisp freshness to each bite. We also appreciated them (and Rocco) slicing the sandwich in half so that we could easily share.

Then we moved on to JiBARO for some seafood bisque and fried plantain chips. The plantains were dry and bland, and were only saved by the dipping sauce. I was looking forward to sampling their seafood bisque after several people raved about it at the last Chow Down. However, when I went to take my first spoonful we discovered a long, dark hair. I couldn't pretend that it was mine and keep eating because the soup had been sealed when served to us. Darn! Needless to say, that went in the trash.

To sum it up, the second Chow Down flowed much easier. I think the trucks were better prepared, and knew how to handle the event for the most part. A couple of new trucks even joined this time, including Pranzo Pizza and a hot dog truck. They haven't announced the May date yet, but keep your eye on their Facebook page because rumor has it that it will be a monthly occurrence. I know that we'll certainly be ready to "chow down" again after a much better experience this time around.

C-Town Chows Down

Yesterday a "convoy of Cleveland's finest food trucks" gathered at Lincoln Park in Tremont for the first C-Town Chow Down. Clevelanders could enjoy some tasty treats from our favorite food trucks (including Dim and Den Sum), and be introduced to some new trucks (like Umami Moto) hitting the scene this spring.
The event was advertised as 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., but I had a sneaking suspicion that we should get there early on. The RSVP list on their Facebook page was over 1,300 people alone! So we headed up shortly after 11, and quickly jumped in one of the already growing lines. Our first stop was StrEat Mobile Bistro, who were celebrating their official launch date yesterday. Their menu jumped out at me right away, and I wasn't even sure what I wanted as I stood in line and waited.
Our wait was about 30 minutes, and as we crawled towards the truck I decided on the Eggs Benedict Roll and the Buffalo Mac n' Cheese. StrEat handled the logistics of the event very well. Orders were taken as quickly as possible, delays on certain menu items were communicated, and the food came out piping hot with only about a 10 minute wait after ordering. With the egg roll packing the full breakfast experience into one roll (although very greasy), and the mac n' cheese a subtle spicy hit...I was off to a nice start.Then we cruised around and checked out a few of the other trucks without jumping in line.Chef Rocco Whalen from Fahrenheit was there serving up some specialty items out of his truck. His lamb sliders peaked my interest, but Rocco sold out quickly and we watched him pull away as we stood in our next line.
Which was the ever-popular Dim and Den Sum food truck...the pioneers of the Cleveland food truck scene. They had done an excellent job of pre-promoting their coffee braised short rib slider, and my mouth was watering just thinking about it. Alas, when we finally arrived at the order window around 1:00 p.m.- they were SOLD OUT of the slider (no surprise there, I knew it would happen). I wasn't that hungry when we placed our order, so I settled on the Chicken Confit Wings with Asian flavors. We moved over to the food window line, and watched all of the other items sell out as we waited 1.5 hours for our order to come up.Good for them, but man were people disappointed to not be able to try their food! Not to mention the growing discomfort and hostility in the waiting line. One woman was complaining so loudly, and it was never ending, that a fellow diner finally asked her to shut her trap. The crowd cheered, and she walked away without her order. Not quite the atmosphere that I was hoping for at this festival, but entertaining at the very least. I do have to mention that my Chicken Confit was not worth the wait (very fatty and I didn't like the flavor of the sauce), and I was hungry enough by the time we got our food that I should have ordered the famous PBLT or the Kobe Beef Burger. Oops! I heard very good things about both of these items.

So, overall we enjoyed a fun and unique experience. Even though it was freezing cold...the sun was out, spirits were high, live music entertained us from afar, and Cleveland proved its point once again what a truly amazing culinary scene we have. Let's just hope that there are plans in the works for a future Chow Down, with a few logistical tweaks!