On the go eats: Downtown Sioux City catches 'food truck fever'

"I've always wanted to order from a food truck," she said, laughing. "And I figured today would be the day."

Witt was one of the people in line at a state-of-the-art food truck parked at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's Battery Park. The truck is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays; and 4 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.

Specializing in such Hard Rock Cafe favorites as the Original Legendary Burger (a half-pound Certified Angus Beef burger topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, a fried onion ring, lettuce and tomato); the Tupelo Chicken Tenders (a hand-breaded, lightly fried tenderloin of chicken that is served with honey mustard and a hickory barbecue sauce); and a totally decadent Oreo Cookie Cheesecake, the black-and-white food truck pulled into town July 7.

Yet Witt only had eyes for the Hard Rock Cafe's Caribbean Jerk pulled pork sandwich.

"I saw a photo of it online and knew that was the sandwich for me," she said. "You can never go wrong with something sweet and something spicy."

Roderick Johnson is in complete agreement.

A Florence, Alabama, native who is also Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's chef de cuisine, Johnson knows a lot about sweet and spicy flavor combinations when it comes to gourmet comfort foods.

"That's exactly what the best food trucks have to offer," he explained. "They're taking unique comfort foods, perfecting the recipes and feeding people who want something fast and portable."

"Nothing wrong with that," Johnson said with a smile.

THE MODERN DAY CHUCK WAGON

Despite their sudden ubiquity, food trucks really aren't a new concept. Indeed, the 19th-century chuck wagon, that fed cowboys riding the range, is thought to be the precursor of the American food truck.

Later versions of food trucks were actually U.S. Army-style mobile canteens. Such trucks, parked around construction sites or factories, frequently ordered economical fare for folks-on-the-go.

But it has only been in the past decade that restaurants-on-wheels experienced a hipster resurgence.

Cities like Seattle quickly embraced both enterprising entrepreneurs with edgy ideas for street eats as well as the foodie looking for newfangled gourmet grub.

STREET FAIR OF FOOD IN DOWNTOWN SIOUX CITY

This was the idea behind Sioux City's Food Truck Fridays, which began in 2016, and has blossomed into a street fair of foods with more than a dozen of vendors.

"When we started Food Truck Fridays last year, we literally had a handful of participating vendors," Sarah Fish, one of the organizers, explained. "Now, we're getting more food trucks, every week, and they're coming from farther distances."

"Sioux City is suddenly becoming a destination point for food trucks," she added, while walking down a row of parked outdoor eateries congregated at Fourth Street, between Jackson and Jones Streets.

Fish isn't kidding. Nearly 1,500 lunchtime diners showed up June 2 when Food Truck Fridays -- a not-for-profit partnership among several community organizations promoting downtown culture and outdoor activities -- returned for a second year in a new location.

"I think people like this location better than they did our old (Seventh and Douglas streets) location," Fish said. "Here, we have access to two parking lots, more available seating plus more interaction with brick-and-mortar restaurants."

This included Trattoria Fresco, an upscale 707 Fourth St. Italian eatery that is located on the same block as Food Truck Fridays.

"I jumped at the chance of participating," owner Israel Padilla explained. "First of all, I love the fun vibe the food trucks bring to our block. Secondly, this is exposing Trattoria's food to an entirely different market."

From 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. every Friday, Trattoria Fresco customers can order from the restaurant's regular menu and eat in their dining room. But they also have the opportunity to eat alfresco from a completely new and evolving menu.

"We have an outdoor station where cooks make incredibly delicious omelets and some huge hot Italian beef sandwiches," Padilla said. "The fun comes from changing things up whenever we want to."

MORE FOOD OPTIONS MEANS MORE FUN

That's true of many of Food Truck Fridays' vendors, which can range from hot dog carts to taco trucks.

Which is why Heather Bremer has made it a practice of bringing her three daughters, ages 10, 8, and 5, to sample food truck fare on a weekly basis.

"It's tough getting kids to try new food all the time," the Sioux City woman said. "Having the girls choose what they want from food trucks is fun. Eating outdoors make it feel like a picnic."

Bremer's 10-year-old daughter Annika was all smiles after scarfing down a taco from Dago's on Wheels, a truck specializing in Mexican fate.

Perhaps not too surprisingly, Laurna Witt was also all smiles after chowing down on the Hard Rock Cafe's Caribbean Jerk pulled pork sandwich.

"I think this will make a nice lunch, supper and, maybe, breakfast for me," she said, sitting at a table near Hard Rock's food truck. "It's gigantic. It's delicious, but it's gigantic."

This seems to be a specialty for Roderick Johnson, who is normally the head chef at Hard Rock's World Tour Buffet.

"It's either go big or go home," he said. "I'm not ready to go home yet."

Indeed, Johnson is already considering new options for Hard Rock's food truck.

"I think food trucks are here to stay," he said. "You can grab something good and go on with your day."