SactoMoFo – Operation Divide & Conquer

SactoMoFo was a total success/ZOO. Wow… the crowds were huge! We decided to get there around 11:30 a.m. to start waiting in lines. There were 6 of us, so we were prepared to divide up to tackle multiple lines at once.

Deede and I immediately jumped into the line for Chairman Bao – a San Francisco truck offering traditional Chinese steamed and baked buns.

I called Kristen and while leaving her a voice mail – saw that she was about 30 people ahead of us in line. SWEET! We gave her our order and I hopped into line number 2 at Seoul on Wheels  – another San Francisco truck featuring Korean tacos, while Deede went to check on the guys over at General Jim’s.

Chairman Bao’s line easily had 75-100 people in it before the truck even opened for business. They had a 5 bun limit, which worked out perfectly. I opted for the Crispy Garlic Tofu with Miso Greens Steamed Bun, but ended up tasting the Red Sesame Chicken with Scallion and Bok Choy and the Tender Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon.

The Crispy Garlic Tofu Steamed Bun – was in my opinion, the shining star of my SactoMoFo day. I must recreate it. I’m pretty new to cooking tofu, expect a dish on the blog later this week – but I’m thinking a little panko and Garlic Gold Nuggets might just create something sort of close.

I could also have eaten a huge serving of the pickled daikon from the pork belly bun. Not a huge fan of pork belly, but the other’s really liked it. The Red Sesame Chicken was pretty spicy – took a very small bite and went back to heaven/my tofu. Deede delivered some food to the guys while everyone else waited in their lines.

The guys hit up General Jim’s because the line was short. They got some snacks – Garlic Fries and Philly Cheese Steak Nachos

Dan snapped a nacho photo with his iPhone – thank you technology. If it wasn’t for texting, tweeting, etc., it would have been hard to divide and conquer.

Lots and lots of crowds. Many people bailed to eat at local restaurants – I look at that as another huge success for SactoMoFo – bringing lots of business to local restaurants. You definitely needed to be patient – I turned it into a positive, having fun chatting with people in line. I saw my girlfriend Cherri – who blogs over at Sweet Life of a Cherri – it was great to visit for a few minutes with her and her family. I also ran into a few other bloggers and friends.

Not the best photo of the Seoul on Wheels truck – but I couldn’t resist the little Miniature Schnauzer – I saw at least 3 today. It made me miss Higgy at home. My wait time at Seoul on Wheels was easily over an hour. I chatted with a Mom and her daughter for a good portion of the time… until Deede’s husband delivered popsicles to us from Fat Face.

The orange one was Thai tea and sweet potato and the other one was plum basil. They were both incredible and I loved that Deede’s wheels started turning after a few bites. It’s her goal to recreate the popsicles or similar sorbets and it’s my goal to be her taste tester. We also tasted a lime and avocado popsicle and the guys had kiwi mango and strawberry lemonade. A huge hit and very refreshing after waiting in lines for so long… and mouth soothing after the spicy stuff.

Back to Seoul on Wheels…

I tm’d the guys to get their orders – 2 spicy pork BBQ and 1 chicken BBQ, got the girl’s orders – 2 rib eye BBQ and we were good to go. I opted to try the chicken.

The chicken was great, but super spicy – like lip burning spicy in a good way. The burning stopped after a few more popsicle bites. 😉

The girls enjoyed the Short Rib Korean Tacos and the guys gave the Spicy Pork two thumbs up as well.

Deede delivered the guys their food at the Mama Kim’s line – while Kristen got in the Spencer on the Go line. I wandered around to look at the other trucks.

People had been waiting in the Curry Up Now line for over an hour. A taste of their Tikka Masala Burrito would have been nice, but I was satisfied with my choices and there was no way I was waiting in another line.

Whole Foods rolled out their truck featuring assorted sausages, hot dogs and tots.

The best part of the Whole Food’s Truck was the “Bust a Move” dancing hot dogs…

I finally made my way back to the Spencer on the Go line to chat with Kristen while the guys still waited over at Mama Kim’s.

The Mama Kim’s food came up just as they announced that Spencer on the Go had run out of food. (It was only 2:00 p.m.) Lots of French foodies and people wanting to try the truck from the Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”  TV show. They were serving escargot lollipops, lobster cappuccino, braised lamb cheeks and chocolate pudding. Kristen had already been in line for an hour, total let down… but at least we had Mama Kim’s to try.

Dan and I shared a BBQ Tri Tip & Slaw Slider with a side of Sweet Potato Chips – the chips were awesome. Deede got the Chicken Bahn Mi and let me take a bite. Lots of sharing going on all day. It was a fun way to taste things without feeling totally stuffed. I LOVE my friends for putting up with me since I found out about the event months ago. If it was just Dan and I, we probably would have waited in one line and bailed.

I’m glad the event was such a huge success and that major crowds came out. It will be interesting to see the estimated numbers on the news tonight. It would be very cool if everyone signed the petitions that were circulating around –  to get the 30 minute parking ordinance changed. I hope all parties involved (restaurateurs, truck owners, and city officials) can come to a compromise that works for everyone.

A great day of food and fun with friends. Can’t ask for more than that…

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3 comments

    • Cherri on April 30, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Kathleen! It was so good to see you today! I thought your post was excellent and you captured the spirit of the day nicely!

    • Deede on April 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    Another awesome post. So glad you got to run around and grab pictures of the other vendors. Too many good things to try. I will be recreating and expanding the yummy popsicle possibilities this summer, and of course since I had my first Bahn Mi, I am on a mission to find more and try them. Sooooo yummy. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.

    • Kristen on May 3, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    I arrived early and just took pics, talked with the vendors and other folks waiting for everything to open. I should have started the Spencer on the Go line, since it didn’t exist when I arrived, but NO I had to be social and gab! 🙂 Oh well, tons of fun! I’m very happy with the grub that we did try! It was great to hear that the local eateries received so much business from those that didn’t want to stand in the lines. There were enough people to keep the trucks and restaurants hopping!! I can’t wait for next year! 🙂

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