On A Roll Nosh Modern

M
A
Mobile Bistro
fter finishing culinary school, Brock Houston went on to
become executive chef at the James River Country Club.
But he traded in his toque for a truck and now creates

Food trucks obile kitchens crisscross the Tidewater region on weekdays,

but on weekends and evenings, they tend to congregate near
seasonal and locally sourced dishes from 2 mobile kitchens. “It’s
nice to get out of being surrounded by 4 walls,” Houston says.

deliver good breweries. “There’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship between

Whether it’s frites with truffle oil or the popular Greek lamb
sliders, his food pairs perfectly with beer. That’s no coincidence:
eats to breweries and food trucks,” says Brock Houston, who runs
the Nosh Modern Mobile Bistro truck.
One of his trucks is permanently parked at St. George Brewing
Company in Hampton.
Tidewater’s Food trucks became more popular during the pandemic because people
could keep a safe distance while enjoying a taste of something new. M.J. Medlar,
streets who runs the Capt’n Crabby truck, remembers when customers were wary
What to order
Capt’n
BY LARRY BLEIBERG about ordering from a truck. No more: “Now it’s huge.”

T
Crabby
While local regulations make it difficult for food trucks to park permanently Served poutine-style,
in a spot, you can track them on their websites and social media accounts. the Reuben fries
(pictured) are covered
Here are 7 food trucks in the Tidewater region you’ll definitely want to try. idewater knows
with grilled corned
beef, sauerkraut, Swiss its seafood, so
cheese, and Thousand M.J. Medlar and
Island dressing. her husband and business
partner, Steve James, must
be doing something right.
Since 2014, they’ve been
serving Baltimore-style crab
cakes sautéed in a cast-
iron skillet. “We’ve built our
business on them,” says
Medlar.
The Capt’n Crabby menu
offers a variety of toppings,
ranging from bacon to green-
chile goat cheese. “We do
our crab cakes like burgers,”
Medlar adds.
Also popular: the creamy
shrimp salad. It’s based
on flavors from Kibby’s,
a landmark Baltimore
restaurant that’s now closed.

FROM LEFT: JUSTIN CHESNEY (2); LARRY BLEIBERG

What to order
The Italiano crab
cake sandwich
(pictured), served
on a potato roll with
prosciutto, tomato,
mozzarella, pesto,
and basil.

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 A
Avocargo
dopting a vegan diet changed
Shauntel Davis’ life and helped
her lose 100 pounds. Davis
(pictured) found that a plant-based
diet can be delicious, so she started
her food truck, Avocargo.

T
Avocargo’s signature Jerk Chix

Team Fat Kid

bowl substitutes chicken with
savory, flavor-packed grilled oyster
mushrooms. (For veggie-wary his truck was born from a

customers, Davis also offers a few YouTube show featuring

AAA MEMBER BENEFITS*
dishes with chicken.) 2 Tidewater chefs trying crazy
recipes, like a birthday cake made FR H
Egg rolls stuffed with collard
only from meat. A few years later, they 45% OFF *
greens and sweet potatoes—a dish
that tastes like sweet potato pie— competed on Food Network’s The FR m f
Great Food Truck Race. Now, Team *
round out a meal.
“I love to see what you can do Fat Kid is a mobile FR 3-y
with vegetables,” says Davis, who kitchen that m *
previously ran a Caribbean restaurant offers overstuffed
H -
sandwiches at What

Flame and Pie

in Portsmouth. Nowadays you’ll find
to order

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her greeting customers from her breweries in m y+

Mobile Pizzeria
Virginia Beach, The Best Philly
truck wearing an avocado-printed (pictured),
headscarf. “I want to make vegan Chesapeake, and
a rib eye
idewater’s best pizza just might come
food fun.” Norfolk. sandwich with Hear everyth ng. Pay le . Get more.
out of this food truck. Customers The key is the onion, cheese,
What to order
have been known to drive for miles to bacon-cheese jalapeño, fries, AAA and Connect Hearing
FROM LEFT: JUSTIN CHESNEY (3); LARRY BLEIBERG

pick up a pie made by Glenn Allen (pictured), The Flaming Pie sauce, says Melissa and bacon-
cheese sauce.
have collaborated to provide 45% OFF*
who started baking pizza as a hobby but (pictured), a Fossee, who co-
What to order
Hear ng
members with higher
made it his profession after he was laid off peppery pizza owns the truck
The Jerk Chix bowl— standards of hearing care and
from an IT job. Customers don’t seem to with jalapeño, with her husband, Jason Fossee, and
which comes with
Sriracha sausage, discounted hearing aids.
mind waiting for their orders, Allen says: “In rice, beans, lettuce, Alex Carr. “I call it liquid gold because it
chorizo, and spicy
a good week, we’ll make 500 pizzas.” tomatoes, onions, runs our truck.” Get it on burgers, fries, Call 800.222.1076 to book your free consult.
red sauce.
The truck offers 4 crusts: original New and barbecue even a pork cutlet. Jason says their
JUSTIN CHESNEY

sauce—has just the Locations nationwide

York, cracker-thin, deep-dish Detroit, and formula is simple: “We’re an upscale
right amount of aaa.connecthearing.com
gluten-free. “You can call Domino’s and order Jamaican heat. twist on bar food from a kitchen that
a pizza, but we offer more variety,” he says. runs down an interstate.” * Please refer to aaa.connecthearing.com for details. + Only available on some hearing devices.

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 T
Nomads
he globe is on the menu
at Nomads food truck,
whose founders, Mike Enslen
and Brandon Bolt (pictured),
traveled the world for several years
before returning to Virginia in 2020.
Their adventures inspire the
seasonal menu. For example, last
year’s autumn menu included
dishes traced to various countries:
braised chicken from Spain’s
Basque region, butternut squash
curry from India, and a cod
sandwich from Denmark.
“We’ve been told we’re serving
restaurant-quality food without
restaurant prices or restaurant

757 Laos
waits,” Enslen says. Highlights

P
from the pair’s travels decorate

Street Food
the truck, which is plastered
with pictures of themselves in
honexay Phoutasen and his wife,
Cambodia, Germany, New Zealand,
Margaret (pictured), have a simple
and other countries.
recipe for their Southeast Asian
food truck: “We make food the way we
like it, the way we eat it. We don’t cut What to order
Thom khem
What to order
corners. We don’t try to Americanize it.”
The result is a truck that serves a (pictured), a spicy,
FROM LEFT: JUSTIN CHESNEY (2); LARRY BLEIBERG

In true nomadic
cuisine unfamiliar to many diners. Laotian caramelized pork
fashion, the
dishes taste like a lighter version of Thai dish that may come
menu changes
food, says Phonexay: “It wakes up your with a decorative
often. Ask for
senses.” He says he’s happy to help orchid blossom on
recommendations.
customers who are new to Laotian food. the side.
“People come up to the window and say,
‘I don’t know what to order.’ I understand.” Charlottesville-based writer LARRY
BLEIBERG will gladly eat standing
up when the meal comes from a
Be sure to designate a driver if you plan to drink alcohol.
food truck.

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