The Wandering Sheppard

Maybe I am a little late to the party, but food trucks seem to be very hot.  I wrote about the vibrant food truck scene in Durham.  This time I am posting about Atlanta.  The Atlanta Food Truck Park is an interesting location.  Combined with a few food trucks and farmer’s market-like stands, this location is a good spot to test Atlanta’s scene.  In a brief description, think of this as a food court of food trucks.

The location is very easy to get to in the NW Atlanta / Downtown area.   Right of I-75 on the southeast corner of Howell Mill Road is the park.  You need to drive past the adjacent Shell station and turn down Emery.  According to the website, you can park behind the park on Beck.  However, I parked on Emery and Beck in a designated lot.  In addition to the stands and trucks, there are plenty of tables and seats.  While sitting down and enjoying your food, you can listen to live music.  On Saturday, a band was setting up for the evening shift.  On Sunday afternoon, a DJ was playing club (Top 40) music.

On Saturday, I tried the Mac the Cheese truck, which is a truck that serves Mac and Cheese.  You can start with a basic Mac and Cheese bowl and add toppings or you can go with a pre-made combination.  I had a late lunch, so I went for a bowl with hot sauce (I believe it was Spicy Mac).  The mac and cheese was great, however, the hot sauce was okay.   In addition to grabbing a bowl of mac, I went with some Creole Pretzels from Chay J’s.  These are really good and I wish I had bought 2 for $10, instead one bag for $6.  Since I arrived around 4, many of the trucks were closed.   Between 4 and 5pm is sort of a down time to set up for dinner.   Other trucks that were parked there: Sweet Auburn Barbecue, The Blaxican (Mexican Soulfood), Mighty Meatballs, and Rouxd.

On Sunday, when given the choice of Varsity or the Food Truck Park, my wife went for the park.   Rouxd, Mighty Meatballs, Happy Belly, The Mobile Marlay and Yum Yum were in attendance.   Rouxd is a New Orleans food truck.  They were giving out samples of gazpacho, which was good.  However, I was in the mood for etouffe.   The Rock Shrimp Etouffe was ah-terrific.  Not only was it spicy, it was flavorful.  I really liked this dish, because the spiciness was not overbearing the taste of the dish.

Also tried were the Risotto balls at Mobile Marlay.  This truck is more famous for Fish N Chips, which smelled really good.  However, we thought three entrees maybe too much (it would have been).  The balls were really good, however, the marinara could have been better.  I think it tasted just like tomato, where “gravy” should have some olive oil, oregano, and other Italian seasonings.

Last, we ordered the Chicken Parm meatball sandwich from Mighty Meatballs.  The meatballs were made of chicken and looked just like a meatball sub.  The sandwich was great, however, we didn’t like the marinara here, either.  I guess we are a little spoiled when it comes to our gravy.

So if you are a foodie and enjoy the food truck movement, I think this has to be a stop in your visit.  It is very easy to get to and close to Atlanta’s tourist attractions.

Keep wandering,

@RUWandering