It was bound to happen, I’m just sorry I didn’t think of this idea first: a “taco truck” that sells healthy, organic food. “Sacrilege!” you’re probably saying but then when you think about it some more you have to admit it is a pretty good idea, especially in health-conscious L.A.
But those expecting taco truck prices may be a little turned off by the Green Truck’s Whole Food-esque prices. The “Create Your Own” salad, wrap or pita combo special with organic soda and “a goodie” will set you back $14.95. Yes, for lunch from a truck! But then again, it all sounds so good. Mmm, Ahi Poke tacos — fresh ahi tuna in a citrus and cilantro marinade with cabbage, green onions and pineapple salsa ($11) — and mandarin-ahi tuna salad. If you want something slightly cheaper, there’s the $6 grilled cheese sandwich or $5 soups and an array of snacks like Clif Bars and Kettle Chips.
For drinks, you can choose from a Blue Sky soda, Moroccon Mint Lemonade and Ground Works coffee, to name a few. And if you’re lucky enough to spot the truck during breakfast hours, you can get a $5 breakfast burrito made with flourless sprouted tortillas, mushrooms, peppers, eggs, bacon and cheese or create your own scramble ($6).
After several half-hearted attempts to check out the truck’s fare (since my work location is already surrounded by restaurants), I finally went over to try the grilled cheese sandwich with apple slices ($8). It came with some lightly seasoned mixed greens but the pretty lady taking orders convinced me and my friend to order up some sweet potato fries, too. Instantly visions of The Counter’s ultradelicious sweet potato fries swam in my head. Unfortunately by the time I got to my desk to dig in, the fries were all soggy AND they were kinda flavorless. At least when compared to the Counter’s which uses just the right amount of salt and serves the fries with some creamy horseradish-type sauce.
I did like the grilled cheese sandwich, though. The combo of cheeses that they used — mozzarella, provolone and cheddar — mixed so well together in a delicious melty way. And the apples made the sandwich more satisfying to my always-hungry stomach. However, $8 just seems too pricey for a grilled cheese sandwich, especially when you can get one stuffed with cheddar, muenster and fontina for $6.75 from Meltdown in Culver City (Roma tomatoes are only 50 cents extra as opposed to $2 at the Green Truck). I guess I’d be paying for the convenience. The truck is just right across the street from my work (the Water Garden) from 9am to 2pm on most days.
If you want to find the truck, its site has a nifty GPS tracker so you can zero in on it during its travels but the site has no printed/set schedule of its stops. (Sometimes I like to check the tracker at odd hours to see where the truck is. Heh.) I suppose I could call the kitchen as the site suggests but I prefer to do everything via the Internet. I’m lazy like that.
For the uber green people among us, you’d probably be interested to know that the Green Truck is also environmentally conscious as it runs on customized vege-oil, making it a “0” carbon-footprint mobile restaurant and the food is prepared in a solar-powered commissary in Culver City. Also, the food packaging, containers, bags, napkins, and utensils are made from biocompostable products.
Currently the Green Truck (there are only two at the moment) can be spotted on the Westside — Santa Monica/West L.A. and Culver City/Beverly.
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Green Truck (310) 204-0477