Stickem Food Truck

I just got out of a meeting was hungry. I thought I’d head to Whole Foods to grab a healthy choice whenI saw Stickem parked on the side of the road. I stopped and ordered the chicken on a stick, fresh veggies and a salad. Boy, Was I pleased! The food was delicious. The light dressing on the salad was so yummy, the seasoning on the fresh veggies was amazing and the chicken was perfect. The staff on the truck was so friendly. I’m not even from the Memphis area but, next time I’m in town I’ll have to find them. Oh, and it was $ 8 for all that! I’m sure it would have cost much more at whole pay check… I mean who foods.

Not impressed with in the least. We arrived at Shelby Farms and the people behind the window were very standoff-​ish. I told them we came just because they said on Facebook they were going to be there. The one person gave me some kind of sarcastic non-​committal, which surprised me. I ordered the rib eye and my husband ordered the rib eye and shrimp. We also ordered two cans of soda. The total came out to be about $ 22 – 23. I tried to also say that I initially saw them on the Dining with Monkeys blog, but they ignored me, shut their windows, and turned around to do their thing. OOOOOOooook…
Both the rib eye and the shrimp had the exact same marinade on it. Really? Every other eatery I’ve been to has had totally different marinades for meat, fish and veggie. At first I really didn’t know what to think of the marinade, but it grew on me a bit. The veggies were just sauteed and very bland.
Overall, both my husband and I agreed that the food and the cruddy service was not worth the price. I will not be going back anytime soon.

If foods served on sticks are universally beloved, it would only make sense that Memphis’ newest food truck, Stickem, should instantly earn a place in our hearts.
The Stickem truck’s menu is simple: they serve food, mostly meat, impaled on sticks. I’m glad that they decided to pick a niche and stick with it. Too many food trucks try to be rolling versions of full restaurants, and by limiting themselves, Stickem is able to focus and make great food in a small space. Plus, the food-​on-​a-​stick format works well in an environment where people might be walking and eating or not be able to sit down.
When I found the truck parked at the Ridgeway Loop today, they were serving steak, chicken, tofu and shrip in kabobs or on salads. I ordered the steak kabobs and my friend E. ordered the chicken, both of which came with fries, vegetables and a little spear of grapes.
It only took about five minutes for the two guys in the truck to make our food, and since there weren’t any benches (and we didn’t have an office to go back to), we plopped down in the grass and had an office park picnic.
I expected the food to be good, but in a food-​on-​a-​stick-​from-​a-​truck kind of way, like a ProntoPup or something. Instead, I was kind of shocked by how incredibly good it was.
My steak was cooked perfectly — it was juicy, just a little bit crunchy on the edges, and seasoned with a combination of spices that I’d buy by the jug if they sold it in stores. I don’t normally like grilled chicken (it’s one of those foods that seems to thrive on dryness and mediocrity), but Stickem’s was tender and every bit as flavorful as the steak.
As for the sides, the vegetables were pretty good, but the fries were great. They were some of the spiciest spicy fries I’ve ever had, and I wished I had remembered to buy a drink.
Seriously, though, food on a stick is happiness. Stickem is happiness.