Off the Cove

September 23^rd brought out the orange and black and the second Off the Cove event of the year. The wave of food trucks in partnership with Off the Grid set up at Terry A. Francois Blvd., with AT&T Park as our backdrop to the delicious gourmet offerings. The event felt better organized this time around and no special ticket was needed. As a result of no special ticket, there was no giveaway this time around. The event ran from 10:30am to 5pm with live music and a radio broadcast of the Giants v. Padres. I arrived around noon and the food scene was up and well. OTG promised a sea of trucks and they delivered with appearances from the following:
Alicia’s Tamales
Crème Brulee Cart
El Sur
Hiyaaa
Kung Fu Tacos
Little Green Cyclo
Municher
Onigilly
Pacific Puffs
Phat Thai
Sanguchon
Señor Sisig
Shackmobile
Southern Sandwich
Sunrise Deli
The Chairman
The Fish Tank
Tres Truck
I attacked the trucks as strategically as possible and eyed each of their menus. I was a little disappointed in Sam’s Chowdermobile not making an appearance at OTC 2, especially after trying their delicious Maine Lobster sandwich. Nevertheless, after circling the trucks, I decided on Southern Sandwich and Alicia’s Tamales. I’ll admit that I was drawn to the aesthetics of Southern Sandwich’s truck, as it had a BBQ smoker kind of look. The menu was clearly legible on a chalkboard with classic BBQ staples. The Texas-​sized brisket sandwich caught my attention and was up first.
For a more than reasonable $ 9, I got a massive brisket sandwich, served on larger than life Texas toast. The sandwich was stuffed with brisket and a few other condiments including pickles and lettuce. The BBQ offering was mouthwatering delicious. The bread was amazing and the brisket was just right and their signature Mesquite Texas BBQ sauce was simply perfect. I was stuffed for $ 9 and no side dish necessary.
However, I did managed to squeeze in a tamale after my brisket sandwich. You can’t help but notice Alicia’s tamale cart. The tamales are reasonably priced at $ 3.50 and Alicia offers chicken, cheese, or pork. I went with chicken. The tamale was tasty but felt a little dry. I did however to back and ask for extra salsa, both a green chile and red salsa, both gave great flavor to the tamale.
I was aiming to try one more truck — Tres Truck, but I had no more room. Tres has a restaurant at AT&T Park which I’ve yet to try. I was really hoping to get a sampling of their tacos, but the brisket sandwich put me in a early coma and there was no coming back. No OTG or OTC event is complete without a dessert. I had Pacific Puffs last time around and insisted on going back and ordering some of their homemade cream puffs.
I have to hand it to OTG and the Giants organization for doing a stellar job. The event was better organized and there were more trucks this time around. OTG went the extra mile and set up a live band and also a radio broadcasting of the game, and had much more seating in comparison to the first OTC event. See you in 2013!