Rockabilly Diner

I love food trucks! My wife thinks they’re unsafe, unclean, and ridiculous in concept. So this is a secret guilty pleasure of mine. Read Albert’s blog and saw this place nearby work, so I just had to try it.
Stopped by for lunch and couldn’t figure out what to order. Bacon&cheese rockaburger was recommended by the owner, but it was cold outside and my brain-​freeze didn’t help. Opted for the Rock-​n-​blue burger instead and was told it would be an 8-​minute wait. Made-​to-​order fresh, I like it! Their fryer went out and they had to cancel my onion rings order which was no big deal, but the owner apologized profusely anyway. The burger was so good, I completely forgot about the rings. The meat was fresh, moist, and juicy. The buns were warm and toasty. The grilled mushrooms and bacon complimented the burger very well. I’ve never had bleu cheese on a burger before and found it to be a bit overpowering for my tastes at times as it detracted a little from the delicious patty.
I wanted to sit outside in their pavillion and enjoy my lunch, but the weather was uncooperative with gusty northerly winds at 50 °F. The burger tried its best to keep me warm, but Mother Nature overwhelmed both of us and had to take it to go. I had some leftover brisket from Corkscrew BBQ and found it complemented the burger very well as the onion ring/​french fries substitute. I like meat.
Despite the hiccups with the onion rings, this place gets 4.4 stars for me. I don’t think I could ever convince my wife to try this place out, but it is very safe, clean, and brilliant in concept. I’ll be back to try the rest of their menu!

In the mood for a good burger so I decided to stop by this yellow food truck close to my house that advertises «Fresh Burgers».
I got the Rock-​N-​Blue Burger which was topped with blue cheese, bacon, mushrooms and caramelized onions… a flavor combination I usually love. It did not disappoint… made to order, fresh meat, delicious bun and flavorful toppings. The lightly seasoned fries were also surprisingly good and cooked just right.
I will definitely be back again soon!

Stopped by for lunch on a beautiful day (outdoor dining only). Enjoyed a very tasty hamburger and fries. Cooked fresh and made to order. Thoroughly enjoyed this good size burger. My husband ordered the onion rings which I thought could have been cooked a little longer but my fries rocked! Worth the stop and the calories!

The Houston City Council is making it tough on food trucks. While many are operating in the city, they face an unaccommodating legal environment that makes it tougher for these creative mobile kitchens to offer a great experience for their customers.
Seating? No can do. Shaded seating? You’re kidding, right?
These factors alone put food trucks at a huge disadvantage compared to standalone restaurants. Eating standing up isn’t any fun. Eating standing up under a hot Texas sun is even less fun. Yet customers will endure these inconveniences if the food is good enough.
Even with these stumbling blocks, food trucks persevere, and some even thrive. Hopefully the city council will someday change these anticompetitive regulations and let trucks compete without artificial barriers (that seem to be written by brick-​and-​mortar restaurant associations.)
Until then, some trucks will take refuge outside the city limits of Houston, where the regulations are based on health and safety, and not make-​believe fantasies of back-​of-​the-​truck drug deals and apron-​wearing terrorists operating behind the grill. (You can’t make this stuff up.)
Enter the Rockabilly Diner, a food truck located just west of Kuykendall on FM 2920 (the first major road south of the Woodlands.) Eschewing both the hipsters and the silly regulations found Inside The Loop, Rockabilly converted a vacant spot near a busy intersection into an al fresco dining spot.
Parking is ample, and the bright yellow trailer houses a modern kitchen that would be right at home in a small mom-​and-​pop restaurant.
At the back of the property is a small seating pavilion, with a pair of picnic tables and a sturdy fan providing a breeze even when Mother Nature isn’t cooperative.
The entire property is clean, neat, and well kept, with little homey touches that remind you that Rockabilly isn’t a corporate concept cashing in on the food truck craze.
Stepping up to the counter, we’re immediately greeted by Chad McMullen, a Brooklyn transplant who’s been in Texas long enough to add «y’all» to his vocabulary. Chad is passionate about burgers, and his enthusiasm comes through loud and clear. And his excitement is resonating with customers — Rockabilly has recently extended its hours from 11am to 8pm, serving the dinner crowd as well as those craving a burger for lunch.
On this, our first visit, we followed Chad’s suggestions, and ordered a Bacon and Cheese Rockaburger. Based around a hand-​formed one-​third pound beef patty, it’s topped with your choice of several cheeses, generously sliced bacon cooked on the griddle right beside the patty, and the usual array of traditional burger toppings.
Nothing was started until our order was placed — no precooked patties here. Or even precooked bacon, something that’s very common at even the best burger joints. We applaud Chad’s dedication. Another interesting observation: Chad covers the burger patty with a lid on the grill, the same technique that Ricky Craig at Hubcap Grill uses to such great effect.
After a reasonable time for cooking and production, our burger appeared, wrapped in foil and placed within an insulated foam carrier. This burger is packaged to travel well, but the only vacation in its future was into my stomach.
All this attention to detail was put to the test when we bit into the Rockaburger. The coarsely ground beef was cooked medium well, but the covered griddling technique resulted in a nicely juicy patty, and perfectly melted cheese (pepper jack, as was Chad’s recommendation). The beefy flavor was front and center, seasoned gently with salt and pepper. The hot-​off-​the-​griddle bacon added a nice smoky counterpoint, and had a firm, dense, chewy consistency. Veggies were crisp and fresh. Our only disappointment was a slight one — a rather pedestrian bun that was neither toasted or griddled, but it did it’s job holding everything together.
All in all, a very good burger, and one that we look forward to enjoying again.
There was a considerably lunch rush of Houstonians enjoying a burger in the great outdoors, comfortably seated alongside friends and strangers under the pavilion. It’s a shame that every food truck can’t offer this sort of experience to its guests, but we’re happy that the Rockabilly Diner has picked a location that allows for this kind of great experience.
We’ll be back.