Food trucks beginning to find a place to call home in New Orleans

Lately I've tried to revive my long dormant hunting and gathering instincts. I prowl the streets of New Orleans searching for trucks and vans loaded with food far better than traditional street fare.

In my search, I've been aided by modern tools, such as Twitter feeds and a Facebook page called "New Orleans Needs More Food Trucks." Although our city's population of gourmet food trucks is still thin as compared to other foodie cities, over the past few months its numbers have grown.

On a recent Saturday night, I found Taceaux Loceaux parked outside Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar on Tchoupitoulas Street. On one side of the white step van was an enormous chalkboard with its menu of nontraditional tacos, such as the Seoul Man (Korean-style bulgogi chicken), Carnital Knowledge (pork with shredded cabbage and chipotle aioli), and the Notorious P.I.G. (chorizo, potatoes and garlic salsa), that might cause a Mexican to request an interpreter.

Inside the van, Alex del Castillo gracefully moved his large frame between the sizzling meat on the flattop and the line of cabbies, bar patrons and passers-by waiting for a spicy late-night snack. When things got slow, he texted updates on his location and nightly specials to the 1,000 people who follow Taceaux Loceaux on Twitter.

"We've become a destination, " said del Castillo, who runs the business with his wife Maribeth, "and you do that with Twitter and interesting, good food."

In big cities across the country, such as New York; Austin, Texas; and Portland, Ore., gourmet food trucks are a well-established trend. Here in New Orleans, they've been slow to catch on. Although the city did see an influx of taqueria trucks that filled a niche after Hurricane Katrina by serving fresh, home-style meals quickly and inexpensively to migrants working far from home.

One of the earliest examples of the gourmet-style food trucks popped up around that time as well: Que Crawl, a purple truck that in the summer of 2006 began selling grit fries, boudin balls and pulled pork barbecue po-boys outside Tipitina's.

"It was exciting, " said Nathanial Zimet, Que Crawl's chef and owner. "You're right in front of the people. I'd say seven out of 10 people came back to tell you how much they liked it."

Working a truck was also a tough adjustment for Zimet, who previously had only cooked in fine dining restaurants.

"The first four months or so, " he said, "I was wiping rims on paper plates."

Before the levees failed in August 2005, Zimet had planned to open a restaurant. Afterward, the truck made more sense financially. Eventually he made enough money from Que Crawl, particularly from well-paying and consistent jobs on film sets, to open Boucherie.

For the last year, the Que Crawl truck has only left the parking lot behind Zimet's restaurant for the occasional festival and private gig. But Boucherie's high-end Southern fare, which is priced so that even college students can afford it, still features those flavors that first won over eaters on the sidewalk outside Tipitina's.

Donna Fazzari also opted for a truck, in her case a red GMC "short bus" called Fork in the Road, over a restaurant because of cost. After 20 years as a talent agent in California catering to stars, such as Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp, she now works the parking lot of Tulane University Square. Although she focuses on local ingredients, her soups, salads and pressed sandwiches, such as grilled vegetables with smoked Gouda or provolone with spinach pesto, bring a West Coast attitude to the East Bank.

"Looking for (restaurant) space in California the size of this bus was $10,000 a month, " she said. After the initial outlay to buy and outfit the bus, she only spends about $1,000 each month beyond the cost of food.

With so many talented cooks in New Orleans itching to make a name for themselves, why isn't the city awash in food trucks?

Most operators blamed the hassle of getting permits and the restrictions the city places on the trucks. Mobile food vendors are banned from both the French Quarter and, perhaps more damagingly, the CBD.

Permits issued by the city "to use the public streets, sidewalks or public places or private places of business establishments" do now allow that activity in a zone that runs from the river to South Claiborne Avenue and Howard Avenue to Esplanade Avenue. That includes the CBD, the French Quarter and the Louisiana Superdome.

That law was enacted in 1972 and exempts vendors, such as the Lucky Dogs hot dog carts, that were operating before 1964.

Trucks in surrounding cities also face restrictions. In September, the Covington restaurant Lola launched a truck called Lola Deux, but laws on the north shore town keep them from selling on public property.

"They're trying to keep it the old, small town, " said Nealy Frentz, who runs the restaurant with her husband, Keith, "but there are a lot of people who moved here after Katrina who are city people."

In 2007, Jefferson Parish passed tighter regulations that effectively banned food trucks, which, at that time, included mainly taqueria trucks. The same regulations -- banning food vendors from many major streets that have guidelines for landscaping and buffer space, and requiring vendors to provide permanent restrooms -- also make it tough for gourmet food trucks to move into the parish.

Despite the roadblocks, it looks like New Orleans is about to have more food trucks.

Del Castillo of Taceaux Loceaux plans to eventually run a fleet of three trucks.

"There are a lot of very underserved areas, " he said, pointing to hospitals, construction sites and industrial parks. "We'll go there and rock them with good food."

At the Fry Bar currently sells french fries with toppings, such as pork debris, andouille gravy, and Parmesan and garlic at a stand at the Bywater Art Market and the Arts Market in Palmer Park. By the new year, they hope to have a truck to take their frites to the streets.

Next month, Baton Rouge's Curbside will be cruising the Crescent City. Owned by New Orleans-native Nick Hufft, the truck features hand-cut french fries and burgers made with fresh-ground beef. The specialty is a Brian burger with "pork belly preserve, " a mix of bacon, onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar and spices.

"We cook it down until it turns almost into a fruit preserve, " said Hufft, "then we slap that on our cheeseburgers."

This summer, Hufft plans to station a Curbside truck permanently in New Orleans.

At the rate these trucks are multiplying, finding a meal on the streets soon won't require any special skills. You'll be able to just sniff the air and follow the good smells.