Six Phoenix Food Trucks, Rated

Comments (0) By Laura Hahnefeld Thursday, Mar 14 2013

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Tastes: The Papa Verde Quesadilla ($8), too heavy on the cheese and salt, is bested by the more unique Thai'd Up version ($8.50), a flour tortilla filled with ingredients like citrus-kissed chicken, Serrano peppers, caramelized onions, and a stinging, sweet Thai chile sauce. More daring diners can say the magic words "Rey Mysterio" and receive chef Tim Cobb's special of the day.

The Verdict: With most dishes accompanied by corn chips and homemade salsa, Luncha isn't leaving anyone hungry. And given its salty side, you'll be grateful for handcrafted agua frescas ($4) — although they're served in mason jars that are yours to lug around forever or return to the truck for a future discount.

Jackie Mercandetti

Luncha Libre

Jackie Mercandetti

Pizza People

Jackie Mercandetti

Aji Mobile Foods

Laura Hahnefeld

The Grilled Cheese Truck

More About

The Grilled Cheese Truck
(Grilled cheese sandwiches)
www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com
The Skinny: Roaming the streets of L.A. since 2009 with his cheese-centric mobile kitchen, owner and chef Dave Danhi expanded his business into Phoenix in January, with an eye on the franchise prize.

Tastes: The sandwich that started it all, The Cheesy Mac & Rib, a.k.a. "The Fully Loaded" ($7.75), is a compact creation of oozy sharp cheddar, smoked barbecue pork (without much smoke), mac and cheese, and caramelized onions between grilled bread, and it is the most flavorful and filling of the bunch. Unlike the Pepperbelly Melt ($7.75) with habanero jack cheese, a feeble chili, a curious-tasting cilantro lime sour cream, and Fritos, "The Fully Loaded" doesn't trade taste for sheer novelty. Forgettable sides like tomato soup and dipping sauces should be ignored.

The Verdict: Given a clear, easy-to-execute concept and the option of building your own melt, these cheesy eats might seem road-ready. But with more salt than you'd probably prefer and an asking price of around $7 for what is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich, it's tough to justify stepping up to the window.