Takin’ It to the StrEATS

by Mallory Arnold

In its 11th year, the annual Frisco StrEATS Gourmet Food Truck & Music Festival returns from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. May 6 to Frisco’s Rail District, at 4th and Elm Streets. 

North Texas’ longest-running food truck festival is expected to have 14 rigs in attendance this year. Besides the delicacies that will be served from the trucks, there will also be live music performed by tribute bands as well as local vendors, including Frisco favorites Tumbleweed TexStyles and Storied Roots, on hand to enjoy. 

Janet Stork, past president of The Frisco Rail District Merchants Association, which sponsors the event, says there will be an abundance of activities at this year’s StrEATS festival. 

“There will be a children’s area that will feature free face painting, balloon artistry and caricatures,” Stork says. 

Also planned is a beer and wine garden that will set up beneath a tent, she says, with wine vendor Hidden Hanger Winery from Denison making a return. 

Among the food trucks slated to set up during StrEATS is The Hot Potato. Making its fourth appearance at the festival, the rig is family owned and serves potato-forward Caribbean cuisine with a bit of Mexican flare. 

 “I’ve always loved baked potatoes,” owner David Webber explains. “There was a baked potato place in my college town I would eat at a few times a week, so that inspired us to do baked potatoes. We started as a part-time gig and it bloomed into a full-time opportunity for us.”

Webber says he looks forward to participating in StrEATS each year. “It’s always a great experience. … Our first time we came, we didn’t know what to expect. Our line started steady and (by) about midday, we were slammed nonstop until the event was over. It was one of the busiest events we have done.”

The Hot Potato’s menu features recipes passed down from generations of Webber’s family. One of the most popular is the jerk chicken, which he usually serves atop tater tots, fries, a baked potato and even grilled-cheese sandwiches. His personal favorite item, however, is the Buffalo chicken baked potato. 

 “People should come check us out at StrEATS because we have great food made from scratch,” Webber says. “You can always find me or my wife working together on the truck and we’ll get you your food quickly so you can enjoy the festivities.”

Also returning this year is the popular Cousins Maine Lobster truck, boasting a menu that consists of such items as lobster tots, a lobster grilled-cheese sandwich and lobster tacos. There’s also a lobster quesadilla on the menu. 

Kona Ice also makes a return this year to serve its classic snow cones (don’t miss its Piña Colada-flavored treat), as is T.J.’s Dawg House serving its Chicago-style beef hot dogs that can be smothered in homemade chili, sauteed onions and peppers, baked beans and cheddar cheese, among other toppings. 

 The popular Egg Stand truck will serve gourmet egg sandwiches (with such clever names as The Hot Texan, THE WANTED and The Pac Twelve) with nearly every fixing imaginable. Consider ordering DA BOSS, which features Angus beef, gouda mac & cheese, bacon, hash browns, a fried egg, crispy onion straws and chipotle ketchup on a toasted brioche bun. 

If you’ve never had Cajun food, now is as good a time as any to give it a try courtesy of The Caribbean Cajun truck, which serves items that are a fusion of its namesake flavors but with a Texas twist. Don’t miss the grilled jerk chicken marinated with cloves, pimento and other spices, nor the cornmeal-breaded jumbo catfish that is deep fried and served with a choice of Cajun fries or red beans and rice. 

 With food from the trucks secured, be sure to hang out and enjoy live-music performances at StrEATS as its stage hosts several acts including Girl Can’t Help It, a Portland, Oregon-based Journey tribute band that is known to play such rock classics as Lights, Separate Ways, and Don’t Stop Believin’. 

“We’re very excited to perform at the Frisco StrEATs Festival this year,” Vince Trujillo, the band’s percussionist, says. “We performed last year and had such a great time. The crowd was amazing.”

Also scheduled to take the stage is Perfect Strangers (a tribute to Deep Purple), and festival headliner Piano Man — The Billy Joel Experience. Vocalist Tim Georgeff is eager to bring the latter’s sound to StrEATS this year.

“Frisco has become such a vibrant city for entertainment and food, and it was an honor to be asked to perform,” he says. “Billy Joel’s catalog of music is an unparalleled songbook that has no rivals, and our band plays them all.”

Additional information about the annual Frisco StrEATS Gourmet Food Truck & Musical Festival is available at friscoraildistrictmerchants.com/streats.