The PR Pantry

 

Located at 1204 Greensboro Road in High Point, The PR Pantry is a convenience store that sells homemade desserts and Puerto Rican dishes from an on-site food truck. It is open from 11-8 Tuesday-Saturday, 12-7 on Sunday (with the truck closing at 6:15), and closed Monday. Family meal deals are available, and $10-a-plate specials are offered on select days.

Not long after the PR Pantry opened over the summer, its social media was awash in tantalizing photos of candied fruit and cheesecakes. More recently, the shop added a food truck to the mix. After driving past it on a nearly daily basis, I finally got around to checking it out.

First, a caveat: this is not a Latin market. If you come here expecting one, you will be disappointed. Think of it instead as a typical corner convenience store…that happens to have an above-average homemade food selection. Inside, you’ll encounter candied fruit, cheesecake, tres leches, pasteles, and more. The truck then offers plates, apps, and sides. From arroz con gandules to pernil to mofongo, classic Puerto Rican dishes are well-accounted for. While there are a few tables outside the store, The PR Pantry is probably best suited for takeout.

I ordered a pernil sandwich with a side of arroz con gandules and an additional side of tostones before popping inside to grab a slice of vanilla tres leches. Nothing took terribly long to prepare, and the guys on the truck were personable. At $13 for the sandwich and $3.50 for an extra side, the prices were reasonable too, especially for the quantity and quality.

The food was, on average, really, really good. Served on pressed Cuban-style bread, the pernil sandwich was a bit greasy, but it was also incredibly satisfying. Tender pork met melty cheese and magic ensued. The rice was only OK, but the tostones were crisp and paired well with the accompanying pink sauce (mayoketchup). Later on, my wife and I split the tres leches, and it was incredible: rich and creamy with hints of cinnamon.

If you want filling, tasty homemade food that won’t break the bank, add The PR Pantry to your list. I regret that it took me this long to try it.

Sur Chilean Inspired Food

A Winston-Salem-based food truck, Sur can be found regularly at Winston-Salem and High Point breweries. It offers empanadas, sandwiches, sweets, and more.

 

The local food truck scene has exploded in recent years, and even amid a field that boasts excellent Mexican, Jamaican, Korean fusion, and more, Sur manages to stand out. First, the Chilean-inspired menu offers something different. Can you find empanadas elsewhere? Of course. But empanadas with beef, raisin, and egg? Next, pricing is reasonable (sandwiches under $10 and empanadas and sides are half that), and turn-around times are quick. What really puts Sur on the map, however, are the flavors.

 

Our group shared a churrasco (steak sandwich with tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro mayo), a completo (loaded beef hotdog with tomatoes, avocado, and mayo), and fries, and everything was delicious. The two sandwiches weren’t the easiest things to eat, but what they lacked in structural integrity, they made up for in tastiness. If calorie guilt or ethical compunction makes a hot dog a once-in-a-rare-while indulgence, then the completo should be that once. Even the fries (hot, fresh, and simply salted) were addictively good.

 

Whether at a brewery, a festival, or a random location for reasons unknown, if you happen to see Sur, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Grab napkins and leave regrets behind.

Al-Falah Kabab & Gyro

 Located at the Mobil station at 1010 North Main Street in High Point, Al-Falah serves Middle Eastern and Pakistani halal cuisine from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

 

I must have driven past this food truck a hundred times before I finally paid it a visit. It was enough to make me wish I had stopped much sooner. Al-Falah offers a combination of Pakistani (chapli kabobs, chicken tikka, samosas), Middle Eastern/Mediterranean (gyros), and American (hot dogs and cheesesteaks) sandwiches and entrees, all made fresh to order. Expect a ten or so minute wait.

Prices aren’t posted, but my chapli kabob over rice came out to $10. It ended up being quite a bit of food for the money, and while not quite on-par with the best Middle Eastern or South Asian in the area, it was still very tasty. The meat was well-seasoned and the white sauce made for a nice complement. If offered spicy sauce, be forewarned that it lives up to its name.

 

If you made my mistake of passing Al-Falah by without a second thought, let a gyro or kabab be your penance. You won’t regret it.

Khrissy's Kitchen

 

A Randleman-based food truck, Khrissy’s Kitchen serves up Jamaican cuisine at locations across the Triad. Follow the business’s Facebook page for appearances and updates.

 

I had a craving for Jamaican but didn’t feel like driving to Greensboro for Da Reggae, so it was fortuitous that Khrissy’s Kitchen hit up Brown Truck Brewery a few weeks back. The truck’s menu offered the expected jerks and curries in sandwich, taco, and entrée form albeit with a few surprises: you won’t find beef patties here, but you will find lumpia. Khrissy, the proprietor, helpfully offered to answer any questions.

 

I opted for a shrimp curry entrée for myself and a “surf and turf” (jerk chicken and fried saltfish tacos) for my wife to enjoy later. Given the components involved, both the wait (10-15 minutes) and the prices (teens) were reasonable.

 

The food was, without qualification, excellent. The shrimp featured a rich and savory sauce, and a side of plantains was cooked to a perfect golden brown. Even simple white rice tasted better here.

 

Khrissy’s Kitchen is relatively new, and so word may not have gotten around yet, but if you see this truck appearing at your closest brewery, it’s a must-try.

Queso Monster

 

A Durham-based food truck, Queso Monster serves up Mexican fare including tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. An accompanying trailer, Elote monster, offers elote on the cob or in a bowl as well as lemonades.

 

Queso Monster and Elote Monster usually draw fairly long lines at events, and so when I happened upon them without an extensive queue at a food truck rodeo, I decided to give them a try. The menu offers a good deal of flexibility, boasting choices in proteins (traditional meats, shrimp, or veggies), spiciness levels, and styles. Unexpectedly, they also offered red/juicy and quesobirria quesadillas. The “elote” side of the business offers the titular street corn, with or without a dusting of tortilla or red hot chips. Lemonades range from single flavors such as peach or strawberry to multi-berry bonanzas, and a few are available as horchatas instead.

 

I ended up with a birria quesadilla, tortilla chip-dusted esquites (elote bowl), and a mojito lemonade. The folks running the trucks were friendly, and, even by food truck standards, very fast. The quesadilla, which included broth, chips, salsa, and, of course, queso, offered quite a bit of food for $14. Less justifiable was the $5.50 charged for a regular-sized lemonade.

 

The food was, by and large, satisfying. The quesadilla offered tender meat and a tasty — if cilantro-heavy — broth. The tortillas were a bit greasy, however, and will have you missing La Sinaloense’s version. The torti esquites were thoroughly addictive. It may be just corn, sour cream and spices, but damn if the execution wasn’t spot-on. The confusingly-named mojito lemonade had about as much in common with a mojito as a sea horse does with a stallion, but aside from being very sweet, it was still a refreshing drink on a June day. I appreciated the amount of fresh fruit (berries, pineapple, and kiwi) included.

 

Had I been standing in long lines eagerly anticipating what awaited me, I likely would have walked away from Queso Monster and Elote Monster slightly disappointed. But thanks to fortuitous timing, I was able to enjoy it for what it was: good though not flawless Mexican food and drink.

La Sinaloense Birrieria

 

This Greensboro-based food trailer can often be found making the rounds in High Point and Kernersville (I've caught them at Cork and Grind a few times) as well. If you don't eat beef, you won't find anything here. But for those who do, prepare to be blown away.

Birria, for the uninitiated, is a savory dipping broth, and La Sinaloense Birrieria serves it alongside brisket tacos (with or without cheese) and tortas (on ciabatta bread) though you can get just the tacos or just the broth if you prefer. Everything comes with lime, cilantro, onions, and red and green sauces (both very spicy).

The food is excellent. The meat is very tender, the thick homemade tortillas are the best I've had since Los Gordos closed up shop a few years back, and the broth adds a comforting richness. You'd expect it to be overly salty, but it isn't. It is, however, addictive enough to devour just on its own.

Combos (one to three tacos plus broth) run in the $11-$14 range depending on your selections, and you can add extras a la carte. The proprietor is outgoing and friendly and truly seems to love what he does.

Quesobirria tacos may not be for everyone, but if you can get behind the idea of Mexican-style pot roast done to perfection, this is it.

Triad Food Truck Roundup: Smokiin Mac, Havana Flavor, and J.J.’s Cuban Kitchen

 The Triad is home to an impressive number of food trucks. In addition to those based in Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, and Winston-Salem, several trucks from the Triangle or down Charlotte way make regular appearances in the area. This may come as a surprise to those whose fleeting interactions with food trucks are limited to the occasional festival. However, you needn’t wait for such an occasion to present itself. Many will make their rounds at local breweries, with Bull City Ciderworks, Oden Brewing, (Greensboro), Potent Potables (Jamestown), Brown Truck Brewery, Cork and Grind (High Point), and The Brewer’s Kettle (Kernersville) frequently playing host. For those looking for a new source of bites on the go, consider one of these:

 

Smokiin Mac

 

A gourmet mac and cheese concept, Smokiin Mac delivers a tastes-as-good-as-it-sounds experience. The menu includes mac and cheese bites, loaded fries, and green beans, but the mac and cheese dishes are the main attractions here. Get them plain, or go for BBQ chicken, brisket, lobster, or surf and turf. A vegan jackfruit option is also available.

 

So far, I’ve tried the brisket mac and the Carolina chicken mac, and both are phenomenal. The four-cheese sauce is incredibly creamy, and the contrasting sharp and smooth flavors add complexity. The brisket comes with bits of bacon while the chicken brings slightly sweet spiciness. At $15 and $13 respectively, they are filling, and they are worth it.

 

Havana Flavor

 

Normally based out of an Exxon in Summerfield, Havana Flavor will sometimes pop up in random residential neighborhoods in Greensboro/Jamestown/High Point. They are worth tracking down when they do, but for whatever reason, they usually take quite a while to set up.

 

The food, however, makes up for the inconvenience. Havana Flavor’s menu is fairly expansive for a food truck, boasting everything from classic Cubanos to Hawaiian sandwiches to a version of a tripleta and more. The Cuban Love (guava jelly in place of mustard) is as far from the original as I’ll venture because the original is just that good here. The meats are tender, the bread is authentic, and portions are filling (especially if you are willing to add a side of plantains). At $7 per sandwich and $4 per side, pricing is perfectly reasonable, and Jose and his crew turn around orders quickly. Havana Flavor offers as good a Cuban sandwich as I’ve had anywhere, and if you find yourself craving one, make this your preferred option.

 

J.J.’s Cuban Kitchen

 

A Kernersville-based truck, J.J.’s Cuban Kitchen runs a small menu of Cuban favorites. Cubanos, plantains, yuca fries, croquetas (ham croquettes), and fritas (Cuban burgers) are among the offerings.

 

The food is solid, but it is neither the best nor the cheapest ($10 Cubanos/$4 sides) of its kind in the area. The Cubanos use the right kind of bread, are assembled and pressed well, and are plenty filling, but they are also a bit dry. Among the sides, the tostones (fried plantains) are bigger and the maduros (sweet plantains) are less sweet than what you might find elsewhere. The owner, Jerome, runs the truck with his family, and all have been pleasant to deal with.

 

J.J.’s Cuban Kitchen wouldn’t be my first choice for a Cubano (maybe the lechon or frita burger knocks it out of the park), but it’s still worth a look if it lands at a brewery nearby.

Rockin' Moroccan

The Triad's first Moroccan food truck is a marvel to behold for reasons that go well beyond the novelty of the cuisine. Food trucks typically run with a limited menu offering a few easy-to-prep items. Not this one. Rockin' Moroccan rolls with a full menu that would put some restaurants to shame. Salads, sandwiches (including a decked-out burger), platters, sides, and desserts are for the taking, and there are options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Ordering is a breeze thanks to friendly owners and an efficient system. Mike is usually set up outside the truck with menus, buzzers (for when your order is up), and sauces at the ready. He seems genuinely glad to see all of his customers. Amina, his wife, turns around tickets with speed verging on culinary wizardry.

Of course, this would be for naught if the food wasn't up to par, but it is. We've tried the truck twice, and, unable to decide from among the assorted offerings, opted for combo platters both times. The Everything Platter (Saffron Chicken, Gyro, Kefta, Falafel, Rice, Pita Bread, Pico, and Slaw) is a generous amount of food, and while you can get better gyro meat elsewhere, everything here is fairly flavorful. The Saffron Chicken especially is a standout. The Veggie Platter swaps the meats for Moroccan spring rolls and grape leaves for a fresher, but no less filling take. At $13 and $11 respectively, both platters are good values for the portions.

With so many good Mediterranean and food truck options in the area, it would be easy for Rockin' Morrocan to be swallowed up by the competition. However, the combination of customer service, variety, value, and taste make Rockin' Morrocan a must. Consider this truck a must-try if you catch it out and about.