The Gathering: Baltimore's Food Truck Rally

Baltimore, with its big city grit and artistic underbelly, was destined to become an integral part of the Food Truck Nation. Over the last few years, gourmet food trucks have been popping up everywhere from LA to Austin, but mobile catering has been around since the beginning of times. Coupled with the weakened economy and people’s undying need for great street food, we find ourselves at a fortunate cross road. We can eat gourmet food on the street. Lucky us. Talented chefs and savvy business people are all getting with the trend. The newest generation of food trucks are classing it up and getting experimental with menu items like crab fries and Korean tacos.

Baltimore’s food truck scene has grown over the last two years, and The Gathering propels the movement forward by forming a food truck rally that competes on a national scale. Lamb vindaloo? Check. Fish tacos? Check. Creamy soft serve and pretty cupcakes? Check.

This all happens within a small city block at random times and locations. You can still buy a perfectly steamed hot dog and a soda for under $5, but at The Gathering you can also spend around $12 on a meal served in to-go containers and eaten with plastic utensils. While you chow down, drink a cold one, and listen to great music there is a sense of celebration in the air. Everyone is there for one reason, to eat good food together. Ain’t that America?

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs

The Baltimore Farmer’s Market was beaming with pride as the stalls opened for the season on Sunday morning, and it has good reason to be prideful. It was recently voted #1 Farmer’s Market in the nation by Country Living. Since it was 7:00 am after a long night out I was appropriately armed with coffee, sun glasses, and hippy-ass reusable tote bags. Asparagus has been in the forefront of my thoughts since eating a memorably crisp asparagus salad at Woodberry Kitchen . When I saw a pile of garden-fresh spears I couldn’t resist getting a few bundles for the week as well as my fair share of blue kale, foraged mushrooms, spinach, organic quail eggs, ramps, and a multitude of other goodies. It is going to be a wonderfully food-filled week. Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs utilizes many of the seasonal ingredients I scored at the market. It’s only lightly seasoned to give the ingredients the stage. Fresh tarragon is laced throughout and the yolk from the gent...

A Recipe to Fall For

Some recipes evoke an absolute carnal lust in me that transcends reasoning. My mouth waters frenziedly, my eyes get big, and my smile widens with the anticipation of the feast. These lust inducing meals usually involve bacon, cheese and pasta covered in luscious red sauce. I am fairly certain my lineage does not contain a trace of Italian, but my favorite foods are profoundly Italian-American like these Meatballs in Bacon Sauce by Chef Beau MacMillan. This is not my recipe; however, I felt it deserved a special place on my blog after I dotingly made it for extended family on a recent ski trip to Whistler, Canada. The smell of the sauce simmering for hours, the gentle roasting of the simple meatballs and the absolute joy on the faces of everyone who ate it reminds me what Valentine’s Day is all about: love and family. If you make this for someone special tonight they will fall in love with you on the spot. That is a fact. Happy Valentine’s Day! Sp...

Mango Kale Smoothie with Coconut and Mint

Let’s talk about America’s love affair with smoothies. I can’t decide if we have convinced ourselves that drinking a milk shake instead of a meal is A-OK or if smoothies really are a wonder food. Once I finally gave in to the health benefits of protein powder I became fascinated with blending my breakfast. I am certainly not the first person to make a green smoothie, but I do think I have created the perfect blend of vegetables and fruit for a vitamin rich, delicious, and portable meal. Protein powder is a very personal thing. For instance, I cannot eat whey so I went on a quest to find vegan protein with very little sugar. I found perfection from a company called Arbonne who makes a delicious vegan based protein powder in chocolate and vanilla. Heed my advice; don’t start drinking this smoothie if you are not equipped for addiction. This is not low calorie or low fat, but it is packed with vitamins, healthy fats, protein and antioxidants to keep you moving throughout...

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