Wells Fargo Center | Food Truck Stops Here

Well, it’s been forever since I last wrote any kind of review. Been out of town all the weekends and busy in the week, so I failed to write a lot in September.

So, here on this predicted possible likely (I think unlikely) first snow of the season in Denver, it’s time to huddle over the laptop, open a can of beer, tune into the most boring primetime NFL matchup of the year, and write up a quick overview of the highlights of my food truck eats in the past month.

Mikes 2 Kitchen – Wells Fargo on 17th & Sherman – September 13, 2013

Big fan of Mikes 2 Kitchen, and hard to resist at lunch when they are only a few blocks away from the office. Pleased to see that they were offering one of their specials, a Gyro Po boy. Normally I eat the Shrimp Po boy from Mikes, which is fantastic.

Here’s a look at the gyro:

This is basically a lamb gyro on a po boy bread. Nice, fresh roll, with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and tzatziki, which was quite zesty. The lamb is layered on and the rest of the fixings sits on top. Very tasty. If you are a gyro lover, this might not be up to your standards due to the use of a roll. But I did like it quite a bit and I liked the po boy format.

Close up of Mikes 2 Kitchen gyro opened

I also ordered a side of gumbo from Mikes, which has a nice shrimp on the top and is chocked full of sausage, chicken and other goodies. Nice brown roux, a touch of medium heat. Always worth the extra calories from Mikes.

Follow Mikes 2 Kitchen on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikes-2-Kitchen/

http://www.mikes2kitchen.com

Quiero Arepas – Civic Center EATS – September 24, 2013

Cool artwork on this truck

The 2nd to last Civic Center EATS and the final Tuesday down there. Still can’t understand why it doesn’t run into the fall as long as the weather is nice (the spring too for that matter!) Some type of park “management” decision no doubt, but come on… like anyone in the business community downtown would step foot into that park during lunch hour if not for the EATS…

Went to the Quiero Arepas truck, one of the most visible and popular food trucks in Denver, and for good reason. The grilled and then baked corn shell (bread) for the arepas served here are top notch. They come with a variety of fillings. I ordered the pabellon, which consists of stewed, shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and cheese. The paycheck was totally worth it!

Quiero Arepas Pabellon

This was a filling, savory lunch treat that is also served with a tangy green avocado sauce. I didn’t get too much of that sauce, to my disappointment (as you can see above). Super quick service at this truck, which is great for lunch. The pabellon arepa I got was full on meat, and didn’t have a lot of beans. The plantains were nice, but also paled compared to the strong stewed beef that is present here. The beef itself was tender and easy to eat, and had some slight spice to it, but overall, it was just a lot of stewed beef. As I was eating it, I started to really wish for more of that tangy green sauce! Here is a close up of the internals of the sandwhich, where you can see the beef:

All that being said, next time I visit this truck, I will go with the Queso, which is fresh mozzarella, plantains, and avocado and is my favorite there.

Find Quiero Arepas:

https://www.facebook.com/quieroarepas

http://quieroarepas.com/

The Biscuit Bus – Civic Center EATS – September 26, 2013

The LAST EATS of the YEAR!!! noooo… back to eating way too much Jimmy John’s. Crap.

Another classic food truck here on the streets of Denver is The Biscuit Bus. Serves up delicious creations on fresh baked biscuits. After having not tried this truck for 2 years or something ridiculous, I finally gave in early summer… and I’ve been back 4 times. This is basically where you’re going to get some amazing comfort food. At least that’s how it is for me, because I always get The Franklin! What I’m talking about is a fresh biscuit sandwich comprised of buttermilk fried chicken, bacon, and cheese, smothered in sausage gravy. Holy Heaven.

The Franklin. With an over easy fried egg and hot sauce added. My heart!

Fantastic. The cholula and extra OVER EASY EGG I added to this thing made it an extreme guilty pleasure, and ruined my afternoon. I ended up sucking down some black coffee in the office when I got back to make it through the rest of the day. What a way to finish the EATS for 2013.

Check out Facebook to locate this truck:

https://www.facebook.com/thebiscuitbus

http://www.denbisco.com/

Located at the Wells Fargo Center, 17th and Sherman, Denver CO on August 6, 2013 around 11:40AM

Decided to forgo the Civic Center Eats crowds today for an easy walk over to the Wells Fargo Center food truck location, at 17th and Sherman. Got an update over Facebook that the N.Z’s Smokin’ Guns truck would be there.

I ordered the Brisket sandwich with the spicy habanero sauce (trying to cut down on eating pork). The price was $8.00 and I also got a bottled water for another $1. After ordering, it was just a few minutes for the sandwich to be ready. The service was friendly and quick. They accept credit cards on a smart phone device.

Here is a look at the menu:

Menu shown at Wells Fargo Center, 17th and Sherman, Denver CO on August 6, 2013 around 11:40AM

The sandwich itself is served on a somewhat unremarkable roll. The roll is, however, nicely toasted and added a good base for the main feature- the brisket. According to N.Z’s website, all of their meats are applewood smoked. The brisket itself was tender, and thick cut. It was not dry, and had a very nice flavor, but not smokey at all. As far as brisket goes, it was comparable to some of the better brisket I’ve had, although I would not claim to be a particularly picky BBQ eater and it seems like there are a lot of good BBQ options around Denver. But this stuff tasted pretty authentic, and made for a decent lunch option.

The portion on the roll was generous and many pieces fell out during the eating process. I picked up these pieces with my fingers and ate them without shame. The meat comes with the sauce already applied, so you do not have an option (without asking, I guess) with respect to how much sauce you get. That being said, the amount of sauce was not overwhelming at all. It was enough to barely coat the meat and add the sauce flavor.

For being described as a “spicy” habanero sauce, it was a little bit disappointing on the heat factor to my likes. I tend to overdo it with the heat. This is entry-level heat from N.Z’s. The sauce was complementary to the meat, which I say is good– It was not the main attraction here, but served to highlight the quality smoking of the beef itself. Next time I try this truck, I will probably get the sweet sauce “Mild Mango” to see how that goes.

This is also just a meat and bread sandwich. There is not an option to add coleslaw to the mix. They do offer tacos that feature lettuce and cheese, which sounds interesting. Many of the folks that were also near the truck were getting the tacos.

In terms of value, I would grade this as an A-. Authentic smoked BBQ is always pricey, but $8 for a sandwich like this downtown is more than a fair deal. (You could go to Subway around the corner and easily spend nearly $8 for a corporate test tube sandwich with 5% of the flavor). The amount of beef on the sandwich justifies the price point. Notably, the pork option is a dollar cheaper.

Final thoughts: This is a truck where if you are wanting plain old authentic and tasty smoked brisket or pulled pork/chicken, it appears you cannot go wrong. However, if you are looking for something more adventuresome or gourmet, this may not be your truck. Personally, I will be going back to this truck as long as it is still roaming Denver.

Beef Brisket Sandwich with Spicy Habanero Sauce — Wells Fargo Center, 17th and Sherman, Denver CO on August 6, 2013 around 11:40AM

http://www.nzsmokinguns.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/NZs-Smokin-Guns/

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Category Archives: Wells Fargo Center

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N.Z’s Smokin’ Guns – Wells Fargo Center 8/6/2013