I got egged at the Waterloo Arts Festival

The Waterloo Arts Festival is one of my favorite summer events in Cleveland.

The street is the main vein of the Collinwood neighborhood on the East side of Cleveland. Several small businesses occupy the storefronts on Waterloo and are worth your visit, year round. The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern make up one of my favorite music venues. Beachland's Sunday Brunch (PDF) isn't to be missed either. They have a lot of options for just about anyone.

The food I want to talk about today however, is the food I had from the Cracked Mobile Foods truck. Until a few years ago I wouldn't have associated eggs with anything more than breakfast, and as a Thanksgiving side-dish. It's a tough thing for me to admit, but it's true.

Cracked had 6 options, but I chose a sandwich with fried egg, cottage ham, pear preserve, Dijon mustard and white cheddar. The bun was a little large, but still very good. The mildly salty ham was grilled slightly, and the mustard was generous but not overwhelming. Everything went together very well, and I can't wait to try another sandwich.

I love events that have multiple food trucks, because I get to try them. Most lunch stops aren't close enough to me to leave my office, and the ones that stop by the Circle are the same ones - so there's not much chance to try a new one. Check 'em out!

What's your favorite "non-traditional" way to have an egg? Let me know!

Quick Bite: Lunch at the Hodge Podge Truck!

After I slept in a bit too much this morning, Jeff asked if I'd want to head out to the North Union Farmer's Market at Shaker to look around and grab something to eat. I noticed that Dim and Den Sum posted:

Curry duck frites tomorrow and oh so much more at shaker square farmers market 8am-12pm

Later on in the afternoon, I got a message from Jeff mentioning the very same frites. When I woke up this morning, I was more than happy to seek them out, and I was glad that I did. Once we ordered (Duck Frites and the Surf and Turf Tacos) I headed out to look for a beverage. The trucks aren't allowed to sell drinks (Can someone please explain why?) and Dewey's normal post, selling lemonade was nowhere to be found. I ended up walking to Dave's to get a soda.

As I walked behind the Hodge Podge truck, all I could smell was scallops. Seared, briny, ocean-y smelling scallops. Yum. I couldn't wait.

When I returned from Dave's, I found Jeff already sitting on the grass beneath a shady tree nearby. I could smell the curry on the fries from 10 feet away, and it was amazing. We put a little bit of Sriracha on the fries but didn't augment the tacos in any way. Starting with the fries - they were perfectly cooked, wonderfully crisp and salty with the aroma of curry. The curry flavor wasn't too strong, but I liked it. The curry was definitely there, but I noticed and adored the aroma as we ate them. These were some of the best fries I've ever had, and that's saying something... Considering my undying love for the fries at Bar Cento and Sasa Matsu!

The tacos were very messy - so I opted to eat mine with a fork. It was great watching Jeff eat the other one as I'm sure it was meant to be eaten! The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the meat was incredibly tender. I am also a lover of anything and everything that has to do with Kimchi - so that was an added bonus!

Can't wait to visit the Hodge Podge truck again soon, and you should definitely check them out!