Spud Bus

Spud Bus was at the Park Street Festival. It sells fresh cut fries with a variety of condiments.

The Spud Bus is based in Reynoldsburg. It operated at a rapid pace.

There are Idaho russet and sweet potato fries prepared in peanut oil. Dip choices include sun dried tomato mayo, parmesan pesto, mustard, nacho cheese and ranch. They are served in a paper cone in a manner reminiscent of Belgian frites.

The standard fries were starchy and lacked crispness. Fresh cut fries are a nice idea, but this batch was imperfect.

The pesto dip was too thick and had a green, medicinal aftertaste. Perhaps one of the other dips or the complimentary ketchup would be better options.

The fries from Spud Bus were unspectacular. The Tatoheads truck is decidedly more fun and flavorful.

Sophie's Gourmet Pierogi

Sophie's Gourmet Pierogiis a new food truck specializing in the famous Polish dumpling accented with international flavor. It makes regular appearances at the Columbus Commons Food Truck Food Court, Dinin' Hall and other spots around central Ohio.

Sophie's prepares all of its pierogi in butter, so vegans are out of luck except for salads. The staff capably answered all vegetarian questions, and prepared a fresh order of veggies as a side after I asked questions about vegetarian items.

The Vintage is an order of potato and cheese pierogi served with sauteed onions, sour cream and compound butter. The pierogi are boiled and then pan fried golden and delicately crispy. It is an excellent example of a traditional pierogi. The only two minor issues were that the compound butter was a little cold and difficult to incorporate into the dish, and the number of pierogi varied in three different orders.

The summer salad was cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions in a vinaigrette topped with crumbled Asiago cheese. It was only available at my first visit to the truck.

The crew actually does a great job handling large crowds. There is a hot serving bar in the truck window, allowing pierogi to be churned out rapid-fire to waiting diners. At slower stretches, pierogi are prepared to order. 

OH! Burgers

OH! Burgers is a food truck specializing in sliders. There are two mini-burgers per order.

The veggie burger patty is quinoa, black bean, rice, onions and peppers. It is served on a soft white bun from the French Loaf in Grandview, and it is topped with bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato and mustard.

The flavor of the burger has layers of smoke and sweetness. The texture of the patty is soft, and the burger crumbles so much that it resembles a sloppy Joe more than a burger. The preparation of the veggie burger at OH! Burgers is evolving, so consider the recipe a bit of a work in progress.

The house made sweet potato chips were an addictive delight. They were paper thin, and the paper bag that contained the chips soaked up some but not all of the excess grease. It's a nice upgrade over ordinary bagged chips despite the minor shortcoming.

Market District Foodie Truck

The Market District Foodie Truck was my first experience with a mobile food vendor with big-time corporate backing. The menu is Asian influenced, and they operate most days during the week.

The menu at Foodie Truck has stayed consistently the same. Their most common location is the Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, but the truck can be found around central Ohio.

The vegetarian items on the menu are Indian and Chinese. The truck also makes dishes from Vietnam and Singapore.

The samosa is stuffed with potatoes, peas and onions. The shell was perfectly crisp, but the samosa's flavor might benefit from mint chutney rather than the mango chutney that was served with it.

The vegetable jalfrezi is prepared with carrots, peas, green peppers and cauliflower in a tomato sauce with garam masala and ginger. It is served with naan, Basmati rice and mango chutney. The dish does not taste particularly authentic. The curry flavor needed additional cooking, and the tomato was flat and unappealing.

The truck has potential, but the menu could use a revamp. It's hard to recommend the place when there are so many excellent Indian restaurants in central Ohio.