Still Checking Out Trucks

Even though campus is without a food truck on this particular Friday, we're still beyond excited to try many more food trucks as the semester finishes up! We've already given you some background information on the several trucks that have committed to being on campus this semester. Last week, we shared our excitement with you surrounding The Rice Box. 

This week, teammate Jennifer Selber, can't stop dreaming about Bernie's Burger Bus. Bernie's is one of the most popular food trucks in Houston, having been awarded the "Best Burger" in Houston award from My Table Magazine and The Houston Press.  They were also voted the best food truck in town by My Table Magazine and The Houston Chronicle.  If this isn't reason enough to get excited about the bus rolling through campus, we're not sure what is! 

Bernie's Burger Bus offers Houstonians burgers that they make by hand and from scratch! They also make their delicious fries and condiments by hand.  Being a cheese lover, I was also excited to see that they use fresh, local Texas cheddar cheese on their burgers! 

While I typically enjoy a burger smothered in swiss cheese and mushrooms, I'm excited to try some of their more creative takes on the traditional burger.  With a large selection to choose from, this menu is perfect for any kind of burger lover! 

We love that the menu features burgers named after famed positions or personas at schools, such as The Principle, The Substitute, The Bully, Pre-Schoolers and more; seems kind of perfect for them to be serving up lunch for us UHD students, as well! I'm most excited to get my hands around a big fat Principle burger.  This burger is their "Traditional approach to the classic American burger with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, pickle, thin sliced onions, shredded lettuce, and slow roasted garlic tomatoes."  Luckily, they have several "electives" that I'll be adding to my burger, including Texas Cheddar, Bacon and Caramelized "Tipsy" Onions. Don't mind me, as I'll be trying my burger with ALL of these toppings! 

We can't wait to have Bernie's Burger Bus on campus again! For more information on this famous food truck, visit their website or follow them on twitter. 

Solving a craving for the Far East

My name is Matthew Luera, and recently on behalf of my group and my appetite, I decided to try the food at one of our visiting food trucks at our school. I should start out by first saying that although I am Hispanic, I very much enjoy Chinese-American cuisine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for the typical Mexican-American dish; fajitas, quesadillas, tacos. However, when lunch time comes around, often I think of dumplings, wonton soup, noodles, eggrolls and so forth. This is exactly what I had in mind when it came to having lunch that day, and nothing was going to stop mission of satisfying my appetite of the Far East.

So as I approached, I started thinking actually of the overall look of the truck itself. I’m a marketing major and that’s really because the overall concept of marketing isn’t just fascinating to me, it’s my passion, my mental default, and this truck was simply awesome. If you haven’t seen it in person yet, I’d ask that you at least do that. It’s red, mostly, with the name “Rice Box” written all across the sides. It’s got parts of their menu painted on the ends too, along with Chinese lettering. To add the feel of actually going to a Chinese restaurant they have a “Lucky Golden Cat” in the window, Asian accented lamp shades hanging from the awning, and other trinkets. It was pretty cool.

A quick look over the menu and the corresponding prices, and I thought the prices aren’t too bad, competitive even. After a short while deciding, I ordered the dumplings. It comes with an eggroll, a fortune cookie and its own sauce to carry with. The Rice Box has thought of everything as far as offering as much convenience as possible to it’s customers. I didn’t have cash on me, but not to worry, they had an iPad with a sQuare connected so I just had to swipe my card and use their application to pay and include gratuity. It was surprisingly easy and efficient. They had a good system in place to deal with the crowd of people I was in the middle of. One person taking orders, maybe two others cooking and serving orders. One other person was handling the payments. I couldn’t help but think, this is not their first time handling a crowd. For such a small establishment, being a truck and not a traditional restaurant, they ran it with an efficient manner.

Not too long after ordering, I got my dumplings and yes, they were awesome. The sauce was a mix of soy and something else. It definitely added an extra amount of kick to the dumplings that temporarily made me forget how hot they were, my tongue reminded me. After slowing down my pace, on my last two dumplings, I tried one without the sauce and then again with it. To be honest, they were good just by themselves, but the sauce they offer just adds to the taste in a way that makes you understand that it must be mandatory or you may be missing out from getting the full experience. The eggroll didn’t disappoint either and although I can’t say or it probably won’t come true, the fortune was good too.

In general, it was a very positive experience. I hope that if you are ever in the mood for some good Chinese food and are on a limited budget like myself, you can always keep The Rice Box in mind.

Food Trucks at UHD are Satisfying Students' Hunger

While University of Houston-Downtown is satisfying students who have a hunger for education, UHD’s food trucks are satisfying those students who have a hunger for food! Whether it is a burger, waffle, or Chinese food that you’re craving, one of UHD’s seven food trucks is here to satisfy your hunger! Happy Endings, The Waffle Bus, The Rice Box, Stick It, Kurbside Eatz, Bernie’s Burger Bus, and Coreanos are rotating the UHD campus throughout the spring semester to ensure that both students and faculty have the nourishment they need to finish this semester strong.

The Waffle Bus does not only serve waffles, but it serves waffles with a bang! With selections like chicken and waffles, salmon and waffles, and even s’mores, The Waffle Bus is sure to please! The Rice Box has traditional Chinese food, with a modern zing, even offering healthy alternatives for those who are vegetarians or health conscious. Stick It lives up to its name by indulging people with decadent foods served on a skewer! Kurbside Eatz has a variety of selections to choose from, including tacos, hamburgers, and eggrolls to name a few. While Bernie’s Burger Bus can give those who want a hearty hamburger, Coreanos offers unique food with a Mexican-Korean twist. Last but definitely not least, if a tofu hot dog sounds appealing to you, then Happy Endings will certainly impress you, specializing in Asian-fused foods. If you need a little “pick me up” to make it through the day or simply something on-the-go, the food trucks are on campus Monday thru Thursday, from 11am to 2pm. Many students are already indulging in what the food trucks have to offer this semester.

UHD senior, Janey Doe said recently, “I’m so glad the food trucks are here! They bring a little bit of excitement to campus!” Thao Nguyen, a first year communications major agrees, “This may sound pretty bad, but the best part of my school day is heading over to the food truck. Bernie’s and Stick It are my faves!” Janey and Thao are not the only ones enjoying what the food trucks have to offer. UHD faculty members and employees are often seen heading over to the food trucks daily. Regardless if you’re a student or faculty member, we can all agree that the food trucks can make anyone’s school day more pleasant!

Each week, we’re going to focus on the food truck that is visiting UHD campus for the week and will make it our aim to provide you with all you need to know about each food truck that feeds thousands of UHD students on a weekly basis! Happy eating!