September 1, 2011 | 2,331 Comments

StrEats Mobile Bistro

One of the best characteristics of the Fort Collins community is everyone’s willingness to collaborate. I really didn’t understand how strong this characteristic was until I started coworking at Cohere. While writing reviews there, I connected with a group of people who are willing to help and support each other in so many ways – ways that have catapulted all of our individual success. And they do it because they want to. When people work together, good things happen. Because of collaborative spirit there, I’m madly in love with the community.

Over this summer, I’ve noticed that collaborative effort found in Fort Collins extend beyond the coworking community and into the the food scene. It hasn’t been easy for the food truck and cart industry to establish locations in Fort Collins because of city regulations (and I am in the process of collecting data about that to try and make some changes for next spring), but some teamwork is beginning to brew at Odell’s and Funkwerks. While the breweries are busy serving some fantastic craft beer to friendly folks, they have allowed a couple of food trucks to come on by to park in the parking lot and serve food to the hungry masses. Beer and food trucks? It’s a brilliant combination!

In early July, owner Amish Patel and his StrEats Mobile Bistro rolled into to town, serving a variety of meats from around the world in taco, burrito and wrap form. While he doesn’t have the website up and going, or a facebook page to check, he does have some limited Twitter activity letting everyone know where he’ll be and when. You can usually find him at Odell’s on Wednesday evenings and sometimes both Odell’s and Funkwerks on Saturdays.

I stopped by Odell’s last night and grabbed a few items to take back to Cohere while I wrote the review. I ordered a Jerk Chicken Wrap with mango salsa and avocado cilantro sauce, a Korean BBQ pork wrap with grilled onions, peppers and carrots, and carnitas with salsa, onions and cilantro.The menu rotates on a semi-regular basis including pulled pork, chicken meatballs, and grilled portabello wraps.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Amish asked quizzically.

“We’ve talked before in the tap room,” I replied coyly, trying not to blow my cover.

We exchanged food for payment, with me sliding my card over the window. He saw my name on the card and knew right away.

“I wish I would have known that before making your food!” he joked.

“That’s precisely why I didn’t tell you,” I said with a smile.

As I sat at the coworking office talking about custom URL’s and whatnot, I nibbled on one of the carnitas. The meat was very sweet with a slight savory peppery flavor and spotted with fresh tomatoes,onions and cilantro giving it both a nice pop of flavor and color. While I don’t think it tasted like traditional carnitas street food because it was more sweet than savory with the rich grilling flavor, it was still fantastically delicious.

The Korean BBQ pork wrap was next to taste. I wasn’t particularly fond of this one because the meat was overly sweet without having too many other distinguishable flavors – no charcoal smokiness, no garlic that stood out – mostly sugar with a hint of soy. The peppers were nice for texture, but didn’t contribute much to the flavor of the wrap. It was also a bit dry. The combination of sweet, flavorless and dry led me only to same a few bites and not waste anymore time.

The Jerk Chicken wrap was so much better – bursting with intense hot spice and mellowed with sweet tropical fruit. The avocado cilantro sauce was just enough to add a slight hint of mild creaminess to the combination, sealing the deal like adding the cherry on top of a sundae. This would go great with so many beers on tap at either one of the breweries.

The food truck community is slowly growing in Fort Collins, which is bringing us unique foods at reasonable prices. StrEats Mobile Bistro might have some work to do on a few of their offerings, like bringing down the sweet and upping the savory, but I’m glad to see them here. The collaborative effort between food trucks and breweries just makes my heart burst with joy – because when people work together, good things happen. It feels like a soul-mate combination, and makes me love the Fort Collins community even more.

StrEats Mobile Bistro
Various locations
(559)312-6504
www.streatsfoco.com (under construction)

Kid-Friendly? No kids’ menu, but carnitas are the perfect size for little hands.

Parking: Parking lot

Healthy Options? There is a portobello option for vegetarians

Budget-Friendly? Totally! $5 for most all options!

Recent Health Inspection: unavailable