Wait up, summer's not over yet. You can tell because the streets are still lined with the ever-growing food truck culture in Milwaukee. It's Food Truck Week here at OnMilwaukee.com and all week long we're stopping at some of Brew City's best restaurants on wheels in search of the most interesting dishes on offer.
I typically don't run across many food trucks day-to-day as I'm running between Lambeau Field, Miller Park and the Bradley Center -- but on my way to Green Bay today I shot down Wells toward I-43 for a quick bite, and the Jamaican Kitchen and Grill Food Truck was a nice surprise.
I was first in line, and was quickly joined by nearly a dozen others as the truck opened up just out in front of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The daily special was written on a white board -- today was jerk and curry chicken as well as ox tail.
I decided on the curry chicken, and while I like spicy dishes, I have never found a curry to my liking. So, I'll be completely honest -- I was skeptical with this order.
The dish was served quickly, and I was more than pleasantly surprised with how tender the meat was and how well seasoned this dish was as a whole. The curry had the right amount of heat -- perfectly done, at least for my palate. Spicy, but not overwhelming.
The meat was very soft (fall of the bone soft) and juicy, and the rice, beans, orange and red peppers, onions and carrots underneath were great complement.
It was also at a great "to go" temperature in that it was hot, but not so hot that you had to wait to eat it. After all, I needed to get this and go! The small dish is only $5.99 and it comes with the veggies and rice and beans, and it's more than filling. A large is $10.99.
But, one thing to know about this dish, though -- don't eat it too quickly because the bone is soft, too, and pieces did break off into the dish.
It's Food Truck Week here at OnMilwaukee.com, so I can only encourage you to do what I did today: Jump in the car, or take a walk out of the office, and go experiment. You never know what treat you might find!
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
