September 16-18, 2016

With the oncoming swarm of festivals and food trucks I decided to share a recent festival: The Gretna Food Truck Fest. It’s definitely smaller than the annual Gretna Heritage Festival, which includes live bands, great food, and games for the kids. The food truck fest more of a casual fest to try handful of food trucks in the city. Here’s what I was able to fit in my belly…

La Cocinita Food truck Tacos: Chicken, Pork, and Beef. Chef dressed. I’m a Taco lover and these were good but didn’t quite hit the spot. I felt it lacked sauce and flavor. I would prefer a little more kick and sauciness in my tacos so we’ll have to go with 3/5 spoons!

Rating: 3/5 spoons

Frencheeze. 1. Macaroni Cheese Balls. 2. Angus Beef Sliders. Hoisin Sauce. Bacon. Pickled Red Onions. Creamy Sriracha on Milk Bread.

I use to go to Frencheeze SO much especially when they were docked at Saenger Theatre. I’m a cheese lover so obviously everything was delicious. The macaroni cheese balls were superb, but the sliders were so-so. I would say to stick to the cheese Frencheeze. The sliders were good, but maybe I wasn’t a fan of the hoisin fusion thing going on.

Rating: 4/5 spoons

Crepes à la Cart : Unfortunately, this was not pictured. I honestly had a poor experience since I waited 45 minutes +++ for a crepe that I devoured in 2 seconds, not to mention how poorly my crepe was executed. Luckily, I had great company. My experience the next day at the Fried Chicken Festival was much better and I waited no more than two minutes. The crew at Gretna Fest definitely needed a LOT of help and work, but maybe they were understaffed for some excusable reason. I cannot rate Crepes à la Cart but I will share a post in my next entry about Fried Chicken Festival!

Chef Johnson’s. Mac-An-Cheeses. The Chili Mac. Red Beans & Ricely Yours.

Chef Johnson’s Food Truck and Menu has a ton of character! The food is visually delicious. My favorite food at the Gretna Fest was the Chili Mac…It was SO good! My not-so-fav had to be the Red Beans and Rice only because we are in THE city for red beans and rice and I found this particular one to be a bit bland and lacking in “kick”. Regardless, the Chili Mac was my favorite at the Gretna Food Truck Fest!

Rating: 4/5 spoons

The Gretna Food Fest was a good start to the Festival season. I can’t wait for what’s in store at the Gretna Heritage Festival October 7-9. It’ll be a great time for the kids, family, and friends! Artists such as LeAnn Rimes and Melissa Etheridge will be performing!

Be sure to buy your tickets online: http://www.gretnafest.com/ . They are $15 per day online vs. $30 at the door. Your choice!

Inside…homey decor. Reminds me of Grandma’s house…will it compare to grandma’s food??

Breads!

Corn Fried Oysters, Southern Coleslaw, and Remoulade.

Garlicky Escargot. Sauteed Escargot. Neuske Bacon and Mushrooms. Garlic Butter Reduction. Not your classic French-style escargot, but the touch of bacon and mushrooms was a nice surprise.

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Duck Confit and Louisiana Alligator Sauce. Slow cooked duck confit leg quarter. Alligator Sausage w/ Spaghettie Squash, Southern Greens, and Tangy Orange-Chili Glaze.

Abita Braised Beef Short Ribs. Decadent Mac & Cheese, Brown Butter Sauteed Brussel Sprouts. Spiced Bourbon Demi-Glace.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sundae w/ Vanilla Creole Creamery Ice Cream.

As you can see, the food was delicious! Very hardy and homey. I loved the Corn fried oysters and remoulade…perfectly crispy and with the addition of coleslaw and remoulade was soooo good! My personal favorite dish had to be the dessert…Yes, it looks overwhelming, but the chocolate chip cookie wasn’t just your ordinary chocolate chip. Two decadent cookies filled with your local ice cream…yum!

If you’re looking for some good ‘ol Southern cooking, Dick and Jenny’s is a great place to try out. They offer large portions so either be prepared for it OR order less. That’s something the chef and I need to learn…Our eyes tend to be larger than our stomachs!

Decor behind the bar…

Menu.

Mac N Cheese. Long spirally macaroni topped with breadcrumbs. Delish!

Quahog Clam Chowder. Applewood Smoked Bacon. Red Bliss Potatoes. Not your usual, creamy chowder, but theirs is more of soupy concoction…really good though! Nice depth of flavor. I would recommend it!

Midnight Skirt Steak w/ Black Bean Sauce. Roasted Plaintains. Fidel’s Mango Salsa. 

Herb Roasted Turkey, Bacon, and Fontina Grilled Cheese. Not your ordinary grilled cheese! Because there were so many ingredients, I don’t know if it should be called a grilled cheese anymore, BUT since it is…it had to be the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. Very cheesy with big chunky bits of bacon in every bite. mmMmm!

 S’mores Pie.  

For such a casual lookin’ joint, the menu was a notch up from your typical eaterie. It was like southern home-cooking meets high end bistro. Service was uber-friendly and laid back! So fun! Will return again and definitely recommended to you foodies out there =)