Fat Kid Reviews: Fat Kid Mac And Cheese

So this is one time I have to go full disclosure on this one. My brother (the Illustrious Chef Fatty) actually works for and is in some ways the face of this particular food truck.

I know right? Though the hardest to believe part is the simple fact that we had nothing to do with the truck until he was hired a few months ago.

But gentle readers, I promise to give you the same level of food critique that I always do, as I am his older brother so need to crush his ego as much as anybody else.

So... To the truck. Well atmosphere-wise there's not a terrible amount going on as it's food coming out of a truck. The truck is clean and when I went my brother was out front being personable and loud. While not quite a full carnival barker he would have made a good impression. His decries of "Fat Kid Love" were non-sensical enough to grab interest and say what you will about my bias he was a personable server and got me my food quickly.

Now... on the Mac and Cheese.

There's something deeply linked to childhood in that gooey pasta mass. Not unlike is said about pizza and other more private delights "even when it's bad... it's still pretty good."

This however was really good. Like... damn good. A rich cheese sauce but with niance and deep flavors mixed in. Thier toppings mix in to create a truly magical mix of flavors. Each one is specially chosen and crafted to add to the expieriece forged in the take out cup your are holding in your hands.

Though it was arguably the best mac and cheese I've ever had, there were too points of critque that need to be put out. Their basic mac is rich. Like Bill Gates and Richard Branson merged like Voltron well daaaaaaaaaamn rich.

However this is only a problem with just the basic mac itself. A little of their house made slightly acidic ketchup or barbeque sauce and that problem sorts itself right out. I know that many of you will (or should) balk at the idea of ketchup on mac and cheese but this mac with this ketchup make a complete and wonderful experience.

The other small critique is that the veggies provided need a bit more fat kid love. They were kind of bland in compared with the rest of the ingredients. However that's something they said they were aware of and trying to work on. A great group of people working there and on a purely personal note, it's nice to see my brother's dreams come true.

So please go and track down this particular food truck. If not for the group of Fat Kids that would love you to, then for the Fat Kid inside us all.

Or you know... cause it's really tasty.

See you in the Chow line,
-The Fat Kid

Fat Kid Reviews: Dem Po Boyz BBQ

I like barbecue. There's something delightfully gluttonous about it, something deeply American. There are few times when I feel like a patriot and oddly it's mostly as I'm chowing down on some ribs or smoked pork. There's an almost spiritual component to it that always makes me think of that "soul food" moniker.

Also it's just damn tasty.

Now technically speaking I've talked about this place before. Though not. Back at the beginnings of this blog we did a showing on the various Pastrami Burgers in the valley and the one I dubbed best was the one at The Grub Box. Now, for reasons that are ultimately none of my business, that lovely burger restaurant (who has improved on it's lack luster fries) is sharing it's space with Dem PO' Boyz a nice little local BBQ joint. The place is out of the way but the service was friendly, and the place was nice and clean if visual uninteresting.

But the look of this kind of place is completely unimportant. This kind of out of the way hole in the wall is about the food. And that... that was worth the drive out to Magna.

They had the usual menu set up for such places a variable number of meats linked to a set number of sides. Between my companion and I we tried four of the meats, and four sides. I had the ribs and the pork, the potato salad and the mac and cheese, while my companion tried the brisket, chicken, beans, and cole slaw. All said a respectable amount of food for the price point. I had two large ribs and a nice pile of shredding pork with similar amounts for my associate's choices.

The sauces were just fantastic. They used a mix of different region sauces, though the Carolina mustard heavy one on the pork and ribs may be my new favorite anything. I could drink that, it's actually pretty close to a recipe I've been working on myself and well, honestly they did it better.

The brisket had a nice bark and flavor to it, and it's sauce was very nice. Deep, rich, sweet but earthy, all those things you want in a BBQ sauce. The chicken had good flavor but either needed a little more sauce or was just dry. Not inedible but the weakest of the meats. The pork was very rich in flavor and just about perfectly paired with that yummy sauce. (Please note that I do not use the Y word lightly) The ribs were just about as perfect as I want out of ribs. Thick smoke ring. Fall off the bone tender. Deep smokey flavor and a solid complex rub. SOOO tasty. I highly suggest it.

I did feel that maybe some of the stuff could have benefited by just a tad more salt but otherwise that meat was all I want BBQ to be.

The sides were a mixed bag. I liked the cole slaw and the beans were good, though they had a flavor profile I hadn't had before, obviously made in house. Sweet but not too sweet, nice little bit of spice and a clear bean flavor. They were interesting, and pretty good otherwise. The mac and cheese was tasty, had the texture of a homemade baked version with just a touch of tomato and spice. Spicier then I expected but I came around to it in the end.

The two sour notes were the oddity of having to buy out drinks from a different register, which was just odd. I mean, understandable given the situation but odd, and the potato salad. It was just kind bland. It was like it was missing something, I just can't figure out what it was.

However, my dear readers, I humbly ask that you try this place out. Not for Dem Po Boyz, and not for yourselves. But for me. So that they can stay in business long enough for me to become a regular.

See you in the Chow Line,
-The Fat Kid