Arts & Entertainment Extension: Fremont Street Eats

By Staff Writers Amber Lee & Richard Chenyu Zhou

First established in 2011, Fremont Street Eats takes place 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays from May to October annually. The outdoor event is located on a section of Capitol Avenue between Fremont Boulevard and State Street. The Fremont Chamber of Commerce works with Food Truck Mafia to bring new food trucks every week and host additional entertainment such as live music and movie screenings on certain days.

 

Rice Rockit

Rice Rockit began with a group of friends from the Silicon Valley who decided to start a food truck. Combining the diverse flavors of the Bay into their dishes, Rice Rockit creates unique dishes such as their Teri-Beef Loco Moco and Longanisa sliders. We tried the Chicken Adobo Fries, consisting of shredded chicken marinated in malt vinegar, caramelized onions, and garlic sauce over seasoned fries. While the presentation was subpar, with toppings haphazardly thrown over the fries, the sheer quantity of food made up for it. The chicken was packed with flavor, but not overcooked and stringy. The fries themselves were slightly overseasoned, but were crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside. For $10, the Chicken Adobo Fries bring both flavor and value to the table.

Rating: 4/5

 

Carrots

Carrots serves Indian cuisine with a vegan twist. The dishes range from wraps stuffed with rice and imitation meats to snacks like dahi puri, fried bread shells with various fillings. Friendly and eager to help, the food truck’s staff promptly served our dish, Chick-N Tikka Wrap, soon after we ordered it. The wrap was filled with ample amounts of curry, imitation chicken, rice, chickpeas, lettuce, and onions. The texture of the imitation chicken came close to real chicken, and the curry was rich and sweet, although there was so much of it that it drowned out the flavors of the other ingredients. The side of corn chips included with the wrap were crunchy and pungently flavored with spices. At $10.99, the meal was slightly pricey but not unreasonable considering the portion size.

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos

Rocko’s signature dish is the ice cream taco, served in a waffle taco shell and dipped in the customer’s choice of chocolate or peanut butter sauce. Customers can choose from typical ice cream flavors like vanilla or go for the more creative peach ginger. As the customer looks on, the employee dips the taco in the sauce, and then submerges it in a bucket of liquid nitrogen to freeze the sauce and ice cream. In addition, Rocko’s offers ice cream cake pops and even dog-friendly treats, such as tacos with “mocklate” — imitation chocolate made for our canine pals. However, novelties aside, the peach ginger ice cream we picked didn’t taste much of peach or ginger, and the waffle shell was quite thin. The price of $6.00 was also expensive for the small taco.

Rating: 3.5/5

Photos by Staff Writer Richard Chenyu Zhou