Madison Food carts: Which One Is Your Favorite?

Ever since I have been living in downtown Madison, I have wanted to try the food carts for lunch.  Unfortunately, all summer I was working on the far west side and could not make the commute to come back downtown just for lunch during the weekdays.  Now that I am back in school for the semester, I have Fridays off.  Needless to say, I was incredibly pumped when my boyfriend asked me to meet him at his office on the square so we could try out some of great eats that come from the Madison downtown food carts. 

I met Tyler at noon on the dot last Friday and it was all I could do to drag him outside of his office building to check out all the good food just waiting for me (I mean us!).  I made it perfectly clear that we would need to walk around the square at least once, probably twice, for me to see all the menus prior to me making a final decision on which food cart would be the winner for that day.  Tyler, like usual, had to agree and shake his head.  "I figured." he said.  The poor guy has so much work to do, and I was not going to make this a fast decision.  But, then again, I never make fast decisions without thoroughly checking all the options. 

The first thing I noticed about the food carts, besides the mouth-watering smells, were the amazing, bright colors and originality of each cart.  For some reason, I sort of envisioned each food cart to look pretty close to all the others.  I mean, how original can a food cart be?  I was dead wrong.  Each one had its own special look and theme.  All had unique decor and eye-catching paint luring us in and tempting us to try their food that promises to be "the best food cart food in Madison!"

The Bayou, which is parked in front of Anchor Bank at the corner of West Main and South Carroll, was one of the first ones I saw.  I recognized this food cart because I have eaten at the actual restaurant, which is located just east of the capital.  I remembered the food I had at The Bayou was very tasty; a wonderfully seasoned New Orleans-themed menu that hits the spot after a drink or two.  But because I had already eaten there, I passed that one.

The next food cart is also a popular one, called the Santa Fe Trailer. Located on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, this little blue and yellow food cart specializes the flavors of New Mexico, featuring the fiery Hatch green chiles and robust red chiles noted for their outstanding flavor. All of the food is prepared by hand and made every day using only the best ingredients available. I was on a mission to see them all before I decided, so on we went.

Blowin' Smoke Barbecue was on the corner of East Main and South Pinckney.  This food cart boasts sandwiches made from Kansas City-style barbecue: pastrami, beef, pork, chicken, turkey and occasional specials. Cole slaw and other barbecue-esque sides are on the menu as well.  As I walked by Blowin' Smoke, I had to admit, my taste buds went into overdrive and my mouth immediately started watering.  I had to keep going, to see the rest of the options, but there was a line waiting for some of Blowin' Smoke's savory sandwiches.

A taste of Mexico was next, at El Burrito Loco.  This food cart is located at the 100 block of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.  This food cart repeatedly scores high in the ratings that take place each year, and after checking out the menu, I can see why.  This little taste of Mexico serves chicken, bean and steak tostadas, tacos, burritos and taco salads. To add a little (or a lot of) kick, mild and hot sauce are available to sprinkle on your meal.  Of course, I had to keep walking.

The next food cart was hard to pass up, not just because of the smell, but because of the long line and people all around it.  FIB's Fine Italian Beef and Sausage, parked on East Main St and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, is "Da Taste Of Chicago".  Calling themselves da real deal, this food cart features gonnella bread, baked fresh every morning, Italian beef, sausage, meatball, and Chicago's own Maxwell St. Polish.  Not to mention Chicago's favorite pure beef Vienna hot dog, complete with neon green relish, freshly chopped onions, sport peppers, tomato slices, a kosher pickle wedge, yellow mustard, and a dash of celery salt, on a steamed poppy seed bun.  They even serve Cheli's Chili, a tasty concoction created by a University of Wisconsin great and Chicago native, Chris Chelios.  And absolutely not to exclude their neighbors to the north, they serve a "Laverne and Shirley", which is a Milwaukee dog smothered with kraut, onions, and mustard.  I was able to maneuver through the crowd around this food cart...I need to see them all before making a decision!

Good Food was the next food cart on the walk, located on the corner of East Main and South Pinckney.  I was excited about this particular one, not just because Tyler told me it was his favorite (I was so proud!), but also because of the menu it had on one modestly painted side.  I felt this menu spoke to me the most out of all the food carts we had seen that afternoon.  Tofu, veggie, and chicken wraps and salads were hitting center stage, and I took notice immediately.  Tyler told me at least twice that the Thai Chili Wrap is his favorite.  Like usual, I had to keep walking, just in case something else catches my fancy and trumps Good Food.

Next was the Mad City Fry Guy, which by the name says it all.  Fried, fried, and more fried!  This food cart is located on the corner of West Main and South Carroll and after looking at the menu, it lives up to its name.  This food cart features hot dogs, brats, condiments galore, and hand cut french fries and deep fried cheese curds.  The perfect lunch for a classic Wisconsinite.

Wei's Food To Go is the next one that we saw.  As you can guess, this food cart has an Asian influence and is located on East Main St and South Pinckney.  This food cart has hibachi-style dishes consisting of fried rice, noodle dishes, fragrant pork, and, of course, egg rolls.  I'm not a big Asian-food eater, and of course we have not gone all the way around the square, so I went on by.

As we ended up back at Tyler's office building with no food purchased, I knew I had to make a decision (that and Tyler had to head back to work).  Just as we got in eye-shot of his building I saw the last food cart on the square.  This particular one is called Igo Vego, featuring vegan burgers consisting of walnuts, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and chili's.  I immediately chose that food cart and Tyler immediately said "I thought you would!" 

I picked this particular food cart, not because I am vegan, but because I love trying new, different, healthier spins on American classics.  As I looked over the menu, I was about to order the sweet and spicy bean and chili pepper burger when I saw the homemade hummus with farmer's market veggies.  I absolutely love the earthy, grainy texture of homemade hummus with the nutty flavor of tahini and the great originality of spices that are added to make each one unique. 

As I ordered my hummus plate with veggies, Tyler went back to the Good Food food cart to get his Thai Chili wrap (there was no way he was going to choke down a vegan burger!)  We sat on a bench in the lawn of the Capital and finally got to eating.  As I ate my hummus and veggies, it became evident I chose the wrong food...even after dragging Tyler around the entire Capital square.  The hummus was good, but the flavor I was hoping for just wasn't there.  No kick of spice came my way and I have to say I was disappointed.  After trying Tyler's wrap, I had to admit, he chose the winner for our food cart lunch.  The Thai Chili wrap was sweet and tangy with just the right zing of heat at the end, which made you keep wanting more.  Oh well, there's always next Friday!!