The more you vote for the Spoon the better chance we have of winning a shot as the Nation’s best food truck. Hey, you did it for the Alabamian American Idol contestants! You can do it for the Alabama Spoonfed Grill!

Each week we will be prognosticating the games with recipe concoctions. Some food and some drink. Maybe more drinks than food. All of these dishes will be easy to manipulate and hopefully taste great. If they don’t taste great,… well, sometimes victory is a sour taste!

So look for this to start up in the next week. And, don’t be disappointed if your team was picked to lose, the food and drink will hopefully make up for the loss.

We will continue to call and try to make our point. We don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the food truck future in B’ham so it is highly unlikely you will see us downtown until we get this resolved. But, if you do see us riding around stop by and say hello, or have a taco or burger to go.

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Author : Wade Kwon
Comment:
Thanks for sharing your story, Jason.

What’s the next step for you? Are you planning to fight it?

Next step is forgiveness, then legal research, and finally follow the process.

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Author : Charlotte
Comment:
Hey!

I left a message yesterday for Michael Calvert within minutes of seeing your first tweet. I never heard back from him. When I got home this afternoon and saw that no statement had been issued by ONB in response to this blog post, I called their of VP of Communications, Robert Emerick (324-8797, ext 19). (Well, I posted a few fussy tweets, then I called him.) We had a great conversation. He listened to my concerns and I listened to his. They had a right to complain to the city about your parking spot, but I think it would have been best for Michael to contact you first. If he had done so, it would have become clear to all parties that you and ONB have common goals. Also, if they were engaged with the local twitter and facebook scene, they would have realized pretty quickly that others in Birmingham were surprised that you weren’t being welcomed with open arms.

You and ONB (and a bunch of other folks) want good things for Birmingham. I really hope y’all have the opportunity to meet and talk about ways you can work together and support each other. Then you can tweet about your meeting and let us know that all is well.

I actually have never eaten at Spoonfed Grill. (Every time I’ve looked to see where you’re parked, you’ve been somewhere on 280.) I live in the city, am passionate about the city and want to do what I can to make it a great place to live, work and play. Thanks for trying to do that, too. If you’re able to bring your truck back to the city, let me know. I’ll be there.

Good luck & keep us posted!

Charlotte

Thanks for your support.

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Author : SW
Comment:
Jason, while I too have not had the pleasure of eating from your truck, I do agree that there seems to be an underlying issue going on here other than just a parking problem. I’m one of those who also can ‘read between the lines’ and I see interference in your seemingly legally operated business from an organization whose main intent is to fill empty spaces in Birmingham-proper.

I appreciate your support and thoughts.

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Author : John Morse
Comment:
I’m really sorry to see it come to this, and I agree with you about what Mr. Calvert’s best course would have been. As the figurehead of the most visible organization charged with promoting and energizing the downtown area, I would have expected him to be one of your biggest cheerleaders. At the very least, if there are legitimate concerns from other stakeholders, I would have expected him to try to facilitate negotiations toward a consensus that benefits everyone. For him to stoop to petty insinuations and scheming behind your back is truly disappointing. I will pass these thoughts along to him, his board, and the mayor and council as well.

Those are my sentiments as well.

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Author : Rob
Comment:
I work in the Wachovia building and love your food. As a crimson-blooded American capitalist, I also loved your business idea and the execution of that idea. I must admit, I’m really not surprised at the way this was handled by the various officials. keep up the good fight and the good food. Please keep us informed on what happens and where you end up setting up shop.

The Spoon will try and keep you updated.

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Author : mb123
Comment:
I agree, please let us know how we can help. I am disappointed in Michael Calvert. Seems obvious to me that he has been heading up “Operation Dead Downtown Birmingham”.

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Author : mb123

Comment:
One more thought – I don’t see how a food truck competes with these restaurants. People who visit Brick & Tin for example go inside and sit down to eat. Folks who are crunched for time want take-out and thus patronize a spot that can provide take-out such as a food truck. Also, when Linn Park had a farmers market that was an outpost of the Pepper Place Market, there was a table there from Little Savannah that sold lunches to go. So why didn’t Operation New Birmingham have a problem with that?

Good question, the closest restaurant to Spoonfed was Chick-fil-A on an opposing corner of the block. Spoon didn’t sell grilled or fried chicken sandwiches, drinks, shakes and has a much higher price point than the fil-A.

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Author : Allison
Comment:
What can we do as citizens? I have never eaten from your truck. You used to come to corp pkwy on 280…not sure if you still do. However, I am all about promoting business! I love that fact that one of the hottest food trends in LA is being duplicated here in Birmingham! It is great for the economy! What can we do to help you get your spots back?

Call the Mayors office and demand designated food truck locations that are not within a hundred feet of an established restaurant. And, not placed on the outskirts of the city center.

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Author : Haisley
Comment:
What a shame. One step forward for Birmingham and two steps back. How dissapointing that Mr Calvert (calvert2@bellsouth.net ) is the one responsible for setting us back when he’s charged with moving Birmingham forward.

I hope it works out soon. I am sending Mr Calvert an email and I hope others will to.

Thank you

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Author : Yvonne
Comment:
Here are some good city planning related resources:
http://www.planetizen.com/node/42815

http://www.good.is/post/los-angeles-s-food-truck-revolution/

http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/07/the-food-truck-economy/60109/

Thank you for the information. I hope all parties interested take note.

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Author : Patrick
Comment:
If Calvert runs you off the street, try getting a spot in a private parking lot – that lot at 4th Ave N and 20th Street would be ideal. I’m sure the lot owners would be thrilled to have the revenue, and you could probably work out a deal with them.

If Calvert wants to be a punk about enforcing street parking, then go private for a bit while you try to get City Hall on your side. Here in Atlanta, one of the main supporters of our Street Food Coalition is a representative from Lanier Parking who is hoping food trucks can support his parking lots.

Great idea and one that popped into my head during this process. I think I will give Lanier a call. I know ya’ll are getting some great street food over there.

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Author : trip
Comment:
Wow, that’s pretty much bulls**t. Any chance of using/leasing space in a privately-owned parking lot downtown? Do you have any good lawyer friends? I bet somebody would take this case pro-bono.

I have many attorneys, friends and family, that I can contact. The truth is this will be an issue of getting a government contract for parking metered sales or find ways to designate food truck areas.

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It can be made several ways. You can scramble or fry the egg first. Or you can whisk the egg or just crack it raw. It is your choice.

What do you want in your omelette? Pick what you want, chop it very fine and set it aside. Think small portions.

If you are frying the egg then just mix the portions in with the meat and then stick the egg on top.

If you are scrambling the egg then mix the portions in like you would normally do. Once cooked take the amount of ground chuck you want to make and create a bowl with half of it. Take a portion of the scrambled egg mix and place in the bowl (or just mix the scrambled egg in with the meat). Cover and fold over with the remaining chuck creasing edges to create a seal. You can take a cooked fried egg and do the same or just stick it on top after the burger is cooked. Also, think about a sunny side up egg to put in the pouch. A bit more manageable.

Remember that you are trying to make a small wall around the tops and bottoms not a fortress.

The hard way. Make your bowl/pouch with the bottom piece of chuck. Whether whisked or raw put the egg in with your ingredients. Don’t forget to season your meat, salt, pepper, chili powder, basil, rosemary, thyme, curry, whatever. Take the top half of the meat and fold it over being sure to crease the edges to seal in the runny egg.

Throw on the grill or cook top (delicately) and see what you made.

By the way, no one will be impressed with this dish. And, if they are, then throw your martini on them!

First, kick the oven onto a broil.

Take some french bread (any bread will do, your taste) and slice your style. Rub some olive oil on the up side. Take some seasoning, your favorite, and sprinkle on top. Or nothing at all. Next get some jam or jelly or whatever is rotting in the refrigerator and spread a thin layer on top. Find some ham and apply to the top. Then take some monterey jack cheese and cover the meat. Stick on the middle rack and bake for a few minutes until melted. Eat and watch something on tv.

Grab a bell pepper. Cut it in half lengthwise. Cut out the half of the seed in each side. Take a can of beans, I don’t care which kind, but if you want my choice make ‘em black or red, or both! Strain them out and put in a bowl. Add some chopped onions, tomato, cilantro, rice (if you got it ready), shredded cheese (your choice), garlic salt, pepper, some cumin to taste, some Conecuh sausage, or similar long sausage, part of which you should chop in the bowl and other parts you should slice for topping. Mix ingredients together and scoop into the bell pepper half. Layer some more cheese on top followed by generous amounts of sausage slices. Bake in the oven on the bottom shelf until the sausage is dripping from the top or it is burned. Then grab a beer and head to the couch.

You can do the same thing with other hollow or cored out foods. Think about using a cream cheese dip or onion dip mixed with some steamed chopped spinach, cheese, pine nuts, black olives, beans, fresh basil, spices and maybe some cooked ground beef, sausage or soft scrambled eggs.

Happy holidays and look forward to seeing y’all in 2010!

Ran across this GQ post and I thought I would share. Feel free to go to the article on the  GQ site and sound off about Spoonfed Grill.

Now that meals on wheels are getting as much acclaim as four-star restaurants, GQ decided to scour the streets in search of the best. From Seattle to New Hampshire, we dug into a global feast of juicy Hawaiian pork sliders, crispy sweetbreads, and succulent Taiwanese fried chicken—all without having to call for a reservation.

Yes, our auto industry continues to tank, but one category of vehicle is actually having a hell of a year—the food truck. From coast to coast, mobilized chefs, Twittering the masses, are serving up no less than the evolution of our national street cuisine. The reign of the roach coach is over. Exteriors now bear striking graphic design, like the Redouté-caliber botanical illustrations on a New York ice cream truck; ingredients are carefully sourced, right down to those in the small-batch hot sauces and house-made soft drinks; and menus, get this, have expanded far beyond the usual choice of taco or…taco. The options are beginning to seem endless. New, notable trucks with new, notable missions start their generators humming every week. And we say keep ’em coming—until there’s a whole-roasted-branzino truck, a lamb-on-a-spit mobile, and as many wandering wood-fired-pizza carriers as our city blocks can handle. It’ll happen. And you’ll benefit, eating more truly satisfying meals outdoors, among the smart and sociable, at considerable remove from hefty restaurant checks. Will the rise of the food truck save the Big Three? Absolutely not. But their hard-cooking crews can at least remind us not all’s wrong on the American road.

Payment: Cash Credit/Debit Card

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