Dallas' first permitted custom-built food truck will serve its inaugural breakfast burrito tomorrow morning.
City Street Grille, housed in a truck wrapped with an image of the Dallas skyline, will be parked in the lot of Bob's Steak & Chop House on Lemmon Avenue from 6:30 a.m.-9 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Owner Hunter Johnson says plans call for adding lunch and late-night stops within weeks.
"It's just staying close to home, parking at Bob's," says Johnson, who's dating steakhouse owner Jessica Smith. The City Street crew is using Bob's kitchens for prep, and putting its filet ends and scrap tenderloin meat in its breakfast sandwiches.
"We're not just serving potato, egg and cheese," Johnson says.
The three burritos on the opening menu include a tortilla topped with "fluffy scrambled eggs, smoked Gouda cheese, sliced onions, peppercorn cream gravy and beef."
"It's a monster," Johnson says.
City Street's been catering for a few months, but Johnson is careful to distinguish his operation from other catering trucks "that run around Dallas."
"They're serving prepackaged food," he says. "We want to run an upscale deal."
Explanations for the lack of a food truck scene in Dallas usually center on bureaucratic hassles, and Johnson reports he encountered his share.
"Oh my gosh, getting that license was a nightmare," he says. "We had to jump through a lot of hurdles: It took us a dozen tries. I bribed them with San Pellegrino."
Johnson says lunch at John Eagle Honda -- featuring Philly sandwiches and sliders -- could start as early as Friday, depending on customer response. And if the truck's an immediate hit, Johnson's ready to start building a fleet.
"There will be more trucks," Johnson says. "If this idea works out, people are ready to come in."
