Revival: Southern Food Company (Closed)

This truck is no longer serving.

Revival: Southern Food Company
@revival_food
www.facebook.com/Revival.Truck

I was off on Good Friday, as were the monkeys (Satchel, 9, and Jiro 7,). The weather was beautiful and the Revival Food Truck was in Overton Park. It seemed like the perfect time to let the monkeys try it and lounge around in one of my favorite places.

I've tried the Revival truck a few times at lunch downtown, but having it in Overton Park (on a non-work day) is just genius. They park right by Veteran's Plaza.



We convinced Warren to leave the office for awhile and join us. (It didn't take much.) On the way over the monkeys quizzed me about what type of food they had. "Little hamburger sandwiches called sliders and tacos," I said. "I know what a slider is!" Satchel retorted. I ignored him. "Do they have French fries?" Jiro asked. I told him I was pretty sure they did.

Here's the menu in its full glory:



Satchel and Jiro were both expecting actual hamburger sliders, but as you can see, that wasn't an option. Satchel requested a regular (read: plain) hot dog with fries and Jiro agreed to try the chicken tacos with fries. When I put in their order, the woman was very nice about "kidifying" the menu items and assured me that the bbq chicken was not at all spicy. The monkeys also noticed a bottle of Cheerwine in the window and each put in an order for one. Warren decided on the banh mi sliders and I opted for the eggplant & mushroom tacos, even though I dislike eggplant & mushrooms. (I like to see if people can make things I don't like taste good. I also like to mess with Warren's mind. Oh, and it never hurts to support people's efforts to provide vegetarian options, right?)

Our total came to $33.00 even and I was faced with the dilemma of what to tip at a food truck. I instinctively went with 10%. However, had I used cash, I may not have tipped at all.



By the time I was done paying, the monkeys' orders were ready. They were psyched.





They joined Warren on a bench and started munching. I didn't think I wanted to squeeze in between them so I suggested that Warren get a blanket out of the car so we could sit in the grass.



Warren obliged me, and soon we had a nice little picnic.



(It was a little chilly, so Warren also got a jacket out of my car. It was one of mine that I had in a Goodwill bag. It was so tight on him, I couldn't stop laughing.)

Behold the banh mi sliders....



They were tasty, but I think calling them banh mi is a misnomer. They added carrots to the slaw and used sriracha so they had some extra zing and bang, but it just tasted more like a fancy bbq slider. Banh mi technically refers to the type of bread used for the sandwich--a crusty baguette.

The eggplant & mushroom tacos were also very tasty--and filling! They were bursting with mushrooms and eggplant.



Warren and I both got homemade chips and salsa as our sides. The salsa was more like a pico--very tasty but not spicy at all. The chips were reminiscent of the ones at Las Delicias--thick, and made from tortillas.

Warren and I did halfsies and then we split one of Jiro's tacos. He could only eat one, but he said he really liked it. I was worried there was too much bbq juice for his taste but he didn't mind at all.



The boys polished off their Cheerwine without sharing, so I had to send Satchel back for a Diet Coke for Warren and I to share. I could have sent him to the car for my bottle of water, but caffeine sounded good.



I love that he is officially of the age where he is not too shy to fetch things from strangers!

When we were all done, Warren and I instructed the boys to throw away all of our trash. The mound of styrofoam was my only complaint. It seemed kind of icky to be enjoying a nice lunch in the park and then fill the earth with something that would take thousands of years to degrade. (Hey, Revival! Give Project Green Fork a call!)



Once we had everything cleared (except for the bottles we took home to recycle), I happily instructed the kids, "Go run around!" That's something I never get to say in a restaurant! They immediately took up residence in opposing magnolia trees.





Then Warren and I just enjoyed the weather, the sounds of birds singing and children playing. I could have stayed all day.



(We were happier than we looked. Satchel isn't as patient as I am when it comes to getting a smile out of everyone.)

If you haven't tried the Revival truck yet, you should. Catch them in Overton Park so that you have a great place to enjoy their yummy food! They tweet their locations and are on Facebook.