Foodie Friday: A Q&A with Jason Quinn of The Lime Truck

My favorite green machine

Gone are the days of the “roach coach” stigma when it comes to food trucks. From LA to NY, the gourmet food truck craze is in full swing and, from the look of things, they’re here to stay.

The popular food trucks driving around Southern California are serving up fresh, healthy, and down-right delicious gourmet fare. One of my favorite food trucks is Orange County’s The Lime Truck…and I’m apparently not the only one. With stellar reviews on yelp, a loyal fan-base, and a recent award for Best Food Truck in OC, The Lime Truck has quickly become an OC foodie favorite.

Jason Quinn and Daniel Shemtob are the co-founders and owners of the Lime Truck.  Executive Chef Jason recently chatted with me about about life in the food truck and, as our Q&A can attest, the food truck biz is both fun and very challenging.

Aimee: How many cooks are in the Lime Truck kitchen and who comes up with the recipes?

Jason: In all honesty, we all help out. The Lime Truck team consists of me, Daniel, and Alex. Daniel helps to prep when necessary and so does Alex. When we are actually mid-service Alex works the grill and I expedite and assemble. As far as the recipes, id say they’re about 95% me.

A: Who (or what) inspires you the most when it comes to the type of food you cook?

J: I like to think that my food is very ingredient driven, when we find something really cool to work with we like to let it shine on its own.

A: What is the one ingredient you can’t live without?

J: BACON!!!

A: How did you into the food truck business?

J: Daniel called me when I was working in the restaurant and asked me to design a menu for his truck, I had a particularly bad day and told him I’d rather be a partner. The rest is history.

A: What is the most challenging thing about working on a food truck?

J: Everything.

A: What’s the best thing about working on a food truck?

J: Getting to do sweet interviews like this!

A: From L.A. to New York, there is a definite food truck craze in major U.S. cities – how do you think Orange County stacks up to the demand?

J: I think we’re still learning quite a bit about the industry, I hope its not a fad, but we definitely have days where we think it is and other days where it seems like everyone will eat off trucks for every meal.

A: What is your typical work-day like?

J: Long. Up at 8, prep till 10, drive to our location, prep till 11:15, get ready for service and start at 11:30. Service til 2. Shopping til 4, prep til 10. Sleep. Repeat.

A: You’re driving all over OC during the week. Do you have a favorite location?

J: The Bruery, definitely. It’s the end of our week and we get yummy beer plus it’s a great crowd of people.

A: If the Lime Truck had a soundtrack, what music would be on it?

J: Chromeo, California soul (diplo remix), lots of random ass music.

A: Where do you see your business in the future? Are there plans for more Lime Trucks or a even a Lime restaurant?

J: Plans for both are in the works. I’m excited for the future!

A: Lastly, do you have a recipe that you’re willing to share with my readers who aren’t lucky enough to live by the Lime Truck route?

J: Yes!

Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Griddled Mashed Potatoes and Piquillo Pepper Paint

Serves 6

Braise
4 pounds boneless beef short ribs
1 red onion
2 carrots
1 rib of celery
6 cloves of garlic
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
kosher salt and pepper to taste
30 oz of dark beer (on the truck we use beer from The Bruery in Placentia, their “Mischief,” “Einer’s Folly” and “Cotton” would be amazing candidates. As far as more mainstream beers are concerned, Stone’s Arrogant Bastard or even New Belgium’s Fat Tire would be ideal choices. Basically you are looking for a beer that has a full body, it needs to be dark, acidic, slightly sweet and well-rounded.)

Set the oven to 350 F. Cut the meat into pieces that are roughly 2 inches long by 1 inch wide. Once all the meat is portioned, season generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Get an 8 qt Dutch oven over medium high heat and cover the bottom with vegetable oil. (Extra virgin olive oil is not the ideal choice here because of its low smoke point.) Once the oil is hot, working in batches, brown the meat–making sure not to crowd the pan, this should take about 10 minutes per batch. After all the meat is cooked, take it all out of the pan and add the carrots, onion and celery (cut into bruniose, a 1/8in by 1/8in by 1/8in cube) sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes and then add the diced garlic. After the garlic has cooked for about a minute add the can of tomato paste and continue to stir. After one more minute add the short ribs back to the pot and cover the meat with the beer. Bring to a boil, cover and put in the oven. Leave for 2 hours unattended. After that time remove the lid and let cook for 1 more hour. When the third hour is done begin basting the ribs with the remaining liquid every 15 minutes for one final hour, a total cooking time of 4 hours. Let the meat cool down in the braising liquid for at least an hour before serving for the best results.

Mash
3 pounds red potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter
kosher salt to taste

Add potatoes to a pot in the 4-6 qt range and cover with cold, salted water. Bring water to a boil and simmer the potatoes until tender. (This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours). Then drain the potatoes in a colander and let steam for about 10 minutes, during this time bring your cream and butter to a boil in a separate pot. Return potatoes to original pot and add boiling hot cream/butter mixture. Using a potato masher, break down the potatoes to desired consistency and season to taste.

These are great to serve as is, however, if you have a well seasoned cast iron pan, get it smoking hot, add a tiny bit of oil and then a scoop of mashed potatoes, pushing down with a spatula so that the potatoes get crispy, wait 1 minute, flip and wait 1 more minute, place the crispy mashed potatoes on the plate and use them as a bed for the short ribs.

Paint
1 jar roasted piquillo peppers
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender, puree until smooth, transfer to a squeeze bottle and garnish the short ribs.

Check out a few of my pics from my most recent Lime Truck experience. Yes, it’s as good as it looks. And worth every calorie!

Thank you, Jason!

If you live in or around OC, make sure to check out the Lime Truck! To find out where they’re headed,  follow the Lime Truck on twitter or on Facebook!