FEATURED FOOD TRUCK

BY KERIN MAYNE

Join the conversation on our FB Group Page: Good Eats Houston

The driving force behind OffBeat Eatz is Chef Gerald Warner, his 20-year old  son Taylor and Partner Victor Chataboon. Taylor’s welcoming smile and graciousness are attributes that make his parents proud. Chef Warner and Victor Chataboon make up the backbone of this food truck that offers “Texas regional cuisine with a twist”.

Gerald is classically trained, having attended the School of Culinary Arts in Houston, and he has a vast amount of experience in the culinary world. His experiences include being a sous chef, director of food services, co-owner of a Dallas restaurant, and most recently as the Program Manager for a global engineering firm while stationed in the Middle East and Central Asia. He grew up in a Texas family that was grounded in hunting, fishing, and gardening. Gerald has shared this appreciation for the whole earth with his son, Taylor. Taylor has learned to hunt and process the wildlife caught while hunting, even learning how to butcher a whole hog at the early age of 12. Appreciation for his dad’s interest in gastronomy led to the idea to start a food truck. The team developed flavor profiles, and menu concept, worked on recipe development, and in March 2016, Offbeat Eatz hit the road. Equally as important as the cooks in the truck is Victor. He is the first face you see when stepping up to the order window, the face of the truck. He is the business and marketing manager who is in charge of making sure there’s a place to showcase his family’s culinary skills and an audience of hungry fans.

Food sourcing for OffBeat Eatz comes from the best they can buy. Priority is given to source the best local and regional ingredients available with a focus on all natural, no preservatives, no hormones, and cage free. With few exceptions, all condiments and sauces are made in house; this includes the house-made watermelon rind preserves that appear on the ½ pound of Ruffino’s Angus beef known as the Southern Pride burger. If you thought a ½ pound burger wasn’t enough to feast on, you can order The Offbeat, which features one pound of Angus beef, three slices of Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Both burgers are graced with a fried egg to push savory over the top. Looking for a chicken and a little bit of spicy? Check out the Tejano Chicken Sandwich. The grilled and marinated all natural chicken breast is served on a Slow Dough Bread Co. Challah bun with avocado mayo, caramelized onions and jalapeno relish, pepper jack cheese, and pickled onions. Even the pork fries feature locally sourced pork from Ruffino’s Meat Co. in Brenham, Texas. The pork butt has been smoked for 12 hours, shredded, and sautéed with onions and Hatch green chili peppers. The melt-in-your-mouth smoky pork is served atop twice fried, hand cut potatoes, perfect for sharing as an appetizer or as a meal for one. And if, after all that, you are wanting something more, perhaps you should try your hand at one of eight 12” hand-crafted pizzas. Going for a little bit off the beaten path? Creative chefs turned out the Moroccan Chicken Pizza: house-made Moroccan spiced tomato sauce covered with roasted chicken, zucchini slices, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Italian cheese blend, and chopped cashews.

The truck itself is a fine specimen in the world of food trucks. The interior is thoughtfully configured for prep work and cooking, and space for a counter-top, stand-alone pizza oven. Even the exterior has details that make this truck stand out amongst the rest. They have a flat screen monitor that is used to display eye-catching photos of menu items; it can even be used for an Xbox game or two. There’s room to display paper copies of the extensive menu items as well as an old-school chalkboard to display daily specials. Chalk-white graphics on a regal purple, ombre paint job give the finishing professional touch.

With roughly 1,400 food trucks gracing the streets of Houston, look for the one that stands out against the rest. “Simple Food Made Great. Just a Little Offbeat.”

 

Good Eats Houston Recommends…

Appetizers

Parmesan Truffle Fries

Fresh, hand cut potatoes, twice fried, and tossed in truffle oil, truffle salt, and

parmesan cheese. Served with a garlic aioli

 

Pork Fries

Fresh, hand cut potatoes, twice fried, topped with “Hatch” green chili pulled

pork, cheese, sour cream and green onions

 

Chicken Strip Basket

Our chicken strips and twice fried potatoes together with your choice of sauce:

sweet and spicy, mango habanero, or ranch

 

Artisan Burgers

The OffBeat

One pound of ground Angus beef topped with three slices bacon, fried egg, cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles

 

Artisan Sandwiches

Tejano Chicken Sandwich

Grilled marinated all natural chicken breast served on a Challah bun with

avocado mayo, caramelized onion and jalapeno relish, pepper jack cheese,

pickled onions. Lettuce and tomato upon request

 

Artisan Pizzas

Moroccan Chicken

House made Moroccan spiced tomato sauce covered with roasted chicken,

zucchini slices, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Italian cheese blend,

chopped cashews

 

PHOTOGRAPHY: KERIN MAYNE