Sometimes it can be refreshing to step outside of the white linen and crystal stemware dining experience and into the real heart of a city’s culinary culture—the street food. In places like L.A. and Portland, mobile eateries have been sprouting up like mushrooms on swaths of asphalt—everything from Vietnamese bahn mi and Brazilian barbeque to Mexican tacos and Korean fried fish—all the best international flavors and aromas packed into one big late-night melting pot.
In the Wood River Valley, you can find plenty of these finger-licking little gems, perfect for a quick bite during lunch or a grab-and-go snack—fast, fresh, and inexpensive. They are best enjoyed wrapped in newspaper or off the stick, sitting on a curb or standing and eating over your hand. Here are a few not to miss this summer:
Grumpy’s Mobile Catering
If you love Grumpy’s Burgers and Beers in Ketchum, then you’ll love the fact that it’s now on four wheels. The Grumpy’s Mobile Catering Truck has almost all the same favorites as their Ketchum brick and mortar—the quarter-pound burger, the fowl burger, the ham and cheese sandwich, as well as their complete “secret menu.” They also have a popular lamb and beef gyro burger with tzatziki, lettuce, tomato, and onion with choice of fries or coleslaw. On Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer, you can find the Grumpy’s truck parked outside of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Bellevue (101 S. Main Street), serving lunch and on some special occasions, open late night. But the truck is also available to rent for catering—everything from weddings and graduation parties to birthdays and anniversaries—just about anywhere they can pull up and park. Now you can enjoy your favorite burger and beer almost anywhere in the Valley!
Open: June – mid-October
Lunch Hours: Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Catering: Yes
Credit Cards Accepted: Yes
Cost: $$
Most Popular Menu Item: Gyro burger
Taqueria Al Pastor
If you love authentic Mexican street food, then Taqueria al Pastor should be on your speed dial. For 13 years, owner Pascual Cano garnered a loyal local following at his brick and mortar restaurant in Bellevue. Three years ago, he downsized to a truck in the Chevron parking lot in Hailey (209 S. Main Street) where he has been serving hungry lunch patrons the same simple and delicious menu of traditional Mexican cuisine. This type of taqueria, famous in Mexico City, includes the shawarma-style rotisserie pork (al pastor) served with small corn tortillas, cilantro, onion, and optional hot sauce. They also serve a mean “torta”—a Mexican-style sandwich that comes on a fresh-baked roll. If you have a big appetite (or a small family), try the “alambre” and build your own tacos from a steaming pound of meat and grilled Anaheim chili peppers. The truck only stays open until they run out of food, so come early, grab a drink from the Chevron station, pull up a plastic chair or, like many, flip down the tailgate of your truck, and gather round for a Guadalajara-style social lunch hour.
Open: mid April—mid September
Hours: Tuesday—Sunday, 11a.m. – until the meat runs out
Catering: Yes
Credit Cards Accepted: Yes
Cost: $
Most Popular Menu Item: Tacos al Pastor
Smoke Over Baldy
If you happen to be walking down Main Street in Ketchum past 11 at night, you may be lured towards the smell of something delicious wafting from the empty lot next to Whiskey Jacques’ (251 N. Main Street). This Southern-style barbeque truck, Smoke Over Baldy, has been parked here since December 2016, when owners Joshua Jones and Sean Connolly took over a former late-night hot dog stand. Originally from North Carolina, Jones specializes in slow (and I mean sloooww) cooked barbeque like pulled pork sliders and dry rub ribs that take from 10 to 18 hours to prepare. As he described it, “It’s Southern soul food that gets in your bones.” Other dishes include baked beans made from scratch, macaroni salad, collard greens, coleslaw, and, this summer, he hopes to have homemade pie available. Stop by Tuesday through Saturday for lunch or late night on the weekends and enjoy some real, downhome Southern cookin’.
Open: Year-round (with slack schedule)
Lunch Hours: Tuesday—Saturday, 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Late-Night Hours: Friday & Saturday nights, 11 p.m.- close
Catering: Yes
Credit Cards Accepted: Yes
Cost: $$
Most Popular Menu Item: Dirty South Chicken Sandwich
The Haven
You have probably seen Kellee Havens’ bright green ’93 Chevy Short Bus driving up and down the Valley, parked at concerts and downtown gatherings, usually with a large semi-circle of people gathering around. But this year, she took over a small space at 271 7th Street in Ketchum where she is offering all manner of dining options—cocktail parties, cooking classes, business lunches, and baby showers, to name a few. She also serves lunch out of this space three days a week, with everything from Cubano sandwiches and tostadas to a shaved Brussels sprout and kale salad. The food is both “healthy and indulgent,” as Havens said, with fresh ingredients and an ever-evolving menu. “We are reinventing the food every day—there is no such thing as a recipe here.” Depending on what she’s in the mood for, she will usually cook up a few seasonal specials, like a roasted beet salad or heirloom tomato gazpacho. Stop by her new location and enjoy lunch and a frosty beverage on the outdoor deck (the “Signature Mac and Cheese” comes highly recommended) or catch her at the downtown Ketchum Farmer’s Market, Tuesdays from 1 – 6 p.m. in the summer.
Open: June – October
Lunch Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Catering: Yes
Credit Cards Accepted: Yes
Cost: $$$
Most Popular Menu Item: Sautéed Brussels sprout salad