Posted November 3, 2014

By JAMIE SERVIDIO

Every Tuesday night from 5 to 9:30 p.m. this October, Plantation Heritage Park is lined with boldly decorated trucks for a food truck invasion. This month’s theme, “Muggles, Wizards and Aliens,” encourages families, foodies and friends to dress up in spirit of Halloween.

Friends and family gather with lawn chairs to hang out around the green expanse of Heritage Park. Around the park, children play catch and tag, while the grown-ups sit together sipping their favorite beverages.

There are plenty of picnic tables spread around the park to sit down and enjoy the diverse foods including pizza, lobster, burgers, ice cream, barbeque and more.

This Tuesday Harry Potter and Monsters Inc. played on the large projectors to go with the theme of the night. Young children dressed in costumes yelled “trick or treat” and held out their pillowcases and candy buckets to the truck windows eagerly waiting a treat.

It can be overwhelming to enter the circle of seemingly endless food trucks as a newcomer, so ask locals for their favorites or head to the truck with the biggest line.

One local Plantation resident dressed in a fairy costume suggested the Crazydilla food truck. Crazydilla serves gourmet quesadillas and tacos. The truck’s signature item is the “Cubadilla,” (think a Cuban sandwich in quesadilla form). This quesadilla contains roasted Cuban pork, Serrano ham, swiss cheese, and pickles served with a side of garlic mustard aoli. This dish is $11, but extremely filling.

Other regulars like couple Scarlett and Dan who attend every week try to diversify their palettes.

“Because there are so many options we like to try at least one thing different every time,” Scarlett said. “My son Eric is our foodie, he loves the Food Junkies truck.”

Her son, incessantly asking for $5 to get a gelato bar at the Hip Pop truck, has good taste. A lot of food truck goers praise the Food Junkies truck, noting the seasoning they put on their fish and chicken.

Scarlett also recommended the red velvet milkshake at the bubblegum-pink Dolce Gourmet cupcake truck. Be aware that the milkshakes run out quickly because they are in such high demand. In that case, opt for the red velvet brownie.

Lia Fausta, a resident of Aventura, says she follows the Dolce truck because she’s addicted to the sugary treats.

“I always come here to eat dessert first because you never know what could happen! Life is too short,” she said.

There is no doubt that there is a food truck craze in South Florida, for good reason too. Some local favorites include HipPops, Ms. Cheezious, Jefe’s Original Fish Taco and Burger and Latin Burger.

These trucks can be spotted in a number of different locations throughout the week because of the trucks’ obvious mobility. The University of Miami’s campus is graced with the presence of the HipPop gelato truck, the Uregano pizza truck and others.

Don’t mistake Miami’s food trucks for short-handed service. These trucks are a local gem and produce delicious, gourmet food products ranging from gelato ice cream bars to decadent grilled cheeses.

Expect long lines and a wait at some trucks because locals stand their ground to taste the delicacies certain trucks have to offer, but the food is always worth the wait if you order right.

If You Go

Parking is free and there is no entry fee to the event.

It is a family friendly environment and dog friendly too.

In the spirit of Muggles, Wizards and Aliens, some of the food trucks have special menu items featured on their menus this month(listed below):

• Best Pasta – Draco Food – Mac N Chees w/ Bacon and Cheese Stick on the side.
• Food Junkies – Butter Beer
• Holy Smoked – Hogsmead Pork Shanks or Great Feast Pulled Pork Sandwich
• HipPOPs Handcrafted Gelato Bars – Butterbeer (Salted caramel POP dipped in White Chocolate topped with whipped cream & drizzled caramel.
• Ice Cream Express – Diagon Alley Ice Cream Special – Strawberry & Peanut Butter
• Liguid N2 Ice Cream – Dragons Blood Float (Sprite with Grenadine and Vanilla Ice Cream
• The Lobsta Guy -The Green Cauldron Lobsta Roll, Harry Porter’s Original Lobsta Roll, Dobbilicious Lobsta Roll, Ol’ Style Sorting Hat Lobsta Roll, Valdemort’s Red Hot Lobsta Roll, Hagrid;s Asian Lobsta Roll
• Main Stop Grill – Pure Blood Pumpkin Juice, Hagrid’s Stoat Sandwich w/Serpent Fries & Edibles Stones w/Bugbear’s Blood Dipping Sauce.
• Mobstah Lobstah – Hogwart’s Fish & Chips
• Red Zeppelin — Wizard Crustation Roll
• The Taco Factory – Frog Tacos, Dragon Tacos