Food Trucking in Baltimore County!

The Classic NE Lobster Roll and decadent Lobster Mac.

Though I love the relative quiet of living out in the 'burbs, I have to admit that on occasion I find myself missing the fun and variety that comes with living in a city like Baltimore, Philly or Pittsburgh.

Walking to a movie, meeting a friend for lunch at a local watering hole, swinging by the ballpark to catch a game on a sunny afternoon. All things that seemingly require much planning, coordination, schedule checking and, naturally, driving from THG HQ.

But where I might harbor the most simmering envy for city lifers is with the explosion of cool food trucks in and around Charm City. Who wouldn't love the chance to walk to a gourmet hot dog stand or taco truck for lunch? Or, grab something from Miss Shirley's without the wait I usually associate with my visits to their brick-and-mortar locations.

Even pit beef, pulled pork and a burger just sound better when you're standing outside a food truck, chatting up other customers and getting the straight dope on life behind a food truck order window from the folks working the register.

In other words, the stuff that never happens to me when I'm grabbing some fast food via the faceless drive-thru box or having a slice warmed up at a local pizza joint.

But fear not fellow suburbanites! Though I don't think they'll ever schedule a Gathering in our neck of the woods you can visit one of the area's best food trucks – The Silver Platter – during their fall residence at the intersection of York and Padonia Rds. (they've set up shop in the Gulf gas station parking lot, easily accessible from the Mars/Padonia Station parking lot).

I made my first trip out on Monday and had to try two of the truck's signature dishes – a New England Lobster Roll ($15) and a side of Lobster Mac & Cheese ($10). Made with orecchiette instead of the more common elbows, the Lobster Mac feels more like a pasta dish than a side. Still, I liked the creaminess and it featured a generous amount of lobster, but I think I'd still vote for the massive portion we got as a side from Daddy-O on Long Beach Island.

The Lobster Roll, however, was superb. The classic New England-style bun had been toasted on the grill which gave it a nice outdoor barbecue-type flavor and the accompanying lobster salad was packed full of lobster hunks and wasn't swimming in mayo. Fresh tarragon added a nice earthy taste and left me wanting more.

The Pit Turkey Sandwich before I carried out a meatectomy
and removed half the sliced turkey for today's lunch!

Not sure how long the truck would be sticking around I headed back on Thursday, figuring I'd try one of the specials that the truck offers each day in addition to their regular menu. I've never been overwhelmed by the Baltimore area's obsession with pit beef but I wanted to try the truck's taste on the area bbq speciality, so I zeroed in on the Pit Turkey Sandwich ($6) and a side order of Truffle Fries ($4).

I love smoke, I love barbecue and I seriously love turkey, so I was totally in love with Silver Platter's take on the ubiquitous holiday offering. The meat was thinly sliced and piled high on a soft, but not doughy, roll. I passed on the offering of lettuce and tomato and opted to make a quick sandwich spread out of mayo and barebcue sauce.

Before I did that, though, I literally had to remove half of the meat that was piled on the sandwich! Had I eaten the super-generous portion I'd still be sleeping off the oppressive food coma.

The Truffle Fries were also excellent – thick cut and generously seasoned, and also way more than I could eat at one sitting.

I spoke with one of the truck's operators and he mentioned that they'd probably be hanging out in the Baltimore County area for a bit. Maybe if this temporary relocation is successful word will spread to the other food trucks and we'll get some more visits!

Be sure to check out The Silver Platter on Facebook to see if they're set up in a neighborhood near you!