The Jalopy

I am proud to report that the first stop on the Austin Trailer Tour was a success! The Expert Panel visited The Jalopy Rotisserie and Press, located at 15th and San Antonio.

Before describing the food, let me just say – the Jalopy is intriguing in every way, from the décor to the method of food delivery. Cartoony, colorful artwork compliments funny sayings in French on both the truck itself and the tables just in front of it. Also, ordering is lots of fun. The truck sits several feet off the ground, so you step up onto a sort of platform to order. When the food is finished, the patron’s name is called and a wrapped sandwich is dropped down a little chute of sorts, at the bottom of which the sandwich lands in a bucket. This place gives new meaning to the whole play-with-your-food concept.

But down to the food. The Jalopy offers several different chicken sandwiches. I chose the “Suite 709,” which had jalapeno pepper slices, onion, cilantro and a sweet and salty brown sauce reminiscent of Teriyaki or Hoisin. The thing that struck me most was the combination of sweetness, saltiness and spice. Sweetness from the brown sauce and onion slices; saltiness from the sauce; and spice from the peppers and cilantro, which offered plenty of pep. Blandness was not a problem here!

While I did appreciate the contrasting flavor elements, for me the sandwich didn’t entirely come together. Maybe it’s my distaste for most things pickled – I like pickles themselves, but pickled peppers don’t really do it for me. The cilantro didn’t taste quite right on this sandwich either. Which really surprised me because I love cilantro on just about anything. I did like the sauce, although it was a tad overly salty.

Despite the negatives, I found myself thinking about this sandwich long after eating it, which counts for a lot. The Expert Panel gave the Jalopy 31 out of a possible 50 points – which may sound low, but this is Austin after all, and we have high standards for our Trailer food.