meatyballs mobile

food trucks have been steadily increasing in popularity in the past few years. there is even a show on food network called the great food truck race to see which food trucks can outsell each other. i mean what is there not to like? the food is delicious (mostly) and conveniently "delivered" to you, so to speak as long as they are in your neighborhood.

meatyballs mobile first caught my attention with its name - then it proved itself with the sandwiches it dishes out. so chicago has this ordinance where food trucks are not allowed to prepare/cook food in trucks so everything is already cooked and packaged before they sell it. the mastermind behind meatyballs mobile is philip foss, the former lockwood's excutive chef. 

taken from metromix chicago

they started out with one truck and has since expanded to three to spread their meatball love around chicago due to the popularity high demand for these various renditions of meatball sandwiches. meatyballs mobile has been awarded the trendsetter of the year by tribune dining awards and named chicago's best ball by chicago best wgn.

taken from metromix chicago

the first time i purchased their meatball sandwiches, they only offered torpedos ($7-9) which are the standard size subs. but they've added the grenade ($3) to their menu - sliders with a meatball. essentially, the guy said that three grenades makes up a torpedo. i decided on grenades just cos that would give me a chance to try out their different menu items.

original meatyballs | beef . pork . four cheese sauce . truffle oil .

i wanted to try their namesake which is pretty mild in flavor. more of a purist cos you can taste the natural flavors of the meat at its best. the meatball itself is moist and seasoned well. the cheese sauce could use a little more cheese to thicken it and best way to get its meltiness is to heat it up for a couple of seconds in the microwave. the truffle oil was a mere whisper and made me looking for more. it is a lil messy to eat that it required either a fork and knife or a lot of napkins. all these sandwiched in between two soft buns (which by the way is made fresh by keri foss) to soak up all the sauces.

shweddy balls | tunisian-style lamb and chicken balls . very spicy tomato sauce .

the first thing i noticed was the red flakes around the rim of the slider. then a cut in the middle revealed a meatball with plenty of ingredients. spicy it was but a good one that doesn't linger on the mouth. the first bite, i couldn't really taste the meat and immediately the spicy kicks in with an herbaceous note. maybe the herbs and spices overpowered the natural flavor of the meat but the flavors were reminiscent of something that my mom makes which i really like. it was a tad dry compared to its first counterpart but totally love the sear of the meatball.  my verdict: it's okay.

bbq balls | pulled pork shoulder . red cabbage . apples . cola - bourbon bbq sauce . 

my first encounter with meatyballs sandwich involved this bbq balls sandwich - torpedo size. i liked it so much (although slightly oversauced) that i wanted to get it for a second time. i am glad to say that the pulled pork was moist and just enough of the bbq sauce. the sweetness paired well with the pulled pork which i was surprised was not overpowered by the bbq sauce. i did wish there was more of the cabbage slaw though. the pulled pork balls are really great on its own too! probably my favorite of them all.

truffle-dusted potato chips ($2)

i've always had a hard time resisting truffle and potato chips. i've bought this several times with or without the sandwiches. one thing i notice is the inconsistency in terms of amount of truffle flavor in the  chips. this time, the truffle flavor was a tad faint almost like a tease but loved that they were crispy and earthy at the same time.. yum!

the meatball and bun ratio seems to be leaning towards the bun a lil and left me craving for more meat. but i like the idea of meatball sandwiches and the different varieties of yummy flavors to change up my usual lunch routine. :) oh and they also have dessert balls (keeping true to their name somewhat) called the chocolate salty balls at $5. you can find their stop schedules on their website or you could keep up with the meatyballs mobile on twitter @FossFoodTrucks

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others