The Munchie Melt: It’s too good to share
<p class="p1">The first thing you should know when you drive up to the Freestyle Munchies food truck is how to pronounce the last name of the owner, Don Gillett. Not that he really cares, but you want to get these things right. The name is pronounced “JILL it,” like saying “chill it.” It is not pronounced like the Gillette razor blade company’s name, which sounds like “Jill ETTE.”
<p class="p3">Once you’ve got that squared away, you can get down to the business of ordering food. Going in, you should know that Gillett is not some foodie newbie. He’s a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute and has decades of experience under his spatula. His food will prove it to you.
<p class="p3">Gillett purchased a pre-owned food truck, remodeled the interior and hit the streets with it in June.
<p class="p3">At mid-day Tuesday, I found the truck in the Carl’s Furniture Rentals parking lot at 2300 Ryan St.
<p class="p3">Right now, Freestyle Munchies fare is wraps and sandwiches, but the menu will soon evolve, Gillett said, as he settles in to the food truck business.
<p class="p3">“I’m taking baby steps,” he said.
<p class="p3">Tuesday’s choices were the Munchie Melt, Sriracha Shrimp (salad served in a lettuce wrap), Southwest Chicken (a chicken lettuce wrap), The Burger and the Chicken Fajita Sandwich, all which cost either $9 or $10. Buy a Coke, Sprite or water for $1 and coleslaw or fries for $2.
<p class="p3">I tried the $10 Munchie Melt, which is a meat and cheese sandwich. It’s ground chuck brisket short rib, swiss and American cheeses, jalapeño mayo, sauteed mushrooms and onions and bacon jam served between two pieces of toasted sourdough bread.
<p class="p3">Biting into this meaty, cheesy, mushroomy goodness made me wonder if I had died and gone to food truck heaven. Time stood still. There was just enough jalapeño to give it a subtle kick without setting my mouth on fire. If comfort food could take the form of a sandwich, that sandwich would surely be the Munchie Melt. It was awesome.
<p class="p3">Two people could easily share the Munchie Melt for lunch. Actually, I fully intended to cut the sandwich in half and give half to a coworker once I took photos of it for this review. But the sandwich was better than I anticipated and I have to confess that though I tried, I could not stop eating it. I ate the whole thing. By myself. It was really that good.
<p class="p3">But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. Pin down the whereabouts of the Freestyle Munchies food truck by visiting Freestyle Munchies on Facebook, or texting or calling 337-540-1051 for the truck’s location.