Fall River Food Truck Festival a finger-licking good time

FALL RIVER – There was lots of finger-licking and mouth-wiping as diners chomped on shaved-steak sandwiches, devoured fish tacos, and noshed on french fries covered in Buffalo sauce.

The vibe was happy, casual and oh-so-finally-summer at the Food Truck Festival on Saturday afternoon, a city event that brought out hundreds of people to lunch at the Gates of the City on Ponta Delgada Boulevard.

“They’re delicious,” said Colton Furtado of Somerset, biting into Buffalo fries purchased from the Friskie Fries Truck, where a long line of fried potato fans rocked from foot to foot waiting for their own savory morsels.

“It’s a pretty cool event,” Furtado said.

Bryona Fernandes stood in the shade eating a caçoila sandwich with her grandmother Lorraine Fernandes, both of Fall River, who was busily tucking into chouriço and chips.

“I like it,” Lorraine Fernandes said. “She dragged me here, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Dan and Joyce Foley of Fall River were eating chouriço and chips and a bowl of Portuguese quahog stuffing, respectively. It was hard to talk with all the chewing, but Joyce said: “It’s spicy. It’s good.”

The choices were endless.

High Steaks was selling steak sandwiches and chicken gyros. Fugo, an Asian fusion truck, was busy handing out chicken teriyaki tacos, mango chipotle glazed chorizo tacos, wings and empanadas.

Fall River’s own Avo’s Feast sold up chouriço and chips sandwiches, a Fall River favorite, and quahog stuffing, plus chouriço and peppers and more. Macray’s Seafood II let the clamcake and chowder scents waft through the warm air, tickling the noses of hungry diners.

Gotta “Q” Smokehouse BBQ served up all kinds of barbecued meats, and Mad House Grill served up piping hot Angus beef burgers and sausages, plus hot dogs and grilled chicken.

Jon Mellor and Katie Dlugosinski of Mattapoisett were sharing pulled pork with macaroni and cheese and a piece of corn bread from Gotta “Q” Smokehouse BBQ. It wasn’t about saving some dough.

“We’re sharing so we can try more places,” Dlugosinski said.

“It’s really good,” Mellor, formerly of Fall River, said when he took a bite of the pork.

The Food Truck Festival may become an annual or semi-annual event, and could be expanded to offer space to artisans and crafters, if festival organizer Monica Sousa, special assistant to Mayor Jasiel Correia II, has her way.

“There’s nothing small about these businesses,” Sousa said. “So far so good. As long as it’s successful for them.”

The day seemed to go well. The festival started at 1 p.m. with people already sniffing around for lunch before noon. At 3:15 p.m., things were still going strong.

Sousa said 10 percent of proceeds from food truck sales were being donated to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Fund, for a wall to be erected at Veterans Memorial Bicentennial Park.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.