Formerly known as The Bearded Butcher, The Traveling Butcher is serving bricks-and-mortar restaurant-quality food. As soon as you approach the truck, the aromas make your mouth water. What I love is the simplicity of the menu. Just a few entrees and sides. No BS.
Loose Meat Hamburger: As the menu states, "think sloppy joe without the slop." I think it's an apt description. Very generous portion. Quality meat. Nothing too innovative but unique for the burger offerings in Phoenix. They also have a Smashburger that I would be tempted to order next time.
Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: The menu says this is big enough for two people and they ain't kidding! It's huge. Perfectly crisp pork tenderloin that spills out on all sides from the bun. Yum!
Chicken Tenders: DEE-lee-shush! Expertly fried chicken tenders. It said it would be served with a side of sauce but it wasn't. Honestly, I'm not sure that these tenders needed any.
I liked that they put checkered paper in the take-out boxes. It was a small touch that conveyed the home-cooked appeal of the food. Again, this could be food served from a "real" restaurant.
For the sides, we ordered mac and cheese and potato salad. Both were generous portions (unfortunately, we were shorted one order of mac n' cheese but they were busy). I think the mac n' cheese had potential. The texture was great but the flavor was slightly underwhelming. I think a sharper splash of cheese or seasoning could help. But overall, good.
For the midwest nature of the truck, I was surprised that they didn't have any dessert offerings. They ordinarily sell beef jerky but their website said that they were sold out.
Employees were great and relatively calm given the long queue of customers that formed almost as soon as they started serving.
The food truck scene in Phoenix continues to evolve and be one of the more exciting aspects of the food and beverage industry. The Traveling Butcher pops up around the Valley (find their schedule on Street Food Finder). Would I dine from here again? Without question, and, I look forward to seeing how their menu evolves. read more