by Amy K. Bredemeyer
When you're working with two people you know really well, having them tossed aside at the drop of a hat could prove to be really problematic. So, though the replacement employees were chefs-in-training who knew some basics, I was still expecting to see a lot more drama in this episode! It didn't seem like Pop-a-Waffle had any issues at all. Nonna's Kitchenette seemed to run more smoothly than usual. I think that Seoul Sausage might have suffered a little bit in preparation just because their menu items are a little more atypical to begin with, but it seemed to go okay for them. Momma's Grizzly Grub, however, was definitely changed by the experience. They were the only truck to move mid-day, as well as the only team with a partner of sorts to drive in customers. The original team members complain about how Angela never lets them do the cooking, but she must put a lot of trust in the culinary students for her to focus mainly on selling instead! I'm hoping that Waffles and Sausage will be able to edge-out the more traditional Nonna's, but I'm not entirely sure that Waffle OR Sausage are strong enough concepts to work in every city across the country, which may lead to their downfalls. Only a couple of episodes remain for this season, so who do you hope wins??
The Great Food Truck Race "Music City Madness" (S03E05): They're in Pottsville, TN, 40 miles south of Nashville. The seed money for the week is $300, but there's a Truck Stop first. [oooh! how exciting, have it first again!] Joey & Rory are a music act and will be judging a picnic lunch with some "down home country" food. The teams only get an hour to shop at a Farmer's Market down the road, prep, and prepare. [the timeline doesn't work out exactly, but I'll look past it. it's not as bad as MTV's 16 and Pregnant!] Pop-A-Waffle wins the Truck Stop, and their prize is a guitar... worth $1,000 in their weekend total. Plus, they have the exclusive rights to sell to the 1500 attendees of a Joey & Rory concert! [wow... that sounds like a pretty big advantage!] When it's time for the Speed Bump on the second day, only Chris, Anthony, Lisa, and Angela can work on their trucks - everyone else is replaced by culinary students until the last thirty minutes of the day. [I would have liked to see more of the new teams working together... we only got a glimpse of some of them!]
Pop-a-Waffle, Gourmet Waffles, Los Angeles. They ditch their waffle concept to put together a plain picnic of fried chicken, corn on the cob, and "market vegetable" (squash). They had originally planned on a cold fried chicken sandwich and potato salad, but there was no bread at the market. [how would they have made fried chicken and gotten it to cool in less than an hour??] The picnic fits Tennessee well, but the chicken is deemed to be a bit too battered. [not a problem for me, but hey.] They're slammed with customers from the concert, but the next day they're not as blessed - they head to a neighborhood called 12 South and sell chicken and waffles, strawberry shortcake waffles, and pomegranate lemonade. They bring in just $3,173 and win. [Even with their bonus?]
Nonna's Kitchenette, Italian Grandmas' Recipes, NJ. For the Truck Stop, they plan on doing a pasta salad, but there's no butter at the market so they go with an Italian burger with roasted tomato, white cheddar, garlic roasted corn on the cob, and macaroni and cheese with white cheddar, sharp cheddar, and caramelized bacon. [I hate how they kept calling it "caramelled bacon" !!] The judges would have liked some green and thought the macaroni and cheese was a bit dry. The girls feel like they're at a huge disadvantage compared to Pop-a-Waffle. [um, are they upset that when they won the Truck Stop, they only got a $750 bonus?? it's time to send them home!] They have a friend who lives in the area and ask her to save them a spot at Five Points, where they plan to sell two meatball sliders for $15. rootbeer floats for $5, and ice cream sandwiches on pizelles for $7. [expensive menu!] The next day, they go to a major park where there's a triathlon going on, but they hit a car when turning around. [like Momma's Grizzly Grub before them, however, they only have to pay the deductible of $250.] Lisa enjoys working with the culinary students, especially because they don't yell at her. [haha!] After paying for the damages, they finish in second with $2,321.
Seoul Sausage, Korean Sausages, Los Angeles. They're pretty upset that they came in second last week and decide that they need to not partner with another team this time. [I wonder if that theory will come back to haunt them...] For the Truck Stop, they make a Korean pork empanada, potato salad, and a deep-fried mixed-berry pie. [I couldn't believe that the musicians didn't know what an empanada was!] They find a block party near Five Points and call to get an exclusive deal. [I guess it wasn't close enough to where the Nonna's girls were, though?] They sell deep-fried kimchi rice balls and a Korean bbq burger. On Day Two, they plan to go to the same place but get lost on the way to the store to restock. [that sucks.] After a successful first day, they thought that they could catch up to Pop-a-Waffle, but a lull in the afternoon kills that and they finish with $2,297.
Momma's Grizzly Grub, Homestyle Comfort Food, Wasilla, AK. For the Truck Stop, they serve hot wings with chipotle buffalo sauce, cranberry coleslaw, and brown-sugar glazed sweet potato fries. The slaw was too sweet. They head downtown to park near an ice cream shop, and serve truffles, lemonade, and $7 tacos. [why is lemonade so popular on this show?] They're not slammed with business, though. The next day they team up with local business Cupcake Collection in Germantown, near a bunch of churches. They're only selling tacos and lemonade. [I wonder if this partnership actually ended up hurting them, as they couldn't sell their truffles...?] Angela has her culinary helpers prep while she takes orders. They have issues with no pedestrian traffic and call Pop-a-Waffle to move to where he is, without even asking how busy that truck is, so they move for possibly no reason. The students suggest menu changes, but it's not enough and they finish in last with $1,919. [ta-ta!]
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| foodnetwork.com |
Next Stop: 522 miles NNE to Cleveland, Ohio.
