SouthSide Garage food

As I mentioned a few columns back, one of my goals this summer is to catch up with some of the new food-truck parks that have opened in the past year or so. This month, my destination was SouthSide Garage on Sevier Avenue.

Based on my online research, it appeared that the Dia De Foods truck had a permanent presence at SouthSide, while several others rotated in and out. However, every time I checked the calendar on the SouthSide website, Dia De Foods was the only truck scheduled for that evening. Considering that the other food trucks listed were ones I had already reviewed in previous locations, I decided that the main goal of my visit would be to get a feel for the amenities and vibe of the park itself and to include my opinions of any (new to me) trucks that happened to be there.

The Grub Spouse and I visited on a perfectly pleasant weeknight, and indeed, Dia De Foods was the only truck in operation. We spotted the Captain Muchachos truck parked nearby, but it was not open. At any rate, given that both trucks showcase Latin-based cuisine, that struck me as redundant. However, for that evening, the issue was moot.

The Dia De Foods menu piqued my interest in many ways. They have an avocado dip that's topped with pico and shaved cotija as well as salsa verde and a spicy tomato salsa, all of which are served with corn tortilla chips. Since our visit was on a Tuesday, we could also have taken advantage of their Tuesday Taco Special. For $12, you get two panko-breaded catfish tacos and serrano avocado broccoli slaw.

As for the main items, I took note of the Tacos Birria, which is three corn tortillas filled with smoked brisket, red chile, cheddar cheese, cilantro, red onion and a side of dipping broth. The Spouse was intrigued by the waffle made with smoked cheddar jalapeño cornbread, topped with red chile and butter and served with a side of pecan syrup. Also available were a cheeseburger and the Tinga Tostadas.

The Spouse ordered the Baja Burrito ($12) — a flour tortilla stuffed with shrimp, rice, avocado chipotle aioli, basil, pico and pickled cabbage slaw. I got the chorizo gyro ($12), a pita filled with house-made sausage, jalapeño tzatziki sauce, cucumber, pico and pickled red onion. We also ordered a side of red chile rice. Other side choices are ranchero beans and smashed potatoes with cotija and a side of lemon aioli.

We paid for our food at the truck, then spent some time wandering around the facility. It is, in fact, housed in a building that appears as if it had functioned as a garage or a gas station in the past. There's a covered area out front with al fresco seating, and it's the focal point around which the food trucks are parked. Inside the main building is the bar, which offers craft beers on tap as well as wine and mixed drinks. There's also a side room where customers can purchase ice cream treats, beers to go and more.

The mechanic's bay section of the building has a decent amount of picnic-table seating, and with the bay doors up on both sides, there's plenty of fresh air. Most of the tables, however, are out back, both in direct sunlight and shaded by a large canopy. Other amenities include a cornhole setup and two regulation outdoor bocce courts. In fact, this is home turf for the South Knox Bocce Club, which hosts league play for the lawn game several nights per week.

I got a beer at the bar, and The Spouse and I claimed a picnic table under the outside canopy. When our pager buzzed, we fetched our food from the Dia De Foods truck along with a bottled water and lots of napkins.

I really liked both our selections. My pita was a unique fusion of Latin and Greek cuisines. Dia De Foods did a fine job with the house-made chorizo, and the traditionally Greek tzatziki sauce had a noticeably spicy influence. The cucumber and pickled red onion were solid toppings.

As much as I enjoyed the pita, I liked The Spouse's burrito even more. It was a whopper of a wrap, packed with shrimp, rice and other goodies. But the avocado chipotle aioli is what really made this burrito sing to me. My only ‘druther would have been to shift the ratio of rice to shrimp — more shrimp, less rice. But otherwise, good stuff and so substantial that The Spouse took home half of it as leftovers. The side of rice was also decent — mildly spicy with a hint of cilantro.

We had spotted sopapillas on Dia De Food's website menu, and we were hoping to try them as a dessert of sorts. But they were not available on the evening we visited.

Overall, I think SouthSide Garage is a wonderful addition to the hippish, laid-back South Knox scene. It has its social bases well covered, and I’m sort of itching to try my hand at bocce now. I think its current weakness is the lack of food truck options. But the one we sampled definitely got our motors running.

Dia De Foods: 4

SouthSide Garage

1014 Sevier Ave.

Full bar service

Bocce courts and cornhole

Hours: 4-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m.-midnight Friday; noon-midnight Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

This South Knox food-truck park complements its grub vendors with full bar service, lots of open-air seating and recreational amenities like cornhole and bocce.