food truck quick bite: jackrabbit kitchen

As fall/winter draws near, the food truck bonanza that is Off The Grid winds down and thus it was a good time to make a last visit out to their Sunday Presidio Picnic before the cold winter fog moves in for good and shuts it all down until next spring. Fortunately, Sundays have been clear skies and hotness for the last few weeks in traditional "this is our summer weather time," so getting out to check them out is easily done without too much layering. I mean what better spot to go and get views like this while you nosh.

Golden Gate Bridge out Presidio Park way

This is why we live here right? Anyway, I made the rounds of the booths and trucks and saw many a familiar face and was just about to give up finding something new to try when I happened upon something called Jackrabbit Kitchen and Bakery. 

Jackrabbit Kitchen food truck

I think I was happier to try them than the guy was having to stand out front and take orders. I was intrigued by them and their very limited menu of some sliders and a couple of sides. Honestly, sometimes it is good to not be overwhelmed with choices. It is easier to make a decision quickly and move customers along without them having to wait. It would also allow them to perfect the dishes they do and make them tasty as possible. That is the hope at least. 

Of the four sliders on offer you can get a mix and match combo of two that comes with a mixed green salad and a rice and lentil salad for $14. Seems like a lot, but depending on portion size, pricing is about what the same thing would cost at a restaurant/bar. In true me fashion I chose the lamb burger and the pulled pork slider. 

lamb slider with pulled pork taco and side salads

As you can see above there is the lamb burger slider with caramelized onions, herbed goat cheese and mint yogurt sauce on a toasted brioche bun. But the pulled pork shoulder turned out to be slow smoked pork on a homemade white corn tortilla with cabbage slaw. My bad for not reading the menu more closely, still they both looked good so I was game. 

The lamb was nicely tender and had some great flavors from the cheese and yogurt sauce, kind of like a gyro on a bun thing. Though I'm gonna say it was almost a little to undercooked. Yes, it should be on the medium rare-ish side to maintain it juicy delicate flavor, but this was a tad too close to rare and could have used a minute or two more on the grill. Some folks might not be all into that kind of tartare texture. Outside of that detail, it was still a tasty slider. 

The pork taco was also tasty. Moist and juicy with a small pepper kick that blended well with the lime centric crunch of slaw on top. The tortilla was also nice and thicker than you would normally get at a taqueria allowing you to get a full slightly sweet corn flavor that was a bonus. Overall a yummy taco slider. 

The side salad was your basic mixed green affair with a citrus vinaigrette and it was decent if not exciting. The rice and lentil salad looked good at the outset and I was excited to try it. However, I thought it was a warm side but was in fact served cold and it came with a curry dressing that was super bitter and very unpleasant. Two bites in I just couldn't get past the harshness of it and ended up dumping it. Not sure what spices they used, maybe too much coriander or cumin(?), whatever it was, ugh, just not good. 

While sliders were their main offerings, they did have a couple of specials and one in particular caught my eye and I felt I couldn't pass it up. 

cheddar scallion tater tots with sriracha ketchup

Cheddar scallion "tater tots" with a side of sriracha ketchup. When I read it, I pictured your standard tots covered in melted cheddar and sprinkled with scallions. What I got was mashed potatoes mixed with cheddar cheese and scallions formed into balls then deep fried, and I couldn't have been happier. For $4 you get a cooked to order ample supply of these dense balls that are soft and creamy on the inside and golden brown crunchy on the outside. They were outright delicious and I could have eaten way more of these with that spicy side of ketchup. This is like old-school comfort food in a new form. Sure, it isn't all that healthy, but who cares, it tasted great. Lightly salted and not overly greasy they totally nailed these I highly recommend them as a side or they are also filling enough to be a whole meal. They should totally have these plus one slider as a menu option. A deep fried winner for sure. 

Outside of a slightly undercooked lamb burger and that terrible lentil salad, I'd still go back to Jackrabbit Kitchen. I can always ask to have my lamb cooked a tad bit longer and the pulled pork taco was a good version for a food truck. And if nothing else, those wonderful balls of fried potatoes and cheese are a highlight I'd search out. There are only a few weeks left of the Presidio Picnic as the end of October is their season finale. If the weather is nice you should get out and check both of them out. I mean seriously, you can't go wrong with the views or that side of deep fried comfort food goodness. Go ahead, treat yourself.