Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Le Camion Qui Fume - smoking burgers


The most recent focal point of the French's burger obsession (yes, they're on pretty much every menu in town, and for the most part badly executed) , is this little food truck, Le Camion Qui Fume. Helmed by Ferrandi cooking school trained California transplant Kristin Frederick, the unassuming vehicle traipses across town, from the place de la Madeleine to the hinterlands of the Porte Maillot, and to the Canal Saint Martin (Point Ephemere). There are five different burgers on offer (see menu below) with sides of homemade string fries, onion rings or coleslaw, of which I tried a scrumptious "classic": buttered and grill toasted baker buns, handmade patties (a mix of base cote, bavette and plat de cote de boeuf with about 20 percent of fat) , tangy cheddar and a nice crunchy salad with pickles.  Judging by the local business suit clad bobos and expats hanging around outside in the freezing cold at one of two tiny tables, the blogger buzz is already rolling just days after opening. No doubt this is the first of many food trucks and yet another shakeup of Paris by one of those crazy foreigners ;)

Good luck to Kristin and her team!





10 comments:

Anonymous said...

do you really want food trucks further dumbing down la vie culturelle à Paris?

Anonymous said...

fun for once, but please...NO food trucks in Paris !!!

Anonymous said...

Hey courageous anonymous!...

Would you be plus royaliste que le roi???

Afraid of fair competition?

Afraid of loosing customers with your locked-in customers forced to eat your 20€ paté vinaigrette thrown at your face by a soviet style waiter?...

Bonsoir!

Anonymous said...

Paris could do with a lot more culinary courage and diversity. It is sliding behind the rest of the world.
Food trucks can be known to bring that in spades. Quite the opposite of "dumbing down". More about the frontier of experimentation and food exploration. Go look at how they have become forces of good in places like New York and London. E.g. Check out http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2010/67139/
Seriously, I love the traditional food and the food culture of Paris, but can only take it for about a week or two before I become bored.
Paris needs a vibrant diversified exploring food culture. They could do it so well. They could once again compete with the rest of the world. Food trucks are just one part of that.

L'oeil Curieux said...

I'd say as Jules in "Pulp Fiction" : "Mmm-mmmm. That is a tasty burger !"
I really enjoyed my "Barbecue" burger and a bite from my wife's "Porc braisé" burger was also delicious.
I love the idea of Street Food, a very good alternative to industrial junk food.
And I can't see why eating a juicy burger can dumb down the cultural life in Paris.
Keep on smoking "Le camion" !

Anonymous said...

When I was in Paris, I really didn't see any burgers. I should check out this place next time I go. Oh, and bye the way, Chloe Strauss says hi, if you read this.

Anonymous said...

As a long-timer in France, I'd say the smoking burger truck is a perfectly acceptable enterprise and liken it to the pizza trucks that dot the streets early in the evenings in cities and towns all over the country. Why not! It's a clever idea and I wish Kristen lots of luck.

Anonymous said...

It's all about good food, prime ingredients and great preparation. Nothing "dumb-down" about that.

Adrian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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