DNC Eats: Where's the barbecue? And more food

Former Observer writer Dan Huntley is now better known as barbecuer Dan the Pig Man, who sells from a food truck covered with barbecue slogans. Dan was planning to sell barbecue sandwiches and ribs on Tryon Street all week for the Democratic National Convention.

He smoked 3,000 pounds of pork butts and 200 racks of ribs, enough for 6,000 sandwiches. After starting Monday at CarolinaFest, he was moving to Legacy Village, next to the Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St., for the reminder of the week.

Late Monday, word rocketed around the newsroom (or at least among my editors, who tend to be a bit obsessive about Dan's barbecue): Dan was sold out already. CarolinaFest turnout was so big, he was done for the week.

Never trust the word from editors: I called Dan on Tuesday morning and he was already back on South Tryon at Legacy Village. He stopped by a WalMart on his way home to York County Monday night, loaded up with 28 butts and started smoking again. So he's back in business for the rest of the week.

If you know a delegate who is desperate to try real Carolina barbecue, take them down to Legacy Village, across from the convention center (and all those hungry journalists). Tell Dan I sent you.

(And if John Oliver wants a barbecue sandwich, tell him to give me a call. I'll buy.)

THIS JUST IN: The Tin Kitchen food truck, with those cutting-edge tacos (pork belly, blackened shrimp, chicken tinga and the rest) will be at Morehead and Tryon Street every day at lunch, roughly from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 or so. They're at a private event Wednesday night (that would be the VIP after-party at ElderArt) in SouthEnd, and Thursday night, they'll be in NoDa near the Dog Bar. (And John Oliver, the offer still holds: You want a taco, I'll buy. I know these guys -- they'll give you extra cilantro rice if I ask them.)

Crawl to the food truck rally

It might as well be spring out there. Here's proof: Tonight (Feb. 3) from 5-9 p.m., two events are combining in SouthEnd: The First Fridays Gallery Crawl and Food Truck Friday on the Lunch Lot in SouthEnd.

Don't get confused by the Lunch Lot name: That's a new name for the lot at Camden Road and Park Avenue. The SouthEnd Gallery Crawl will include galleries and retail spaces throughout SouthEnd. And to keep your strength up for all that crawling, a group of food trucks will be waiting to serve. They're expecting Herban Legend, Goody Woody's, Napolitano's, Roots Farm Food, Tin Kitchen and Gourmet to Go.

By the way, you can't bring in your own alcohol, but you can buy an adult potable (if you're of age, of course) at Common Market and bring it over to Lunch Lot to wash down your dinner. Get more details on this and upcoming Friday night events at southendclt.com.

Coffee News, Part II: BoCo to Go

Can you call it a food truck if it only has drinks? Maybe we should call the new red BoCoffee a coffee-bar on wheels. It does have an gas-powered espresso maker and a few other nifty features, including a flat-screen TV on the side so you can watch the news while you grab a morning cup, and teas from TeaRex.

The truck is the mobile art of Boquete Mountain Coffee, the roastery owned by David Haddock, who used to be with Counter Culture. Haddock named it after a coffee-growing area of Panama, although not all of his lines come from there. (It's pronounced bo-KET-ah, although the guy behind the window told me, "If you want to get fancy, say it 'bo-ke-TAY.'")

The roastery is at 2113 N. Davidson St., between Amelie's and K-9. And while the truck can move around, including showing up at events, it's parked for now in the area of Stonewall and South Tryon. (It was in the parking lot next to the Harvey Gantt Center for the Arts, although Tuesday's traffic shutdown moved the truck to a spot on South Tryon right beside the Observer building. There was so much morning pedestrian traffic along there that Haddock said he might move there for a while.)

Coffee bar prices range from $1.60 for a small regular coffee up to $7.45 for an extra-large flavored latte. One nice touch: I got a hot caramel on a chilly lunch hour recently and found it topped with espresso-flavored whipped cream. Nice. Details on the coffee (although none on the truck yet): www.bocoffee.com.

Friday food news roundup

• Tickets are on sale for the ninth season of Taste of the World, the East Charlotte food tour of international restaurants in the area around Central Avenue. If you've never gone, the tour starts at the Van Landingham Estate on The Plaza, circles around to three restaurants and ends back at Van Landingham with a dessert reception. This year's event is on Oct. 6. Tickets are $30 at www.charlotteeast.com. Yes, it's early, but the event is popular and sells out.

• Another event is coming up closer: The next Chow Down Uptown food truck festival is next Thursday, Aug. 18, from 5-9 p.m., in the parking lot on 7th Street across from the former Reids (soon to be known as 7Venth Market). This time, the event will include A Taste of the Market, with samples from some of the vendors who will be at 7Venth Market when it opens, a promotion for "The Addams Family Musical" and a screening of the movie, and the debut of Hamilton, the inflatable mascot for BBQ And Blues. After my visit to last month's rally, I'd suggest a few things: Bring cash - tasting a bunch of stuff can run up a tab. Bring a shade umbrella. Bring hand wipes. And bring an appetite.

• Harvest Moon Grille at the Dunhill has two local-foods events next week: On Sunday from 2-4 p.m., you can take a class in Korean cooking, featuring bulgogi, pork belly and kimchi. Tickets are $20. On Monday, the restaurant hosts its second guest-chef night with Charles Taft, vice president of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The dinner showcases rare and endangered livestock breeds and heirloom vegetables. (OK, he's not exactly the same as having Joe Kwon of the Avett Brothers, but ALBC does important stuff in keeping livestock diversified.) Dinner is $55 with a portion of proceeds going to ALBC. Reservations for dinner or the class: 704-332-4141.

(Speaking of food trucks, has anyone noticed that we've now had two food trucks stolen, the Harvest Moon Grill orange cart and the Lakeview Dairy mooing dairy truck?)

Food tents and trucks: Who inspects them?

My blog post on Taste of Charlotte brought an interesting comment from George 10:09 AM:

"Have these vendors been inspected and certified by the state or city? If I got sick on bean sprouts and decided to go to court, would the city have a bond to cover that?"

Excellent question, George. I called Lynn Latham, the environmental supervisor for the Food & Facilities Sanitation Program through the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

The answer, George: Yes, they are inspected. Anyone selling food to the public has to meet certain requirements. In the case of festival vendors such as the restaurants working Taste of Charlotte, they first have to apply for a permit. Their application has to explain what they're making and how they plan to handle it. Food & Facilities can approve or disapprove the application, and give them notes on what they need to do to get approved.

Then there's a site inspection when the tents are set up. "We go down there, we look at the setup, we make sure it matches what was on the application," says Latham. "We're making sure they have setups for utensil washing, for handwashing, that they have proper storage of the food, there's proper temperatures, that we don't have cross-contamination issues. Once we're assured, we issue them a permit. They're allowed to operate for that period only."

In the case of a recurring event with food, inspectors go every time to check the setup.

Food trucks have to get a permit that shows their setup has been approved, and they are then subject to unannounced inspections, just like stationary restaurants. That happens about every 3 months. The trucks have to supply the health department with a route and updates, so inspectors can find them for occasional inspections.

Bonding isn't part of what Latham does as an inspector. But I recently asked Robert Krumbine of Charlotte Center City Partners to address a question about the trucks at the Thursday night food-truck rally uptown and he indicated that trucks have to be bonded to take part in that event.

Whether you can bring a case against a vendor who makes you sick is trickier, says Latham. "When it comes down to proving foodborne illness, are people willing to go to the doctor and is the doctor willing to take specimens?" Sometimes doctors are more focused on making you feel better, or people skip getting tested if their health insurance doesn't cover it.

"That's a battle we fight all the time. Without a specimen, you can't pinpoint the organism. Actually proving a foodborne illness isn't easy."

Latham emphasized that you can help by letting the health department know if you see something that you think might be a problem.

"The important thing is, if there is food for sale to the public, there must be involvement from the Health Department. They can show you their permit, which is not the same as the business license. (You) can ask to see a health department permit. If there is not one, there is no assurance that everything is approved."

To contact the health department or to see the regulations or report a possible violation, go to www.meckhealth.org and click on "Environmental Health," or call the department, 704-336-5100. It's also very easy to see the inspection report on a restaurant: http://mecklenburg.digitalhealthdepartment.com/