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    Foodie News

    Five more "must-try" food trucks: From extraordinary Asian to 420 pizza toeverything on a stick

    Sarah Rufca
    Dec 26, 2011 | 12:24 pm
    • The Rice Box, bringing Asian comfort food to the foodies at Anvil.
      Photo by Khiem Pham
    • Pi Pizza
      Photo via Pi Pizza/Facebook
    • Stick It makes food you never knew could be served on a stick.
      Photo via Stick It/Facebook
    • Lady Bird has perhaps the best grilled cheese around town.
      Photo via Ladybird/Twitter
    • Pad Thai Box
      Photo via Pad Thai Box/Facebook
    • The porkbelly burger by LadyBird Food Truck
      Photo via Ladybird/Twitter

    Cupcakes might be moving aside for macarons (or snickerdoodles), bacon fever has ebbed a bit (yes, put away that scarf) but one food trend that we still can't seem to get enough of is the humble food truck. And why would we want to? They're convenient, inexpensive and the food is challenging brick-and-mortar establishments with high-quality, creative and delicious offerings.

    We're still partial to the 10 must-try food trucks we listed last spring, but for pizza, Chinese comfort food and more, you've got to try Houston's newest mobile restaurants.

    There is never enough good pizza in Houston (I'm sorry, but it's true) so we are thrilled that Anthony Calleo has stepped up to fill in the missing link in the ultimate mobile drunk food foursome with Pi Pizza Truck. Found outside bars around town like Jackson's Watering Hole, Catbirds, Little Woodrow's and The Boneyard Drinkery, Pi tempts with outrageous combinations like chicken, bacon, honey and pineapple on The Grizzly Hawaiian and venison sausage and cherries in port wine syrup on The Outdoorsman.

    Most offerings are available as a full pie or by the (enormous) slice, but the breakout hit is the by-the-slice-only 420 pizza — like a frito pie on a pizza, it's so crazy it just works.

    We are thrilled that Anthony Calleo has stepped up to fill in the missing link in the ultimate mobile drunk food foursome with Pi Pizza Truck. Most offerings are available as a full pie or by the (enormous) slice, but the breakout hit is the by-the-slice-only 420 pizza — like a frito pie on a pizza, it's so crazy it just works.

    Like pizza, there's always some Chinese food that's quick, cheap and available to be delivered to your door — but The Rice Box is not your ordinary Chinese food. It's only been on the road for a couple of weeks, but the comfort food classics served up in classic take-out boxes by John Peterson and crew have already earned raves.

    The sesame chicken and dumplings is juicy, delicious and enough to feed two, although apparently Bun B prefers the General Tso. Look for them outside of Anvil every day except Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

    One truck I can't wait to try is Stick It. Why? Well let's just say I don't drive for two hours to the Renaissance Festival to look at people wearing chain mail bikinis. I go for the food on a stick, and this concept by Ruth Lipsky really takes that to the next level with offerings like country fried steak on a stick, fish and chips on a stick and a gyro on a stick. I'm not sure how that works, but I want to try it. Look for the red truck at bars including Boneyard, Lizzard's Pub and Marquis II.

    Making the rounds at arts organizations like The Menil Collection, The Orange Show and Lawndale Art Center, LadyBird has earned my eternal love for their epic eponymous grilled cheese creation, with cheddar, Texas goat cheese, Brooklyn ricotta, green tomatoes and a side of pickled okra remoulade. There's no menu online (yet), but Ladybird's Twitter feed boasts some impressive food porn, like a porkbelly burger and a jumbo lump crab and brie grilled cheese with avocado.

    And just when you start to think everything from a food truck has to be gooey or fried, head to PadthaiBox, which serves "mobile brasserie take-out" with spring rolls, salads, Thai fried rice and yes, padthai in re-usable to-go containers. The trailer can often be found at Shepherd Square or outside Liberty Station.

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    a CultureMap Exclusive

    Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 1, 2026 | 4:02 pm
    Rice Box Webster rendering
    Courtesy of The Rice Box
    A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

    Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

    Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

    Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

    For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

    “The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

    Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

    Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

    The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

    openingsnews-you-can-eatthe rice box
    news/restaurants-bars
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