Lessons in gastronomy at Gastro Cart
Once a land of Hamburger Helper and Jell-O molds, America’s chain restaurants are increasingly gourmet, serving things like herbed French fries and roasted red pepper pesto. Even the once humble street cart is joining in the revolution: In Denver, Biker Jim led the charge with his traveling assortment of gourmet sausages, and rolling up behind him is the new Gastro Cart, which opened in November, stationed at 18th and Curtis Streets downtown.
The Gastro Cart is two dudes on a mission to deliver Denverites “hand-crafted street food” when they need it most: in the middle of a bland work day. Bryan Hume and Mike Winston, both former cooks at the excellent Table 6, serve the lunch rush smack dab in front of the Granite Tower—the shiny, black office-building-on-stilts next to the Ritz-Carlton.
Gastro Cart looks much like the other hot dog and breakfast burrito vendors scattered throughout the business district. The menu is short, but it’s not simple: a lamb gyro on naan with tzaziki sauce and tomato-guajillo-mint foam; kimchee chicken tacos with Thousand Island dressing; vegetarian tacos with mushrooms, jalapeño aioli, cabbage, and cream cheese. A daily special is announced on Twitter, as well. Combo meals are available with a drink and a side of quinoa spiked with chunks of crunchy bread-and-butter pickles.
The food is prepared to order and popped into a little cardboard box, which takes a little longer than the average hot dog guy, but it’s well worth the wait. The kimchee tacos, in particular, are loaded with soft, chopped chicken and big leaves of spicy kimchee. It’s easier to eat with a fork, alternating hot bites with cool, thousand island-coated ones.
Lunch was slow—really slow—on a recent visit, but it is the middle of winter, after all. Here’s hoping the stand can ride it out and thrive in the coming spring months. In a world of neutral-toned interiors, gray skyscrapers, and sack lunches, the office workers of Denver are in need of a gourmet goosing from Gastro Cart.
