Leather and Lumpia: Renton Harley Davidson Anniversary Party & Biker Bite

Food trucks come in all shapes in sizes, and as it turns out, so do members of the Harley David community. Harley Davidson of Renton's anniversary party and Food Truck Rally Biker Bite made my weekend, even though we drove up in a Subaru hatchback.

Downtown Harley Davidson of Renton is located off of E. Valley Highway, right next to my favorite cheap cinema haunt, Regal East Valley Stadium 13 where tickets are less than $4 all day. And their Anniversary Party was honestly fun for all amidst the roar of V-twin engines and a parade of leather chaps.

Before bellying up to the food trucks, we watched the Cossacks perform stunts on vintage Harley's. Seattle' Cossacks  came about in the 1930's, becoming a formal organization with a set of by-laws that included "to entertain and promote the positive image of motorcycling". Their stunts kept the crowd entertained while The Fabulous Johnsons rocked out Highway to Hell on stage.

Truth be told, I was there for the food truck rally and it delivered on all cylinders. The wagon-circle of food trucks in the parking lot was downright impressive, and delicious. We couldn't begin to eat at every vehicle, but we made a good attempt at sampling from over half the trucks.

There was a long line at Renton's own Bistro Box for their Kobe Beef Sliders and hand cut frites, which looked to be the biker favorite of the day. Since I've already reviewed this delicious silver diner on wheels, I kept cruising. Also representing Renton trucks was Dave's New England Coney's which had quite the Harley crowd. Made with Bavarian Meats wieners there is the traditional Coney Dog with tangy meat sauce and celery salt or an outrageous Pastrami Dog where the wiener is topped with grilled pastrami, muenster and spicy brown mustard.

The other representative truck from Renton was Lumpia World which I've wanted to try forever. Although Lumpia World's headquarters are in Renton, the truck makes it way to the Microsoft for lunch in Bellevue and parks outside Uptown Espresso for the late night crowd. If you've never had freshly made Lumpia, the Filipino version of eggrolls, this is the place to try it. Lumpia World offers six different varieties including a dessert roll drizzled in chocolate with banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Lumpia go for $1, so we ordered one Vegetarian, one Ginger Pork, and a Lemon Grass Chicken Breast. All were freshly fried and hands down the best Lumpia I've ever eaten. Every roll comes with a choice of dipping sauce which includes traditional vinegar/soy/garlic/salt & pepper sauce, or sweet chili sauce, and peanut sauce enhanced with hoisin. All delicious, but I was surprised to enjoy the freshness of the Vegetarian & Lemongrass Chicken best. Saving room to roam, we passed up their adobo and pancit.

Contigo Modern Mexican had two of my favorite bites: their spiced mushroom taco comes cradled in a fresh tortilla, topped with cotija, cilantro and poblano cream for $2.50. Gorditas, a Mexico City street food favorite, are savory filled corn cakes and it's a treat to find them here in the Northwest. I chose the Pork Migaja $2 with spiced pork shoulder and Spanish chorizo, although I was mightily tempted by the Tres Quesos.

Fusion on the Run makes spunky tropical island-style tacos... We dove into the fresh flavors in the smoky slow-roasted Kahlua Pork Taco with mango and pineapple salsa, and 'surfer sauce'--a sweet and sour aioli--as well as the boneless Short Rib Taco with Korean Kalbi flavors. Their Jicama Slaw was the healthiest side by far, and as bright as the sun last Saturday.

I've had Veraci's delicious mobile pizza plenty, wasn't in the mood for Bigfood's grilled oysters, and Curry Now was serving entree sized portions. Our last savory bites came from Jerk Station and Snout & Co. Jerk Station's specialty is Caribreoso cuisine, their term for Carribean, Creole, and Southern fusion. Their wasabi mayo-topped Spiced Wings looked excellent, but we went for a duo of Jerk Chicken sliders. The perfume of Caribbean spices lingered on my fingers for hours after I ate these soft buns overflowing with tender chicken chunks and juicy pineapple.

Snout & Co ran out of their BBQ Pork Sandwich, so it was a toss-up between the Cuban Sandwich and the Seattle Cuban, both $8. Finally, a Cuban Sandwich that seems worthy of the title. When asked about the difference between the two, the friendly crew said the Seattle Cuban is saucier, the regular Cuban is cheesier. Cuban's are a pressed sandwich on a traditional crusty roll with ultra-tender mojo-marinated pork, sliced smoky ham, Swiss, pickles and mustard. The friendly owner Scott, is a bearded veteran of the Seattle bar scene and has been featured nationally on Eat St.--his mojo pork knocks it out of the parking lot.

With little room in our stomachs to spare, we tackled Street Treats. This is where you build your own ice cream sandwich with home-baked cookies and handcrafted ice cream. We tried molasses with vanilla: great crisp cookie and ultra-creamy ice cream. The perfect way to top off a delicious spring day in Renton.

3715 E Valley Rd  Renton, WA 98057
(425)988-2100

Food trucks at the anniversary event:

Bigfood
The Bistro Box
Contigo Modern Mexican
Curry Now
Dave's New England Coney's
Fusion on the Run
Jerk Station
Snout & Co.
Street Treats
Veraci Pizza