EVERETT — There are few places in Everett where it’s possible to double-fist a sushi burrito and a frybread burger, then wash it down with some pulled pork and a trip to the beer garden. But the annual arrival of Fisherman’s Village Music Festival not only makes the dream possible, it encourages such hedonism.
The festival is back in Everett May 18 – 20 with an expanded lineup of food trucks participating in its Night Market. Open to all comers — festival pass holders or not — downtown Everett will transform into a culinary destination for everything from comfort food to fresh, crunchy salads.
We’re highlighting some new additions to the food truck lineup for those looking to fuel up in new ways between shows, but a few classics from last year’s market will return to the fest. Among others, Das Bratmobile will return with German street food classics like currywurst, potato salad and schnitzel, and The Food Atlas has you covered for flavorful Indian snacks like samosa chaat.
The market at 2930 Wetmore Ave. is free to enter, and you can sample live music by local and regional artists, a beer garden and, of course, food. Hours for the food trucks are 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday of the fest, and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. The Fisherman’s Village block party is open to all ages, but you must be 21 or over to enter the beer garden.
What it is: Recently crowned best food truck in the county by Herald readers, Ryan’s REZ-ipes serves up over-the-top, stick-to-your-ribs delicacies like kalbi steak burritos loaded with juicy, marinated beef and house-smoked pulled pork tacos, a perennial “crispy, cheesy, spicy favorite.” Lines at the Tulalip-based truck around lunchtime can get crazy, and the fest will likely be no different — but given the truly massive portion sizes, you’ll find it more than worth the wait.
What sticks out: The truck is perhaps best known for its frybread, made from scratch by owner Ryan Gobin, who’s spent years perfecting a recipe passed to him by his aunt. Once a subsistence food among Indigenous peoples, Tulalip Tribes member Gobin now makes the crowd favorite an indulgence by topping the fluffy, sweet bread with strawberry preserves, lemon raspberry jam or a healthy dusting of cinnamon and sugar. For an extra $5, you can even replace the buns on one of the truck’s juicy smashburgers with frybread.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Luckily, that incredible frybread is vegetarian, but not gluten-free. Order the truck’s acclaimed French fries in garlic rosemary truffle form for a vegetarian and gluten-friendly snack, or go all out by asking for the nacho fries without bacon. For a truly hearty meal, the veggie bowl is loaded with jasmine rice and crunchy sesame slaw, then drizzled with spicy lemongrass aioli.
Pricing: Pulled pork tacos, $4 each or 3 for $10; veggie bowl $8, or $13 with optional kalbi steak; garlic rosemary truffle fries, $8.
What it is: The concept is dead simple, yet revolutionary: Take all the fixings from your favorite tuna roll, but make it bigger, thicker and handheld. Nate Feaster, event coordinator for festival organizer Everett Music Initiative, predicts this truck will fuel his long days and nights at Fisherman’s.
“All that white rice is going to carbo-load me and keep me going till I can hit the beer garden at night,” Feaster said.
What sticks out: The Seattle-based truck serves classic Asian American fare like noodle dishes and crispy, saucy chicken, too, but its namesake burritos are what’s got this food writer excited. The spicy tuna burrito seems to be a fan favorite, and a spicy BBQ pork burrito offers a meaty take on the oversized classic.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Langostino offers a vegetarian sushi burrito loaded up with vividly colored pickled and fresh veggies. Check with the vendor to ensure dishes are gluten-friendly.
Pricing: No pricing was available for Langostino’s menu at the time of writing.
What it is: Serving up “peace, love, bowls” to the good people of Snohomish County, this truck offers all your most treasured comfort foods in the convenient, portable form of a bowl. Owner Susan Jensen usually makes the rounds of breweries, bars and other haunts all around the county, but for Fisherman’s she’ll be staying in one place just long enough for famished festivalgoers to load up.
What sticks out: The Top Secret Chicken Bowl reads like an even more finger-lickin’-good take on the Colonel’s classic: fried chicken on a bed of rice, quinoa, and veggies, doused in Jensen’s own secret sweet chili sauce. The Chicken Cordon Bleu mac and cheese features that same crispy chicken enrobed in a lush, cheesy sauce.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Jensen notes when items on her rotating menu have gluten-free or veggie swaps available; the Top Secret Bowl is one. Others are veggie-based by design, like the S.T. Bowl with peppers, onions, asparagus and broccoli over herbed rice and quinoa, topped with either tofu or shrimp and dressed with a lemon herb vinaigrette.
Pricing: Top Secret Chicken Bowl, $13.50; Chicken Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese, $13.50; S.T. Bowl, $14.50.
What it is: You could say Finn is the son of Anthony, as in Anthony’s, the famed PNW seafood chain. The truck takes portable versions of Anthony’s menu items on the road, for when you can’t get to one of the chain’s 34 locations scattered around the Northwest but crave some fresh fish.
What sticks out: A “Finn Feature” you can’t get anywhere else, the Wild Silver Salmon Ponzu Bowl sounds like the perfect mix of filling, refreshing and delicious for a sweaty mid-festival afternoon. Chargrilled salmon is served over jasmine rice and greens, topped with tangy-sweet Japanese ponzu sauce.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Nearly everything on the menu features seafood. We recommend asking the vendor if menu items are gluten-friendly.
Pricing: Ponzu Bowl, $20; Mahi Mahi tacos, $17; cup of Anthony’s famous clam chowder, $7.
What it is: You might have seen Everett-based Smokin’ Dough (or their telltale column of smoke) at your favorite local brewery, serving up crispy, chewy, charred crust with creative topping combos from their wood-fired oven. It’s grown a small cult following around its pizzas, as evidenced by one customer’s 11-mile run to get their hands on that sweet, sweet dough.
What sticks out: The truck offers reliable standbys like sausage, Hawaiian, and Margherita pizza year-round, but their rotating specials are what catch the eye. I’m certainly hoping they have the Mac-N-Cheese pizza, topped with Beecher’s mac, bacon bits and Hatch chiles, at the festival, though I’m not sure I’ll be doing much moshing afterwards. Top it off with one of their dessert pizzas in luscious flavors like raspberry cheesecake and cinnamon delight.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Lots of veggie options, but almost all offerings include cheese, and it’s not clear if the truck offers gluten-free crust. We recommend checking with the vendor to determine suitability.
Pricing: Dessert pizza, $10; Pepperoni, $16; Mac-N-Cheese pizza, $19.
Swagg-N-Wagon Wings and Things
What it is: The self-proclaimed purveyors of Seattle’s best fried chicken, this truck will certainly be appraised by plenty of Snohomish County experts during their run at Fisherman’s. The menu includes hot, crispy legs, thighs, wings and boneless strips, plus sides like cornbread and collard greens. You can even grab a bottle of the house Swagg Sauce for $6.39. Catch them at the fest on Friday.
What sticks out: Hot take: I’m not a fan of bone-in wings. (Don’t come at me; I’m just too lazy to eat around the bone, and I always get covered in sauce.) I’ll be verifying Swagg-N-Wagon’s best-chicken claim via the Spicy Chick Sandwich, doused in the famous Swagg Sauce.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Vegetarian options are scarce at this chicken-centric truck, but the cornbread, collard greens and fries are a good bet. We recommend checking with the vendor to confirm menu items are gluten-friendly.
Pricing: 3-piece boneless strips with fries, $13; 2-piece leg and thigh with collard greens, $16; Spicy Chick Sandwich, $13.
Zaytuna Mediterranean Catering
What it is: Zaytuna serves Middle Eastern staples like baba ghanoush and falafel with some lesser-seen, exciting options, like tabhaj, a mix of fried potato, tomato, eggplant and zucchini in hot, spicy oil. The truck serves tons of veggie-heavy dishes, surely a boon to those attendees who find their bodies are crying out for some actual nutrition after a day spent subsisting on Red Bull and coffee. Find them at the Night Market on Saturday.
What sticks out: I absolutely love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, but I’ve never seen musakhan, a Palestinian dish of roast chicken and caramelized onions spiced with sumac and garnished with pine nuts, on any menu before. I’ll be trying Zaytuna’s version with a side of basbousa, a semolina-based cake flavored with coconut and rose or orange-flower water.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Many vegetarian and vegan options, including falafel, baba ghanoush and muhammara. We recommend asking the vendor if menu items are gluten-friendly.
Pricing: No pricing was available for Zaytuna’s menu at the time of writing.
What it is: Otis Pimpleton, Tukwila’s “King of the Grill,” learned the fine art of barbecue from his dad. His grilling prowess became so well known among friends and family that eventually, a food truck just made sense to bring his smoked meats to all who wanted to try them. Check them out at the fest on Saturday.
What sticks out: O.P. offers a wide variety of rotating summer-cookout classics, from hot dogs to pulled pork to short ribs and watermelon. I’ll admit that my favorite part of a barbecue has always been the sides, so I’m excited to try out the grillmaster’s cornbread and mac and cheese.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-free options: Sides are your best bet for vegetarian-friendly offerings. We recommend checking with the vendor to ensure menu items are gluten-friendly.
Pricing: Three ribs with two sides and bread, $21; BBQ chicken with two sides and bread, $18.
Riley Haun: 425-339-3192; riley.haun@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @RHaunID.
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