As the successor to trendy overpriced cupcake bakeries and still-somewhat-popular tapas restaurants, food trucks have made their way to Marin as the “next big thing.” A mobile community of food trucks called “Off the Grid SF” has designated “market” areas, migrating from the East Bay to San Francisco to Marin every week. A select few of the trucks congregate in Larkspur at Marin Country Mart (near the ferry terminal) every Sunday from 11a.m.-3p.m., creating a diverse culinary environment for the connoisseur and the curious passerby alike.

On Sunday I drove the approximate 11 minute drive from Tam with my brother and friend. We were greeted by a live singer, a decent-sized crowd of people and adequate amounts of seating. There was also shade and convenient free cold water.

Nick’s Wheely Good Breakfast:

I waited in a short line to get a cheesy breakfast biscuit consisting of a homemade cheddar biscuit sandwich with arugula, spicy aioli and bacon ($4) accompanied by an apple “Fizzy Izzy” ($2) which I thought would be homemade but really ended up being a bottled bootleg version of an “Izze” soda. I waited a reasonable amount of time, around seven minutes, to get my food. The biscuit exceeded my wildest expectations, as it was fluffy, fresh and savory; it was far better than the Pilsbury-esque biscuit I had anticipated. The organic, peppery arugula was a crisp, refreshing complement to the bacon, which was adequately greasy, like all bacon should be, but also fatty and poorly seasoned. Disappointingly, the aioli wasn’t spicy in the slightest, as it had been described, but the melted cheddar cheese atop the biscuit’s bottom half was a satisfactory additional flavor on its own. The biscuit sandwich gets four out of five stars, giving Nick’s Wheely Good Breakfast as a whole four stars, seeing as much of the menu offers slight variations of the biscuit sandwiches.

4/5 stars

Kasa:

My brother purchased a Tikka Masala rice bowl, a vegetable samosa, and a mango lassi ($9 for the food and an additional $2 for the lassi), which took a little bit longer to receive. The chicken Tikka Masala rice bowl, though not very attractive, was a nicely sized portion for its hefty price (not quite big enough to share, but definitely big enough to overeat). The dish was garnished with a mysterious pepper and seasoned to perfection with traditional Indian spices as was the cilantro chutney with visible fennel seed topping the dish. The chicken was tender, juicy and nicely charred on the outside, adding a nice, rustic Indian flavor. The samosa’s fried outside wasn’t greasy, but it was still bready and crispy, which accompanied the tender potato and pea stuffing well. Lastly, the mango lassi was seasoned with copious amounts of easily identifiable cardamom, fennel seed, and allspice, making it a well-spent $2. The meal from Kasa receives four stars as well, deducting a star for the food’s appearance and relatively high price.

4/5 stars

The Taco Guys:

My friend bought a fish taco and a spicy strawberry lemonade ($5 & $2) which took 15 minutes of waiting in line plus additional time to get his food. The fish taco, comprised of a flaky, well-cooked fish (species unspecified) covered in panko bread crumb, pico de gallo, red onion, lettuce and a tangy tartar sauce, garnished by a lime, all spilling out of a small corn tortilla. For the $5 paid, the taco was very small. The taco was hard to eat and half of the fresh and crisp vegetables were left on the plate along with the pico de gallo and lime sauce. The “spicy” strawberry lemonade was also not spicy in the slightest; it was actually very sweet and refreshing, a good drink but falsely advertised. Overall, The Taco Guys’ fish taco gets 3 ½ stars, since half of the meal consisted of red onion and tartar sauce that fell out of the taco and the price was too high.

This particular group of food trucks is a fun place to try if you go with your family and they pay for you or you’re taking someone on a date, but not the place for you and your friends to become weekly visitors. The selection and variety is prime and the food is good, but not ideal for Tam kids on a student’s budget to go regularly.

3.5/5 stars