February’s Eat the Street carried the theme of French chocolate on Friday, Feb. 27 in Honolulu. This led to a variety of unique dishes, including chocolate garnished steak, French macaroons, chocolate-covered fruit, and a chocolate balsamic sauce. Ethan Precourt, a sophomore from Massachusetts studying business, said, “The chocolate theme was what initially got me down there. It motivated me to do the drive down. It was interesting to see how all the different food trucks incorporated the chocolate theme into their menu.” He added, “Some were very creative and others not so much.”Eat the Street features more than 40 food truck vendors from around the island on the last Friday of every month. The trucks bring hungry visitors to sample a variety of food from around the island.Krystal Wares, a senior from California majoring in art, said, “Eat the Street has a fun, family-friendly atmosphere but also the exciting energy of a big city event. It’s nice to escape the country sometimes and enjoy a different, more upbeat environment.” A down side for many of the students who traveled from Laie to downtown was the crowd, as they showed up to the overflowing parking lot full of food vendors. “I thought the food options were exciting but out of reach with the crowd situation. A better location and setup would change the feel of the event for me,” said Tyler Wares, a recent BYU-Hawaii graduate from California. Wares said, “The idea is amazing and it would have been a perfect night if it was just our friends and the food trucks with all those different flavors at our finger tips. But unfortunately 10,000 other people had that same idea. That made it complicated when ordering and finding food to eat. Some vendors ran out of food quickly.”Wares also offered advice: “I would suggest getting there earlier to take full advantage of all the trucks and options they offer.”Eat the Street was first held in 2011 in a small parking lot in Honolulu. According to the Eat the Street website, the first event was a huge success, with more than 1,500 people in attendance. The festival is now held on a lot at South Street and attracts up to 7,000 people each month. The next Eat the Street will be a special event held in Mililani on March 14 with a similar chocolate theme. Following that event the vendors will return to the South Street lot on March 27 from 4 to 9 p.m. for Eat the Street Japan style. Uploaded March 5, 2015
Writer: Trenton McCullough
