Uncle Buddy’s food truck rolls into local farmer’s markets
Nashville hot chicken. There aren’t a lot of places to get it outside of the South, but as the craze gains traction, cities farther west are starting to take the hint. There has long been just one brick and mortar in town specializing in the offering, but thanks to the discovery of a south Reno-based food truck, we now have two places to satisfy our craving for some of the finest southern cuisine.
The problem with food trucks is they can be hard to track down; hours tend to fluctuate, and their locations even change. But, if you’re itching to dive into a mobile menu, there are a couple of weekly events you can count on. One of those is the Riverside Farmers Market on Thursday nights, the place that just so happens to be where Uncle Buddy’s parks its mobile kitchen for a few hours each week.
(Their permanent location is at 5305 Louie Lane, but lately you can only catch them there for a few hours on Fridays.)
The Uncle Buddy’s truck, like many, has a small menu, but what it offers is delicious. The Original is a good starting point, and exactly what we ordered up on Thursday night. Made using a fried chicken thigh, the meat is tender and juicy, cased inside a crunchy crust. Served on a soft brioche bun, it’s slathered with a layer of honey mustard and sweet pickle slaw. The end result is a harmony of flavors undoubtedly humming a country tune inside your mouth.
A little off the theme of the truck, the bologna sandwich also caught my eye—and as it turns out, many others, too, because by 7 p.m. the truck was completely sold out. This one serves up more than bologna, layering pasture chicken and local pork with A5 wagyu bologna (not your standard packaged variety from Oscar Mayer), fried and topped with sliced cheddar, rehydrated onions, sweet pickles, dijonnaise and lettuce all piled on that same uber soft brioche bun.
The Details
On Thursdays: Riverside Farmer’s Market at 925 Riverside Drive, 4 to 8 p.m.
On Fridays: 5305 Louie Lane, Reno, Nev. 89511, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The menu on Thursday night only had four main menu items, which included a spicy version of the Original dubbed The Nashville, and three easy sides: yellow watermelon, baked beans and potato chips. Arizona Sweet Teas are the drinks of choice.
A small sampling of items seems par for the course for this truck, although following along their Instagram page tells us those menu items aren’t static. Visiting the truck also tells us that selling out of items might not be uncommon, so if you want your full pick of menu items, it’s best to show up early. And if you want to catch Uncle Buddy’s somewhere other than the Thursday night market, which runs through September, check out their social media @unclebuddysreno.
