HHB BBQ

Downtown Topeka has a great spot for some tasty barbecue. HHB BBQ -- I should've gone there a long time ago.  But, this is the place that burnt down in January, and then opened up a new spot in May. There was a food truck around but I could never catch it. What matters is that I finally got down there and it was as good as everyone has been saying it is.

To start, I ordered some pulled pork nachos for an appetizer. This could be ordered as a meal and devoured by just yourself. Crispy tortilla chips topped with smoked pulled pork and nacho cheese sauce with your choice of other toppings like shredded cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and sour cream. I enjoyed these nachos a lot. They were different than taco nachos but the same, I liked the twist. The pork was smoked and tender and the portion was large. I liked that you could add your own toppings because I like lots of sour cream and tomatoes. Even eating half of this monster I got pretty full. Honestly, there's not real taco flavor at all, but I didn't care -- the smoked pork was enough for me.

For my entree, which I really didn't need, I had three sliders: One with pork, another with turkey and the third with brisket, served with your choice of a side. I chose potato salad. I was so full but it was all so good. There are a few different sauces available to try and I wasn't a fan of all of them. I like mine a little more thick and sweet-tasting, so I don't enjoy the ones that are too vinegary. There was one sauce -- Cousin Terry's Tangy Carolina sauce -- that I didn't enjoy much because it seemed kind of clovey to me and I'm not a fan of cloves. I liked the other one, I think it was the original sauce. Ryan, of course, really liked the tangy Carolina and he said it was the best on the turkey.


The turkey was juicy, smoked and pulled. I like it pulled instead of sliced because I feel like it's juicier that way. The brisket was good but I was so full I only tried a small bite. Ryan ate the rest of my meal, including the potato salad. I wasn't a fan of the mainly mustard salad -- I don't like yellow mustard and that's all I tasted. I prefer more mayo in my pot sally. There are other sides to choose from, such as smoked mac and cheese, corn, smoked baked beans, cheesey taters, pasta salad or chips. Ryan ordered the smoked mac and cheese, but I didn't really pick up on the "smoked" part. The mac was good, though and I would order it again.

I'm excited to see that HHB BBQ came back from a the fire that burnt down their original location and opened a new one. Click HERE for more information about the fire. The new place is fresh, sharp and clean. The staff is friendly and my food didn't take long, either. Even though I didn't like the potato salad, I plan to return and try other side items. The bbq is good and that's what counts.

Capital City Food Truck Festival -- Day 2

I returned for Day 2 and wasn't disappointed.

First, Visit Topeka fixed some of the initial problems by moving the food trucks apart and spacing

Pulled pork, Mr. Nice Guy's

everything out a bit more. There were also better markers indicating where the lines should go and end, so there was less confusion today. There were just as many people, though.

Topeka definitely turned out for this event, and organizers were not expecting the turnout. I heard over 4,000 people attended on Friday alone, and even more are coming out today, (Saturday). Some food trucks were running out of food, but that happens with food trucks. They only have a limited amount of space, so that happens.

Philly Cheesesteak, Mr. Nice Guy's

When Ryan and I first got there today, we jumped into Mr. Nice Guy's line, which didn't seem too long. We only waited about 30 minutes to order and a few more for our food which was acceptable. We got a pulled pork sandwich and a Philly cheesesteak. The pork sandwich was good, but nothing special. I think they roast the meat as opposed to smoking it, which is fine with me, it was still tender, juicy and good. My favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's was available for smothering so that was a plus.

The Philly cheesesteak is what I'd write home about, though. I've heard people talk about how Mr. Nice Guy's, located in Oakland, has the best cheesesteak in town, and now I know they weren't lying. I don't even like green peppers but I could eat this sandwich without complaint. I tried a couple bites of Ryan's and couldn't get over the fact that the green peppers didn't bother me. The meat is tender, steaming hot and the melted cheese sauce makes it that much better. I would order it again, never mind the pulled pork.

Chocolate avocado smoothie,
photo courtesy of Bailey Mushok

Next, we tried the Purple Carrot Co-Op, where you can find vegan cuisine. Their line wasn't long but they always seemed to have one. We had to try one of their avocado chocolate smoothies because we kept hearing good things from other people. The smoothie was  definitely different, but still good. It was bright green with chunks of dark chocolate floating around in it. At first I wasn't sure about it, but after a few swigs I quickly realized I really liked it. I The chocolate chunks melted in your mouth and blended well with the strong avocado flavor and I thought the two flavors worked together.

As we were waiting for our shake, X-Marks the Spot showed up so I jumped in line to wait for them to open. We waited for about an hour because they were being inspected, (Blue Moose had the same thing before they could open), but then only waited about 10 minutes for our food to be cooked. I got a grilled chicken wrap and Ryan got the Wrigley Dog, which seemed like a Chicago dog just with a different name. It was a little different, but pretty much a Chicago dog.

I appreciated the chicken wrap because it featured salad greens instead of iceberg lettuce, which most

Grilled chicken wrap, X-Marks the Spot

places use. The chicken was juicy and hot, the mustard didn't overwhelm me and I liked the tomato bacon jam. It was sweet and smokey thanks to the bacon. The tortilla didn't rip and everything stayed together until the very end. I would order this wrap again, but I may try the veggie wrap next time.

X-Marks the Spot was not serving their pickle fries, (my favorite) but with good reason. The pickles were messing up the fryer and causing longer wait times I'm sure, because when you batter and fry things, much of the batter separates off and leaves little floating pieces of overcooked batter which sticks to other fried items, wreaking havoc on your fryer. I don't blame them for taking the pickles off the menu. Hopefully that is only for the festival and the pickle fries will be back on their regular, daily menu. I didn't ask.

The Wrigley Dog, X-Marks the Spot

The Wrigley Dog looked pretty amazing, probably about like an authentic Chicago dog. The only thing that stood out to me as way different was the bun. It seemed like they weren't as soft and yeasty as the buns I remember in Chicago, they were a little more dense, but that's not to say it was bad. It's not from Chicago, so of course it will be a little different.

Overall, I feel like the Capital City Food Truck Festival was a hit. New events always have kinks to be worked out, and as long as the event coordinators are open to suggestions, things will be better next year. Even this year I thought was a great turnout, good, tasty food and Topekans showed up to support the event.