Some of the best food comes out of food trucks these days, and Fayetteville is full of them. I was excited to try The Green Goat because it is one of the highest rated online…and its a Cuban themed food truck. So, we’re talking fried yuca, tostones, croquettes (my favorite) and maybe even mofongo if I get lucky! Here’s the breakdown:
The Environment
There is a small food truck park across from the skating rink on N College Ave. There are about four trucks there, such as Big Sexy Food and Zuppa Zuppa Soup Kitchen. We arrived at 11 am for an early lunch and the place was empty.
The Green Goat has a cute outdoor patio and other outdoor seating.
The Food
The menu is pretty large. There are appetizers such as empanadas, tacos, tostones, and fried yuca. There is a nicely sized list of varying versions of Cuban sandwiches. (You can even order a sandwich with tostones bunes so it is gluten free.) There are also a couple Cuban themed entrees, as well as dessert empanadas.
Beneath the official menu are the available types of empanadas, tacos, croquettes, etc. that are available that day. Here’s what I went with:
Croquettas de Jamón, $5.50
Description: Creamy and smooth fritters that are lightly breaded and fried. A Miami food stand class.
Ham croquettes are bomb. I love these things! They are crispy and fried on the outside with very tender, soft and almost creamy minced ham and some other fillings to give great flavor.
However, these were not my favorite croquettes. They were exceptionally greasy and we could not even finish the four small ones we got in our basket. Oso, my dog, enjoyed those leftovers.
These also come with a cilantro cream sauce for dipping, which was light, a little citrusy, and tasty.
I had to make my own ham croquettes as soon as I got home to fill that void….that ham croquette void I was given.
Classic Cubano Sandwich, $8.50
Description: Fresh Cuban bread with ham, mojo-marinated pork, house pickles, and mustard. Served with a side of yuca fries or tostones.
I was super excited to see I could order fried yuca as my side with this sandwich. I love well-fried yuca fries, and I have not perfected them myself. But then, the yuca wasn’t near ready, so I had to go with the tostones. I make these all the time, so they were nothing special to me. But they were darn good tostones! (double-fried plantain chips)
The classic cuban sandwich was ordered without cheese. So, I’m sure that is the reason it was so dry. But it was soo dry. And I have had many cheeseless cubans that were perfectly moist and juicy. The pulled pork was just…well, dry. Other than that, the grilled bread and mustard and pickles were tasty, and the same cilantro dipping sauce came along. Dipping the sandwich into that helped a lot.
Overall
This is a fun, creative place to grab a meal, for sure. Though, I won’t be back…too dry, too greasy, it was hit or miss. I am sure if the yuca fries were available, I might feel more positively.
The cook was very nice, though. And it only took about 10 minutes to get our food…granted no one else was there. I just know I am usually waiting at least 30 minutes outside of food trucks to get my food.
Anyone have any other suggestions on food trucks to try the next time I am in NWA?