What's Cooking at First Fridays

Just a few years ago, you would've been lucky to find one pushcart vendor or a lousy faux wine and cheese plate at First Friday in Downtown Phoenix. Now, there are dozens of food booths, trucks and free samples to be found on Roosevelt St. during the monthly art showcase. We snuck out with camera in hand to see what tasty comestibles this month's First Friday had to offer.

If Alice in Wonderland did it, so can you.

​In September, Roosevelt Row was cordoned off on First Friday for a Red Bull skateboard event. Now *cross fingers* it looks like the street closure is a permanent deal. Rather than being relegated to dark side streets, vendors like the funky glassware and Holy Spicy Mustard booth above are plopped right on Roosevelt. 

We've definitely noticed an influx of catering trunks since the whole street opened up for use. La Vida Locavore was in the house with curried pork tacos and brats made with ingredients from local sources. We also spotted a fry bread truck, a fire engine red snow cone wagon and a traditional "roach coach" with quilted metal accents and everything from hot dogs to candy.Sweet Republic's bright orange vintage ice cream truck was there as usual, with a line snaking out into the street where a group of "performance artists" took turns laying down on the asphalt and having staged arguments. Weird, but hey, we're okay with blossoming into a funky street fair that's more like something you'd see in Austin or Portland.

If you've been to the Phoenix Downtown Public Market before, you'll probably recognize a couple of food booths. The Wei of Chocolate is always a welcome sight, especially when they're offering samples of their Sensual Love dark chocolate. It has over 70% cacao content which means it's full of heart-healthy flavonoids.

Poppa Maize's flavored popcorn and salt water taffy don't carry the same health benefits. Oh, well. We still can't wait for their annual "Christmas Crunch" seasonal popcorn flavor, which as one holiday guest remarked is like "Christmas in a bag." And if you're aiming for protein, there's always The Jerky Hut.

​The folks at The Tamale Store​ were productive this weekend. We spotted them dishing tamales at First Friday, the Saturday Market and Sunday's street fair at 32nd St. and Indian School Rd. in Phoenix. Hopefully, they're taking a breather today.
​Even non-food vendors and performers wanted to get in on the First Friday grub. Booths and selections can change every month, but expect to see at least a handful of folks selling homemade baked goods. We would've spent the $3 for a slice of rum cake, but considering it was sold by the Rasta musicians set up right next to the "legalize marijuana" campaign, we figured we'd best not tempt the fates.