Track down the trailer, then share the joy of street food

Skillet Street Food struck a few potholes when it first hit the road last spring. The mobile cafe was shut down by the Health Department. (It's now in full compliance.) Its locations are maddeningly obscure. (Utah Avenue?) Even when you find the Airstream trailer-turned-kitchen there's a chance you might be standing in line during the lunch rush, when the woman taking orders says: "Sorry, we're going to stop taking orders for a few minutes and let the kitchen catch up."

It's enough to drive the most devoted Skillet fan crazy. Maybe even prompt some to permanently delete the movable feast from their let's-do-lunch list.

But the food is four-star good. Skillet, I just can't quit you.

Josh Henderson, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and his buddy, Danny Sizemore, have created a monster buzz with their incredible lineup of updated diner fare. The menu changes weekly and food is served in various locations just Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. (Beginning April 21, Skillet plans to add a Monday stop on Capitol Hill, and sometime in May a downtown takeout window is supposed to materialize.)

Earlier this week, in a deeply industrial section of Sodo, a saw whirred through concrete near the patiently waiting lunch crowd.

"Do you work around here?" I asked a couple of well-heeled women.

"At Starbucks," they said. The corporate headquarters is just down the block.

One of the women asked about my poblano chili ($5), so my lunch date invited her to try it. Here's the funny thing: She actually dipped a clean spoon into the steaming stew served in a recyclable container. Mmm, we all agreed. Now there's a new level of communal dining!

I wish you all could have been there to share my exceptional barley risotto ($6). The sage-seasoned, slightly nutty grain made a fine platform for roasted yellow beets and fennel. Parmigiano-Reggiano was shaved on top. Oh, and the so-tasty lemongrass braised pork sammy ($7) was nearly impossible to pick up, with moist meat spilling out of the petite brioche bun baked for Skillet by Grand Central. The sandwich was more of a super-size slider.

Good thing I upgraded my fries. For $2 extra the hand-cut taters are poutine-ized -- tossed in an herb gravy and nibs of white cheddar. Easily the best poutine in town!

Same high praise goes for the Wagyu beef burger ($8). But please stop calling it "Kobe," guys, unless it comes from Japan. A sticky sensation called bacon jam makes the hockey-puck-size patty especially addictive. (Team Skillet is looking into bottling and selling this salty/sweet condiment.)

You should plan to get a to-go or do a stand-up meal because Skillet doesn't provide seating. But there's something about huddling in a grimy parking lot that brings out the best in people, maybe even sharing bites of this remarkable road food.