While visiting Seattle recently, I had the pleasure of eating at Bread & Circuses Food Truck. Full disclosure: one of the owners/chef’s is my sister’s husband, but I assure you I wouldn’t be writing about them if I hated the food. It’d be one of those awkward conversations about how I “accidentally deleted” all the pictures I took and never got around to writing about them. Lucky for me, I absolutely loved their food and it seems like I’m not alone in that. They’ve been featured in Seattle Eater 1, 2, and 3 times, Washington Beer Blog, Thrillist, Seattle Met, Seattle Food Truck, and I am sure the list continues.

My brother-in-law, Syd, has always been cooking since I’ve known him. He’s worked at Haven Gastropub, Pizza Ortica,  Skillet, Where Ya At Matt?, Roux, etc. I have always loved his food, and to prove that he was also the chef for my wedding in Ireland. I admire his drive and work ethic, and I am so happy he is a part of my life. He makes my sister happy, which is priority #1 – it’s just a bonus he cooks really well.

I traveled to Spinnaker Bay Brewing to relax after a day of museums and almost getting injured by an Uber driver (long story), and of course to have some food. The food truck was there in honor of Spinnaker Bay’s unite pale ale being released (yay! Pink boots in Seattle!). Despite the rain, I was able to get some outside shots of the truck and snag a table to enjoy a sampling of some of Bread & Circuses’s delicious food.

Hello real mac n’ cheese. Ya know, the kind that has that all-important bechamel based cheese sauce that is so rich, you feel all warm and cozy even when it’s pretty damn cold outside. To show how reckless they are, they add a sprinkle of bacon because – why not. I really liked the addition of bacon even though it wasn’t an aggressive amount, it was that added salt kick and texture balance I wanted at that moment. It took some serious willpower to save my appetite for the onslaught of food I had ordered.

From what I hear, they typically have a stick with a pin wheel of potato chips but the chips already loose was just as good. The you-need-to-hit-the-gym cheese sauce was present again to make the chips all the more sinful, and I loved the salt balance on these too. I have a soft spot for a salty chip, and these were obviously homemade and so addictive. Word to the wise, get these to share because you need these in your life while having a beer because salty carbs and beer are some of my favorite things. Surprisingly enough, the crowd was buzzing about this caesar salad made with brussels sprouts. I kept overhearing people saying “you have to get that caesar?” and I don’t disagree. I love a good caesar, but brussels sprouts? I was skeptical. I only really love brussels sprouts when they are roasted, but again I was impressed because it was so tasty. The texture was great, and it was really filling. I don’t think I can say I’ve had a better salad in a while, and it’s mildly shocking that it came from a truck (I said mildly because food trucks are getting to be equal competition these days for restaurants).

The star of the show was the War of the Pig sandwich. This is the sandwich that everyone has been drooling over since the truck became a thing, and with good reason. It’s filling as hell, rich, flavorful, crunchy, I could keep going. It’s italian roast pork, aioli, havarti, broccoli rabe, jus, and chilli oil all on a hoagie bun. I am a huge fan of broccoli rabe, and I don’t think I’ve ever had it in a sandwich before, but it’s a great addition of texture and brightness to contrast the rich meat and cheese.  The bun is light and squishy, the perfect vessel for soaking up all those juices and flavors, so it’s apparent to me why this is the most talked about item on the truck. Well done.

I am a burger person. A good burger has lots of criteria and rules like the bun has to match the diameter of the burger patty because you don’t want to have a bite of all bun or all patty, and it can’t be overdone, not burnt, not too pink in the middle, not to hard or messy to eat, there are a lot of rules (bonus points to any reader who knows the line “there are a lot of rules” and what movie that’s from). This burger has the perfect squishy-yet-toasted bun, the perfectly cooked burger that very accurately matches the size of the bun, it’s not too messy to eat, it’s a myriad of flavors that are so discreetly genius it makes me upset that I doubted this underdog. It’s quite possibly my favorite thing from the truck. Sources indicate something about importing the cheese (provel) special from St. Louis just for this damn burger. I thought it looked overdone, it wasn’t. I thought it might be dry, it wasn’t. I ate the most of this burger and I wish I had another one sitting in front of me right now.

As fate may have it, my brother-in-law – Syd, will be appearing on Esquire Network’s new show “The Next Great Burger” and it’s airing today at 10pm pst. I am so excited about it. I have been hounding my sister to find out who won and she refuses to tell me.  Let’s all tune in and find out his fate together!

Lastly, I had the brownies. You guys all probably know I am a bit biased because desserts are my thing, but these were pretty tasty. They were rich, decadent, soft, and chewy which were all satisfying after such an excessive meal. I have heard really good things about their other menu items so it looks like I will have to travel up to Seattle again if only to have more of Bread and Circuses food. I am also very excited to visit their new lunch spot located inside the Two Beers & Seattle Cider Companies tasting room that has just expanded and is supposedly super rad. Washington Beer Blog was there to cover the scoop.

I know I talked a lot about Syd, but it’s also thanks to chef Lil Rob and James that Bread and Circuses became a reality. The food scene in Seattle is a competitive and impressive one, and it’s great to see a up and coming food truck make such an impact in such little time. You can catch them at Two Beers’s taproom “The Woods” and traveling around the Seattle area feeding the hungry masses. Check out their facebook page, website, and twitter to find out where they will be next if you are in the Seattle area. I might just see you there, while shoving a burger in my face. No regrets.