So & So’s Gives ‘MN Street Food’ a Delicious Definition

Personally, if I had to name a food truck, I wouldn’t call it So-and-so.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Midwestern folk familiarity that it implies: “Oh, you know so-and-so,” “Let’s send so-and-so out for dinner on Thursday.” » It’s just that so-so can also imply an instability or blah quality: “It was just so-so”, “Hey, I just feel so-so”.

And Sociable Cider Werks’ newest food truck is anything but.

So & So’s comes from chef TJ Lauthe, who developed the concept with help from Mike Yuen, former culinary director of Union Hmong Kitchen. Open since late September, it’s the latest tenant to take over the Sociable food trailer that helped launch a long list of tenants — Sammy’s Avenue Eatery, Union Hmong Kitchen, Francis, Unidos Food Co. — over the past five years .

“We call it ‘MN Street Food,’” explains their website, with featured dishes including wild rice dog, chips and seasoned sour cream, totchos, cider-battered walleye, and more Again.

These totchos ($13) were a big part of the reason we finally stopped at Sociable’s bar in northeast Minneapolis earlier this week, ready to see what this ‘Sota street food was all about, and they did it. not disappoint.

Generously seasoned and filled with tender, shredded pork braised in Sociable’s Freewheeler cider, the crispy tater tots also received a hearty drizzle of brick-red cranberry barbecue sauce. These are the flavors that junk food scientists are trying to bottle up, keeping you going for handful after handful of snacks. Or forkful after decadent forkful, in this case, they’re utensil-requiring totchos, topped with a mountain of rich pork accompanied by cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of green onions.

Then there was the chopped cheese (“a Minne-Apple version of the Sammy Big Apple,” $14), which got nice and gooey on the grill. I love chopped cheeses, and although this one could have been a little more chopped – recognizable slices of American cheese, what are they You do here? – the flavors were all there. Ribbons of flavorful fried onions melted into the beef and a squirt of chipotle mayonnaise that looked a lot like Big Mac sauce sent this sammy into divine territory. It’s all served on a soft, high-quality hoagie bun – a must-have if I have to recommend one of these bad boys – and wrapped in a warm foil blanket.

Sociable’s Freewheeler also gets a showcase in So & So’s fried chicken sandwich ($14), brined in a cider-spice blend, breaded and double-fried. Whatever secret spices are in this brine, they are awesome; This thing arrives super dilly, ultra-cronchy and a little sweet, thanks to a bed of apple and fennel salad (which also makes things a little moist – grab some napkins).

And both sandwiches came with a serving of house-made potato chips, cut on the thicker side and deliciously crispy, which we paired with a side of So&So’s seasoned sour cream (“your favorite dip Midwestern without the neon green container) for an additional charge. two dollars. I would definitely go for the sour cream again, as it gave a bit of freshness to an otherwise very rich meal.

Plus, no true Minnesota spread is complete without the stuff in that neon green container, if you ask us.

So & So’s MN Street Food at Sociable Cider Werks
Address: 1500 Fillmore Street NE, Minneapolis
Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday; 1 p.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Sunday