Spencer on the Go

They had delicious food, and I wish they were still operating the truck at this location, but I haven’t seen it here in about two years :(

I went there on a Thursday when it’s suppose open; I walked around the block several times and the truck is nowhere to be found…

My first time here, I took a foodie friend who is British but lives in France. He wanted something «inexpensive and simple but delicious.» We got all three at Spencer on the Go – in spades.
We both ordered the prix fixe menu for $ 15. Between us, we tried the Escargot Puff Lollipop, Halibut Soup with Saffron Aioli, Far West Fungi Truffle Emulsion Vol au Vent (mushroom pastry), the Slider (hamburger), and the cookie. We were told we could take our food across the street to Terroir wine bar (
— check it out), which we did, and that just upped the ante. Delicious French food-​to-​go and natural organic wine to enjoy it with, in a sexy but cozy, rustic atmosphere. Divine!
Every single bite was pure pleasure, not to mention a big surprise, considering it came from a truck!

Chez Spencer at a fraction of the price. It’s on the pricier side for the food truck scene but the food is good. Being the only food truck from San Francisco on the inaugural season of The Great Food Truck Race I had to try it because of it’s accessibility.
My first visit I ordered a French slider with truffle emulsion and the halibut bisque. The French slider was more like the size of a Whopper Jr. as opposed to the size of what one would think of traditionally when thinking of a slider burger. It was juicy, delicious, perfectly cooked and well seasoned with a subtle taste of truffle throughout, topped with parmesan cheese and some dark mixed greens, and all between a French baguette roll. The halibut bisque wasn’t too bad, but was surprisingly spicy.
Just looking for a snack, my second visit I ordered some of the escargot lollipops and the cauliflower soup. The escargot lollipops were very good — buttery and flaky pastry puff and the escargot inside wasn’t extra chewy or rubbery. I think I really liked it because I couldn’t see the snail. Every time I’ve had escargot before it was sitting in a small pool of a garlic herb butter sauce or something of the sort. Basically they were always green and resembled something like chicken snot to me. I’d eat escargot in this form at Spencer on the Go, however, any day of the week. The cauliflower soup was delicious. Cauliflower is a favorite vegetable of mine and the cauliflower flavor was very evident in this soup but it also had a smooth buttery texture and flavor as well.

I don’t know why I ventured half way across SF to order a $ 3 escargot lollipop. I’ve never had escargot made this way. For a small bite, it packs a punch in flavor and the breading was delicious. The ugly snails in my garden are starting to look good.

Great concept. Who wouldn’t want some French food from a food truck? Escargot Lollipop and Lobster Cioppino. How fancy is that?
Unfortunately the food missed the 4 stars mark. The Puff Lollipop has delicious sauce but the escorgot was too chewy. A lot of the menu items are on the expensive side for a food truck. You could probably get something better at a sit down restaurant.

This was my big target at SactoMofo recently. I was super excited to check out Spencer on the Go after seeing it on The Great Food Truck Race, but I have to admit, it fell short of expectations. That being said, it was still above average! It’s saying something when I rate a place 4 stars, and it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I guess I had a little too much hype on this one!
Just to be clear, this wasn’t a case of trying one thing, not bring super-​impressed: I ordered the entire menu. Yes, it was a shortened menu for the event in Sacramento, but I still ordered and tried everything they had available. They ranged from tasty to sub-​par, so I ended up somewhere in the middle here. In order of preference, I had:
1. Lamb slider w/​truffle emulsion — Delicious. It was the most expensive slider I’ve ever consumed, and it was worth it. Top to bottom, the bread to the meat to the emulsion, it was amazing.
2. Escargot lollipop — I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I was pleasantly surprised, and this nearly took the cake as my favorite thing from Spencer on the Go. Wonderful garlic flavor! This has a bit of a pastry shell going on too, so it disguised the texture of the escargot a bit. Since that was what I feared most, it really helped my enjoy the dish instead of being freaked out by it.
3. Roasted beet salad — A flavor explosion! The blue cheese here really worked nicely with the mild flavor of the beets. The dish itself looks beautiful, too.
4. Butter lettuce salad — Okay, but just very plain. I expected more here.
5. Potato gratin — I wanted and expected to love this. But hey, things don’t always work out. It was okay, but not what I expected from a gourmet type place. To quote Randy Jackson, this was «Just alright for me, dog».
6. Cauliflower bisque — Meh! This had potential, but just went nowhere. I’m sure this was intended to be mild, but c’mon man. Very little flavor. Disappointing.
All things said, I just should have limited my menu choice a bit. I’m also willing to give a little wiggle room on the rating since the place was SLAMMED. I think most places came to SactoMofo with this place in mind, so it’s not surprising. I will gladly give it another shot at a later date to make affirm my 4-​star rating, or potentially bump it up.

Five Star Food Truck!
I’ve been waiting to go here for months but they are never around when I pass. Late one Friday night, well after 10PM, we saw the faint warm glow of this happy little food truck.
I ordered the braised lamb cheek sandwich and you should too, it is amazing and would be +$ 20 in a restaurant. It’s perfect, juicy and makes your mouth happy. I’ve also tried the escargot pop but it wasn’t as inspired as the lamb but still darn good.
This is also the only truck I am aware of that has tables set up to enjoy your meal. Every time I see this truck I will stop in, guaranteed.

Yay, Spencers is NOT another taco truck! They have real fine French food, I was surprised and impressed.
I met Spencer On The Go at the Eat ‘Real Fest in Oakland and ordered the $ 3 Escargot Lollipop Puff. The snail was wrapped in pastry and covered with a garlic type salsa. It was so buttery my mouth immediately turned into an upward smile. So good, so snaily, so chewy, so much buttery goodness. We badly wanted to order seconds but passed because we realized we should save room for other treats. Definitely recommend.

Spencer on the go was at eat real fest 2010. french food on the go
menu: escargot pop (3) new england lobster capuccino (5) was 8 on sat.
chocolate pudding (5)
sampling: new england lobster cappucino (5)
–flavorful seafood broth, lobster taste, with a cappucino colouring. with a few bits of lobster maybe. with a slight white foam on top.
foodnotes:
–servers friendly and courteous though one was slightly disoriented with order taking.
–lines short or non existent. oaktown not familiar with spencer?
–order dispenser said «merci» (thank you) with a smile when serving the food. can i say «cute»?

I contemplated practicing my french accent while waiting in line so I could wow the Spencer on the Go guys when I placed my order, but remembered that my French accent goes in this order: British –Australian — Southern Creole — Indian. Never fails. So instead I just practiced my «Hi can I get the snail… Hi can I get the escargoh… Hi, how are you… can I get the…» until it was finally my turn to order.
Here I go! «Snail, can I get the…» Muther!
Anyway, as I’m waiting for my order I’m watching the one and only Laurent Katgely hand out the orders in his very oui oui accent. My friends say he’ll say my name very French-​ish, just watch– they say. They’re right. I definitely heard a grovelly groaned G sound in my name, and I don’t have a G in my name.
I asked him if I could take his picture, and he instantly gets embarrassed and almost seems like he’s turned red. He jokes and says no… it might break your phone! I tell him it won’t and snap a pic. He then asks me to immediately check my phone to make sure it still works. Hahaha. Great first impression, he’s a personable guy!
Now for the food: The escargot lollipop was ok, I liked the pastry puff more than the snail. The snail was too chewy, and seemed a bit overcooked. (…because apparently I know what an overcooked snail tastes like? lol) The chocolate bread pudding was half good because it was chocolate, and half ok because the density and texture of the pudding was borderline undercooked brownie but not so much pudding.
I like French food though, so I’m sure I’ll give Spencer a Go again.

Escargot Lolly, $ 3
Chocolate Pudding, $ 5
Lobster Cappuccino, $ 8
Yummy Lollis, perfect pastry enveloping the slimy critter and a dash of garlicky goodness. The Choco pudding was heavy and dense, I wasn’t a fan.
Didn’t try the Lobster, but heard others response and a common comment was ‘rancid’. I saw bowls of the cappuccino all over the festival.

Oakland Eat Real Festival 2010 [Stop #11]
Escargot de Bourgogne — $ 3 (or 2 for $ 5)
Mmmmm snails! I love snails. I love everything about snails. The taste, the texture, the chewy goodness that invades your mouth when you bite into one. When I discovered Spencer on the Go, I had to try their escargot (another rhyme!!). It was nearing the end of the day, so we were able to get 2 escargot puffs for $ 5 instead of $ 6.
The dish is basically an escargot puff on a stick, baked to perfection. The pastry was incredibly puffy and light, yet thick enough to sustain the garlicy and buttery flavor of the escargot. The pastry is a hit on its own, and it’s most of what you taste for the first 5 seconds. After that, you start to feel the crunchiness of the snail. The mix of the snail and garlic hit your taste buds harder than Chris Brown hit Rhianna. Simple, yet highly flavorful and full of amazing texture.
Like Gail N. said, you just have to close your eyes and enjoy it. Imagine you’re sitting on the Côte d’Azur with a bottle of French white wine and a plate full of these escargot balls. That, my friends, is heaven.

I ordered the Escargot Pop. $ 3
My first time trying snails. IT WAS SO FREAKEN DELICIOUS ! I KID YOU NOT! hehehe The buttery pastry was so flaky and crisp… the center wasn’t your typical rough chewy rubbery substance that you hear snails taste like. but it was soft, slightly chewy and tasted lke mushroom. hehehe I LOVE MUSHROOM :) I am a fan!

If you’re already freaking out about eating escargot as a part of French food, there really is no fear. First of all, you don’t have to get it only at the restaurant and forego your daily meals to eat this one meal. You can get it in lollipop form for $ 3 from this truck. Secondly, nothing about the snail makes it weird. It tastes like a clam.
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have. It was deep fried in too much batter and it was sitting in too much butter. Every bite was just dripping oil. Other than butter, I couldn’t taste much else.
I’m not cold-​hearted enough to completely dismiss this truck based on one item so bring it on Spencer.

Let me tell you how great this place is. Couple of people behind us lined up an hour early and they were visiting from Manhattan. That’s how amazing Spencer’s is.
I was very very impressed, but the reason why I only give it 4 stars is for two reasons: Prices & Punctuality. We got there just minutes after 6PM, and they were nowhere to be found. I was confused and lost — thank goodness for the Unilocal app, I looked up the pictures and figured out exactly where the truck would park. 27 minutes after 6PM, they finally arrive. Secondly, I still think for a taco truck, the prices are a little steep for some of the dishes. I think the foie gras at $ 11 and the mushroom vol a vent for $ 9 is fair, but the remainder of the goodies shouldn’t be this pricy… anyway, that isn’t going to change since people line up like crazy for Spencer’s.
Everything was yummy. I would personally skip the lamb because even though it’s good, it’s nothing too special. I would highly recommend the escargot lollipop and the fungi truffle emulsion!
Be a little patient when coming here and give yourself plenty of time.

French Laundry should have an express truck, don’t you think? I can picture Thomas Keller in a red bandanna making Sweet Butter-​Poached Maine Lobster «Mitts» and Butter-​Braised Princess La Ratte Potatoes while the motor is running. Alas, that pipe dream is not meant to be, but Chez Spencer decided to take the plunge with this self-​dubbed «mobile bistro» (see photo). Yes, it’s a food truck that serves some of Chez Spencer’s specialty dishes for less than $ 12 each.
It’s a nice Gallic diversion from the standard taco trucks and hot dog stands, although I really can’t say French cuisine lends itself to such proletarian treatment. I kinda feel they should provide a candelabra, a violinist, and a sommelier, too. But they don’t. They put the food in little cardboard trays. I ordered the $ 6 Roasted Beet Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese and the $ 11 Braised Sweetbreads «Vol-​au-​Vent», which I found out meant it’s served on a hollowed-​out puff pastry (see photo).
Sweetbreads are the thymus and pancreas of a baby calf. Yes, I love internal organs. Maybe that’s why I was so good at «Operation» as a child. Anyway, it was tasty, not too salty but somewhat lukewarm, and I have to admit the portion seemed a bit smallish for the price. The salad, however, was a nice, colorful treat with a lot of bite to the chunks of beets. I think I just may be ready for the escargot and frogs legs next time. Good thing I live nearby since they don’t offer any plastic tables and chairs for the transient diner. Hmmm, maybe Keller could turn Ad Hoc into a to-​go truck.
FOOD — 4 stars… Surprisingly well-​turned French cuisine although it could spend less time on the warmer
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… it’s a truck after all
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… certainly fast, a little more friendliness would have been nice
TOTAL — 4 stars… now all we need is a nice paella truck

Just announced: one more day added to their schedule, now open on Wednesdays nights too.
Like I said before, I’m a fan of this concept. This is not like a taco truck that has the same menu every day. The menu changes often, so it’s fun for me to see if there’s something that catches my attention. If you prefer safer choices for food then perhaps try the Brain Wash Café across the street instead.

Genius on wheels!
Nobody doesn’t love a taco truck, add gourmet-​style french food, superb service and friendly proprietor and you’ve got a winning combination that is sure to become a San Francisco institution. Everything was fantastic, but the Escargot Puffs bear special mention. Little garlic and butter infused bites of heaven! Must. Go. Now.

Date & Time: Thursday May 21, 2009 @ 6pm Opening Day 1 Hour Wait
Company: Michael & Jack
Crowd: 30-​Something Professionals w/​Timbuk2 Messenger Bags, Ernest Sewn Jeans & Dogs
Vibe: Chill
Décor: Mobile Bistro; French Take-​Away Truck of Chez Spencer
Service: Friendly & Efficient
Devour: Everything On The Blackboard– Braised Skate Cheeks $ 9, Grilled Sweetbread w/​Sherry $ 10, Fungi $ 12, Escargot Puff Lollipop $ 2, Potato Garlic Soup $ 5, Frog Legs w/​Curry $ 9, Sweet Construction $ 1 Per Cookie 5 Kinds
Total: $ 50 for The Entire Menu