New Smoked Meat Food Truck Brings Brisket, With Norse God Flair

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New Food Truck Brings Gifts of Smoked Meat

Yes, 4/20 is on the way, but there’s a different kind of smoking going on in Seattle. A new food truck called Odin Star, specializing in smoked meats with a logo of the Viking deity on the side of the vehicle, has arrived in town. The truck — run by chef Seth Richardson, who cooked at Skillet and RockCreek — lands at Space Needle Park on Friday and Greenside Recreational on Saturday, with more locations to come. Among the more decadent menu items are smoked beef brisket with oregano mayo, hot fried chicken, and potato wedges with pork belly and pickled peppers. There will even be a soft serve machine on hand when the weather warms up. And, yes, the desserts will have a smokey element too — smoked sea salt caramel sundaes are coming.

Breweries Rake In the Dough (and Hops)

According to a recently-released report by research firm Community Attributes Inc., the beer industry contributed more than $1.4 billion to Washington’s economy and delivered around 6,300 jobs in 2017. This likely comes as no surprise for those who have seen the exponential growth of breweries in Seattle and the surrounding areas over the past decade-plus. In fact, there are more than four times as many licensed breweries in the state now than there were in 2005. Other key takeaways from the report are that the state has the second-most craft breweries in the country (second only to California), and Washington accounts for 75% of the hop crop production in the U.S.

Mean Sandwich Sold to New Owner

Highly-touted Ballard sandwich shop Mean Sandwich has changed hands. As Seattle Met reports, owners Kevin and Alex Pemoulie recently sold the business to former oyster salesman — and Renee Erickson’s husband — Dan Crookston. Customer favorites like the corned beef will remain on the menu, but expect Crookston’s oyster background to come into play with oyster po’ boys. There are also plans to expand the use of the backyard and obtain a liquor license to add wine and beer to the offerings.