Justice League of Street Food - Denver, CO

Neither rain nor shine keep the food trucks away at the Justice League of Street Food gathering at 29th and Huron. Many people showed up to this event, braving the early rain threat and the 7:45pm downpour. Live Facebook updates shouted encouragements.

Faced with too much time and a good book, I traveled to Denver early. The trucks were already there or filtering in at 3:30pm. Parking was being set up along with tables and chairs. It's always interesting to see how much time and effort goes into running such events. Do we give much thought to the before and after efforts?

We're here to party though, right? Eat good food, enjoy the company, people watch, play in the mud, eat more food, pray your stomach doesn't explode past your stretchy pants. I have worthy goals.

Food truck No. 1 - Pinche Tacos. My friends were craving tacos and the special was intriguing too.

Asking for spicy, Pinche suggested the Chipotle Pollo a la Crema (left). I think the cashier misheard my friend. If you read the menu, you would notice the ingredient list: braised chicken and spinach with creamy chipotle sauce, cotija cheese, sour cream. Nothing screamed spicy. Likewise, it was tasty without much spice. My other friend enjoyed there special- Camaron Xni-Pek featuring yucatan shrimp ceviche, pico de gallo with habanero, cilantro and cabbage slaw, sesame seeds and one other ingredient.

Here's the lengua which disappeared rapidly down my gullet. Pinche Tacos does charge tax.

No. 2 brought us to Deluxe's Little Orange Rocket. Chinese BBQ Baby Back Ribs screamed for attention as did the lamb flatbread.

Outdoor "performance" food art doesn't hurt one's case either. Notice the kid's devilish sneaky grin.

 One more action shot.

Please admire the picture. Fingers rapidly creeping towards it. Women craving the promise of succulent ribs.

Satisfaction! Seconds were dealt later.

Ground pistachios, rightly spicy, savory eastern goodness. Meet the Grilled Lamb Flatbread.

We found another like-minded food friend outside of Biker Jim's (No. 3). A sausage fan, he wolfed down this Elk Jalapeno dog in no time.

Once again, Biker Jim's banishes any food pacing ideas with his Banh Mi dogs. They hit the spot, though I wished the pickled vegetables were a touch spicier. I also heard Biker Jim's restaurant were serving lobster dogs below their standard $20 price tonight. Did you try one?

Aaaaahhhh! The Denver Cupcake Truck goodness! Maple Bacon on left, a chocolatey creation on the right.

If you required beer, Avery Brewing Company was here. Wine was also available in another area. I liked the food truck setup this evening. You'll see more pictures later, but most food trucks were on one side, tables along with beer, wine, ice cream sandwiches on the other. It was nice organization and I never felt crowded.

We toured around the food truck circle debating what to eat. Denver Biscuit Co specials were a Biscuit Cinnamon Roll and Chicken Cordon Bleu.

We also walked past Fat Sully's with their special, the Raspberry Dessert Slice. Tempting, but wasn't in dessert mode yet.

Or were we? No. 4 led us to Agave S'Mores on a Stick. They featured homemade marshmallows using agave and special Great Divide Chocolate Yeti Caramel sauce.

Let the eager eaters demonstrate this dessert's yumminess and messiness.

Stick It To Me came in at No. 5. I convinced a friend to share two sticks with me. They don't sell single sticks (make note), but doubles, sandwiches and salads.

We chowed down the Italian (savory) and the Spaniard (spicy).

My friends wanted to explore their sweet tooth options some more, but I delayed them at No. 6 Gastrocart's Scott Parker's Roasted Mushroom Manwich.

It was huge! Honestly, this probably won the best value award. At $3, it was large and featured great flavors.

No. 7 was the new truck, Cream City Treats.

My friends are quite thrilled with their Chocolate Cookie with Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip ice cream (left) and Lemon Pistachio Cookie with Pistachio ice cream. I sampled half the lemon cookie, but found it quite boring. Cream City was the weak link today. And since they were serving ice cream sandwiches from a cooler, why bother with a truck?

We were wearing down. The 7 food trucks had dented our hunger, stretched our bellies tight, and threatened food comas.

You had a few options. Run around the block, leave, call for backup, or throw rocks in the mud or puddles.

We sat around a bit. Fortunately, they had plenty of seating and a cool dj mixing. Eventually, my group dwindled to one.

No. 8! Steubens! Green shirt guy looks happy. They had a few deals today including a combo slider (tempting, but couldn't fit that in), deviled eggs, and butterscotch pudding.

Six deviled eggs for $5 and a free butterscotch pudding sample (awesome!). The eggs were good and thankfully I bumped into friends to share with.

I did not share with this dog, but the puppy was quite popular. There were several dogs with their owners tonight. Some looked quite happy to be there. Scraps, anyone?

Then the rain struck. Timid at first, the gray clouds overhead built up.

They packed under Biker Jim's tents and beneath trees.

They found shelter underneath truck awnings and their umbrellas.

Others' alcoholic stimulation led to random cheering and hand waving.

If only everyone was as short as the woman hiding beneath Deluxe's order stand.

Gray skies only highlight Steuben's colorful truck.

Of course sunglasses are necessary during a rainstorm.

Hard to make Steamin' Demons' Banh Mi and Udon Bowl in such heavy crowding.

Tempting menu, right? (5pm shot)

DJ, ATM, Beer.

Once the rain stopped and clouds departed, people emerged from their shelters to kickstart their food frenzy again.

It was a good night. I had a great time and hope everyone else did too. These parties are awesome. There's great food and great energy here. Keep on partying, Justice League of Street Food!

Goodbye.