Love is in the air this February with lots of events: the Florida State Fair opens, Wine Weekend in St. Petersburg kicks off, the country celebrates Superbowl Sunday...and did we mention the upcoming food truck rallies?! February 14th is the second Thursday of the month, meaning our monthly Downtown Lakeland Food Truck Rally falls on Valentine's Day! Alongside a display of 20 food trucks in the park, we will be setting out tables with linens, chairs, and will have a romantic playlist set on our mobile DJ truck - perfect for a fun, tasty and nontraditional date night. If you're looking to celebrate Saint Valentine over lunch instead, check out our daily locations page for the food trucks serving near you. Whether you plan to trek out to a truck forever alone or with a date you're sure to walk away with some awesome food. Need another reason to love on food truck dates this month? We've got three more reasons why.

1. Food trucks are a unique alternative to a restaurant. Bring a blanket or some chairs and set up camp at a cozy location to spend some personal time with your significant other (or friend or dog!) You can dine in a more intimate setting rather then a crowded restaurant, buzzing with other couples. Not to mention you'll avoid any awkward interruptions from wait staff. Food trucks provide sauces, disposable silverware and containers that make for an easy clean up and transportation to your "campsite." Food trucks also help you skip the long wait for a table, and avoid fighting for a reservation in advance. Menus are posted for easy access, and the turn time for food is excellent! There's no wait for individual courses to come out or waiting for your check, you can do a simple grab-and-go then set up for an intimate evening.

2. The eats are cheap, convenient and varied. You want BBQ and she wants Vietnamese? You can have both! Most trucks also offer dessert options, sides, and appetizers allowing you to create your own food sampling. Serve up a three course meal with a food truck (or three different food trucks!) You can walk up to the truck and get some quality eats without having to pay $30 each for an entree, as the average main course on a food truck runs about $10. Food trucks also tend to serve larger portions (think of a burger and fries) or smaller sampler portions you can order such as freshly made individual tacos.   

3. There's food for everyone! Do you have a picky eater with you? What about a vegetarian? Food trucks are flexible and willing to help out if your party has some diet restrictions. If a food isn’t disclosed as being vegetarian friendly feel free to go up to the truck and talk to the person at the window. More than likely, they will be able to help you out or make a recommendation! If you are opting to visit a location with just one truck, you can call ahead to ask about the menu. If you’re at a food truck rally just move on to the next truck to see what offerings they have! Are you on the keto diet? You can easily order sandwiches without the bun and skip the carbs. Many food truck menu items can also be ordered without toppings to conform to your date’s hatred of pickles. The possibilities are endless, don't hesitate to speak up!

It had been too long since I had visited the tasting room. I had the urge to enjoy a few tasty CCB beers on Nitro and enjoy some Food Truck Cuisine. Tonight was the first time I have relaxed all week and it was worth the wait. The tasting room was packed from front to back and the crowd was all ages and walks, that is one of the cool things about craft beer, doesn't matter who you are, you can find common ground through a good beer at CCB. 

After grabbing a Patio Tools on Nitro for myself and  a Hotter Than Helles for my better half we went and hung out in the new back room. It was nice and comfortable, we then went for a second round this time with Jai Lai White Oak and Nick Streeter's Scottish 60 on Nitro, both were as expected, excellent. Once we scored the second round we headed out to see what kind of Zoinks we could get our hands on. So you may be questioning what is a Zoink? Well enough people asked Tammy Young the Owner of Rollin Zoinks that question that she just slapped the definition of the word on the side of her truck, no seriously look: 

Now that we have the definition we can get into what we decided to order, first the Scallywag sounded so good I couldn't help but order it. It has seared scallops, snow peas, mushrooms, parmesan, couscous, spinach, baby spring mix, and lemon champagne sauce. Sounds pretty amazing doesn't it? The smell alone had me salivating as I watched Tammy go through the steps of putting the masterpiece together. 

The scallops were seared to perfection and had a very nice texture that paired well with the snow peas, and spinach which took a little harder bite to get through. The couscous added a little sweetness along with the Sriracha that Tammy added made for a sweet and slightly spicy Zoink that made me feel a little like Scooby Doo scarfing down a monster meal. 

So that brings us to our second Zoink, Steak on a Whim: Beef braised in CCB's Maduro with mushrooms, asparagus, swiss, risotto, romaine and Whim sauce. 

This was like a roast in a Zoink! The asparagus gave a nice crunch to the Zoink while the risotto added a nice twist. Second place to the braised beef was definitely the Whim Sauce though, it was a smooth brown gravy like sauce with just a little tart when it first hits your taste buds then it moves into a savory smooth flavor. 

Thanks Tammy and Rollin Zoinks, you didn't disapoint! We'll be back again for more soon. 

Interested in learning more about Zoinks and following them? You can find them on facebook at www.facebook.com/RollinZoinksTruck. 

Want to see Zoinks at a Rally this month? You can find them at: Daniels Chevrolet on the 18th or at the SOHO food truck Rally at MacDintons on the 25th. 

For a listing of all of our events check out our Food Truck Event Calendar.

Food Trucks are placed at Cigar City by Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally on: 
Friday Evenings from 4-10pm
Saturday from 11 am - 10pm (two shifts, typically two trucks)
Sunday 10-2pm  

The tasting room and brewery are located at 3924 W. Spruce St. Tampa, FL 33607
More information can be found on Cigar City at: www.cigarcitybrewing.com/ 

Cheers! See you at the brewery or at a rally!