Generally I try to buy food at the El Dorado County Fair from the local non-profits, like the 4H, granges, 20-30 Club and other local organizations. But now and then I wander off to see what new vendors we have, and I was delighted with what I discovered..
If you were at our fair last week, you may have noticed the brightly painted food truck that said, Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen. If you were lucky, you took the time to read their menu and order something, an act that I and a number of my friends did more than once during our great four day fair.
As you may know, food trucks have recently become very popular all over the country, including in the greater Sacramento area. So, two years ago Andrew Blaskovich leapt in and started Drewski’s by buying and outfitting one truck. Since then his business has grown exponentially. And, they have won “best of” from Sacramento News and Review, KCRA and more.
Blaskovich now has two trucks (located “On a street corner near you,” he says) and in the next few weeks should have cafés open in both Folsom and McClellan, in addition to the existing Republic Bar & Grill, a popular eating and drinking establishment on 15th Street in Sacramento, where he runs the kitchen.
I had quite a chat with the very personable Doug Otter, the truck manager, while they were at the fair. He said the secret to their success is selling food that people like, made from good quality ingredients and sold at a reasonable price.
The menu at the fair was their standard truck menu, which includes the following grilled cheese sandwich creations: Hemi: slow roasted Carolina pulled pork, Mac ’n Cheese, grilled onions and Cheddar cheese, grilled on sliced French bread, Mustang: Korean braised beef, house-made kimchi, shredded daikon, Sriracha (the Asian looking “Rooster Sauce” made in California)-Wasabi aioli and aged Havarti and Swiss cheeses grilled on sliced French bread, Prius: sliced and grilled Granny Smith apples, wild flower honey, Smokehouse almonds, and double creme Brie cheese, grilled on 9 grain sliced wheat, Tricycle: “Your Not So Standard Grilled Cheese,” with Cheddar, Swiss and Havarti cheese, grilled on sliced French bread, Drewski Dog: an all beef (Hebrew National) dog, bacon wrapped and topped with Cheddar cheese, grilled onions, Sriracha-Wasabi Aioli and grilled on a sweet French Hoagie roll.
Sides include Drewski’s Famous Tots, tossed with fresh rosemary and garlic; Sweet Potato Fries, also tossed with fresh rosemary and garlic and Drewski’s Deep Fried Mac ‘N’ Cheese Balls, with smoked bacon and black truffle, along with the S’moreski, made with whipped marshmallow, Nutella and graham crackers grilled on sweet French bread.
I tried the Drewski Dog, along with some tots, with which they gave me some Sriracha-Wasabi aioli for dipping (spicy and delicious, but not too hot). The sandwich was spectacularly wonderful and the tots dipped in the aioli, outstanding. I couldn’t eat all the tots, so I shared a half-dozen of them with some friends, who actually fought over the last one.
The next day my friend Russ Salazar, his lady friend, Lynn, and I shared a Drewski Dog and a couple of orders of tots, which was enough food for three normal people (Lynn is the only normal one it turns out).
Unexpectedly, we were joined at a table in the shade by two of my favorite and always delightful people, County Assessor Karl Weiland and his wife Heidi.
Heidi graciously shared her Prius sandwich with us and it too was very, very good, even to meat eaters like Salazar and me. She also had an order of Drewski’s Famous Tots, so we shared our dipping sauce with her. She must have really liked it as the small containers were wiped clean when she was done.
The Folsom café will be located off Iron Point Road in a business park, while the McClellan café is slated for 5504 Dudley Avenue.
In addition to everything else, Drewski’s does a lot of catering. For more information call (916) 502-0474 or visit www.drewski.com.
“So Doug,” you might ask, “why a food truck and cafes that aren’t even in our county?” Well, a lot of our people shop in Folsom at Costco and Sam’s Club, so they might be interested in something different. And, they received a number of inquiries at the fair about bringing their truck to the Placerville area once a week, one being from a city official. They are looking into that.
Finally, if you are wondering why the business is called Drewski’s, that is what his friends called him when he was young. Andrew Blaskovich simply became Drewski.