Fun Vibe, Good Eats at Belmont's New Mobile Eatery

The brisk February air didn't keep hungry diners from attending Belmont's inaugural gourmet food trucks market Monday evening.

Off the Grid pulled in on scheudule at 5:00 p.m. and within minutes people were lining up at The Chairman, Hiyaa, Sanguchon SF, Sam's Chowder, El Sur, Hapa SF, Del Popolo and Kara's Cupcakes.

"We are really pleased with it," said Matt Cohen, founder of Off the Grid, a regional food truck company that operates 16 weekly markets around the Bay Area.

Cohen and several staff members were on hand for the "soft launch," making sure everything went smoothly at the market's new weekly home in the Caltrain parking lot.

"Our goal is to make the space more welcoming each week. We have live music, lights, chairs, and we will rotate the trucks every other week," said Cohen, who added all markets are pet friendly as long as dogs are kept on leash.

"There's tons of parking here, and we are really pleased with the turnout."

Cohen said Off the Grid chooses locations like Belmont, where they can feel like they are part of the neighborhood without encroaching on local restaurants.

"We feel like we are contributing to the community in some way," said Cohen.

Belmont Planning Commissioner Kenn Parsons agreed.

"It looks like it's going to be great," said Parsons, whose commission gave the go-ahead for the market in January.

"The market will get people to come to the downtown area and it doesn't seem to be hurting nearby restaurants, and the Belmont Chamber is in support of it," said Parsons.

Belmont residents Joe Brennan and Elaine Burns enjoyed their first food truck experience.

"The City of Belmont got it right on this decision to approve the weekly food-truck night. Elaine and I shared a Filipino pork dinner and we shared mushroom and Parisien empañadas in order to taste each other's choice. The food was delicious and we plan to continue doing it each Monday and bring neighbors in the future. We are looking forward to daylight savings time, longer days, and warmer nights," said Brennan.

Off the Grid will be back next Monday from 5-9 p.m.

Were you there? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Of course, awesome food isn't the only thing happening in Belmont---check out these other stories:

• Drug Dealer is Victim of Armed Robbery in McDonald’s Parking Lot
• Op-Ed: Belmont Wants to Stop the Sale of Your Home
• 86-Year-Old Woman Interrupts Home Burglary
• Home Prices in Belmont Expected To Top $1M This Year