[/caption]

Time to give you the dish…on just one dish!

I love food trucks and have found that most of them, more often than not, serve quality food at fairly reasonable prices. Helping support my claim is Little Rock’s Banana Leaf, an Indian food mobile eatery usually found at 201 N. Van Buren Street. This entry will focus solely on their Chicken 65 dish.

I’m not what you’d call the biggest fan of extremely spicy food. But after reading this piece on Eat Arkansas, I decided the Banana Leaf’s Chicken 65 ($4) might just straddle the line of enjoyment/insanity.

Chicken 65 is comprised of thigh meat which is marinated in various Indian spices and then deep fried. Served piping hot in a small styrofoam box, it’s the consummate Indian street food. After paying for my order (cash only), I was told by the friendly owner that it would take a few extra minutes to prepare the dish. No worries…I wasn’t in any rush that day and decided to sit in my ride, put down the windows, and listen to a little sports talk radio as I waited. During this time, it was apparent how genuinely concerned the owner was that I receive my food on time. In the end, I think the Chicken 65 was out in about 10-12 minutes.

I dove into the dish and quickly realized my decision to also order a bottled water was a wise one. As anticipated, the level of heat was high, yet not overwhelming. An instant burn hit the front of my tongue, then moved to the back, finally consuming my entire mouth and top of the throat. With a sudden, light cough I felt little sparks of fire rise up from the depths of my windpipe. Perspiration mounted on my bald dome.

In the end, Chicken 65 lived up to the hype. The chicken was moist, fried to perfection, and well seasoned. It was an eating experience I won’t soon forget.