Pigwich: the butcher's food truck in KC

In the industrial east bottoms of Kansas City you'll find Pigwich, one of the most unusual food trucks in the country. What makes it exceptional is two things: the first of which is the fact that the restaurant, or at least the kitchen, appears to be an old railway car. It's an easy mistake: there are plenty of other rail cars in the area; Kansas City has been one of the nation's hubs of rail traffic since railroads began in the 19th century. Just a few feet north from Pigwich run several very active tracks, and you'll no doubt see several trains pass by during your time at the eatery. At least one will likely block Montgall Avenue while you're there. The reality is the venue is an old fried chicken trailer that's permanently mounted on a concrete base, with wide wooden steps leading up to the order window.

Pigwich looks like a rail car, but is a converted fried chicken truck 

The second exceptional thing that makes Pigwich stand out is the food. You might argue this doesn't count as exceptional; after all: a food truck, by its nature, should, in fact, sell food. But every foodie can crack off more than a handful of food trucks that haven't measured up for one reason or another.  I've had stale pretzels in Philadelphia, awful cheesesteak in Chicago, a disastrous sandwich claiming to be BBQ in Dallas (technically, I think that was Frisco, but close enough), and several failed taco attempts in Kansas City, all off of food trucks. By comparison, Pigwich is a delight.

Tucked behind and to the side of The Local Pig, a butcher's shop and charcuterie on Guinette Avenue, Pigwitch has the benefit of fresh, choice meats straight off the butcher's block. Rotating daily specials feature sandwiches such as the Reuben, Cuban, Porchetta, or Meatloaf Patty Melt. Menu regulars include the cheesesteak, Bahn Mi, double cheeseburger, pork tenderloin, and, for the vegetarians, the falafel.

Seating at Pigwich is to the side of the Local Pig on a covered patio with wooden picnic tables.

The cheesesteak features the traditional blend of shaved steak, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and blended cheeses on a bun. Unrolling the aluminum sandwich wrapper and pulling the sandwich out will most likely involve pulling some of the stringy, melted cheese that's stuck to the wrapper, and you'll definitely want to get all you can. The portion is large and very tasty, with a great blend of flavor in every bite.  The peppers and onions aren't so large that you have to work to keep the sandwich together; instead, each bite has a good touch of each flavor without the pieces falling into your lap. This sandwich rivals, and improves upon, the cheesesteak at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia, home of the original cheesesteak sandwich and recipient of a James Beard Award for an American classic.

Chances are, you'll be licking the wrapper to get every bit of the cheesesteak sandwich. It's that good.

The Bahn Mi is billed as a pork meatball sandwich. But that's a simplistic definition. In reality the Bahn Mi is layered with flavor from the pork gods, singing with notes of thai spice, cilantro, and chile. Coconut is listed as an ingredient, and I'm not a fan of coconut in general. It's a texture thing. But I didn't sense the coconut texture, instead, there was a sweetness from the coconut that complemented the thai spice and chile. A blend of seasoned vegetables mixed with the meatballs and sauce inside the bun make the Bahn Mi a highly recommended offering.

The Bahn Mi. I could've taken a better picture and made the sandwich look better, but I had the advantage of being able to smell it. It demanded to be eaten!

Pigwich isn't a place tourists, or even most KC locals from the 'burbs, will stumble upon. You'll need to punch the address into your GPS or phone, and you might have to wait for a few trains to clear the intersections. But it's worth the effort. Seating at Pigwich is to the side of the Local Pig butcher's shop on a covered patio with wooden picnic tables. As of this writing, sandwiches are $7. Add chips and a canned soda for an extra buck. Find Pigwich at the corner of Guinette and Montgall Avenues, just northeast of downtown Kansas City and just a few blocks south of the Missouri River. The exact address for your smartphone map app is 2618 Guinotee Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64120.