Best 'Cheap Eats' come from a food truck

CLEVELAND - If you’ve been out to lunch near downtown Cleveland recently, you may have noticed a strange looking truck roaming around. Late at night, you’ll find the Dim and Den Sum food truck, complete with a cartoon octopus painted on the side, roaming the streets of Tremont.

“On the streets, we don’t have rent or anything like that,” said truck owner Chris Hodgson. “We’re able to bring locally sourced food from farms around this area to the streets, do whatever we want, create whatever meals we want.”

The meals from Cleveland Magazine’s Silver Spoon Award winner for Best Cheap Eats include chicken confit tacos, spicy seaweed salad, marinated tilapia burger or anything Chris and his chef Oleh Holowatyj feel like making on any given day.

“If you need something quick and wholesome and tasty, it just makes sense,” Holowatyj said.

Prices for food selections run from about $4 to $7 and can remain relatively low since there are no rent or utility costs. There are also no expenses for things like linens or glassware.

Trained as a chef in traditional brick and mortar restaurants, Hodgson decided to take his talents on the road.

“We got sick of serving people $20 entrees and $30 entrees,” Hodgson said.

To find out where the Dim and Den Sum food truck will be on any given day or night, you’ll need to log on to either Facebook or Twitter . Daily postings indicate location and also when the truck is out of food. When that happens, they close up shop for the day.

Food from the truck and other Silver Spoon Award winning eateries will be available at Cleveland Magazine’s 17th Annual Silver Spoon Award Party on May 26, from 6-9 p.m., at the Marriott Downtown Cleveland.

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Pete Kenworthy anchors Good Morning Cleveland. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter . You can also email Pete at kenworthy@wews.com .