From tri-tip to pork belly, new Oakdale food truck blends Asian, American cuisines
It’s not too often I intentionally eat at the same place two days in a row. But after trying the offerings at the East Meats West food truck at its first Modesto stop last week, I came back the next day to eat it again.
And that next day, I drove all the way to Oakdale to find them. Yeah, you could say I liked their food.
The food trailer from Oakdale native Justin Hanks blends Asian and American cuisines, as its play-on-words name suggests. Hanks, whose father is white and mother is Japanese, grew up eating both kinds of foods at home. So he brought that dual sensibility to his menu.
The result is a unique and delicious combination that brings something fresh and new to Stanislaus County.
East Meats West launched in fall of 2020, partnering at first with Dying Breed Brewing Company and other breweries in the area to provide food as required by COVID-19 safety guidelines. Then in September of this year they settled on their new permanent public location, in front of the Sons Farm Fresh fruit stand on East F Street.
Over Thanksgiving weekend the truck made its foray into Modesto, at the Rodin Farms Fruit Stand on Oakdale Road.
In fact it was the pandemic that pushed Hanks to start East Meats West, a passion project he shares with his dad, son and girlfriend who all help out on the truck. Before starting East Meats West, the 1996 Oakdale High graduate worked as a mid-level executive for Comcast for 20 years, and spent the last decade in Colorado for the company.
In early 2020 he moved back to Oakdale, where his family still lives, for another job opportunity. But then around the start of the pandemic that position ended and he decided to change careers entirely.
“I wasn’t passionate about the work I was doing, and was looking for a change anyway,” Hanks said. “(So) I invested in my passion which was cooking.”
It took about six months for his 20-foot custom trailer to be built, during which time he tested and perfected his recipes. He drew heavily from his background growing up in Oakdale, trips to Japan to see relatives and his parents — Lanny and Yoshi Hanks — who both cook.
His menu features two distinct sides, the East side with its Asian-inspired dishes and the West side with its traditional American fare. But basically everything is made from scratch and with care, from the sauces to his various meats and the truck’s signature steamed bao buns.
Those buns, which are made fresh daily, are used to make little white cloud-like sandwiches filled with his in-house produced pork belly, Yoshi’s fried ginger chicken and Korean BBQ (which run $12 and come with rice and a shredded cabbage salad). For those unfamiliar with bao buns, they’re a steamed bread that uses a flour-based dough to create a soft, fluffy and chewy texture. Again, like clouds.
The same kind of care is taken with his other ingredients. His pork belly — sort of like the most succulent thick-cut slab bacon you’ve ever had — is first roasted, then pressed and finally grilled to order in a process that takes three days.
On the West side you’ll find a Burgundy pepper tri-tip sandwich, pulled pork sandwich and a gourmet corn dog hand-dipped with their own batter recipe (which run $10 to $15 and come with fries).
Hanks tries to mix up the menu, and strives to keep adding new items. He recently started serving Korean BBQ tacos.
French fry lovers will also find a wide assortment of entree-sized dishes from garlic fries to Canadian poutine (fries with a gravy and cheese curds), and yakitori fries (topped with chicken that’s been grilled on skewers in a traditional Japanese style). You can also get the yakitori as a skewers meal or in a bowl meal.
All his meals are made to order, so expect a wait. But to make it easier, he uses light-up pagers to signal when your food is ready, like the ones once used by the Cheesecake Factory. He sells out of popular items too, so come early if you’re determined to try something in particular.
Hanks said he intentionally made his menu to appeal to a broad audience, and when he first debuted, his West side was the most popular. But over the course of the past year he said his East side now reigns with his Yoshi’s ginger chicken, named after his mom, the best seller overall.
After setting up a regular weekend schedule at Sons Farm Fresh this fall, he hopes to expand his hours in the new year to become a permanent fixture at the spot. The location was previously home to the Fasty’s BBQ Joint truck, which is in the process of opening a new brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Since switching careers Hanks hasn’t looked back at his corporate 9-to-5 days. Instead, he’s excited to bring something new to his hometown, and see people’s smiling faces as they try his creations.
“Oh my gosh, my mental attitude and everything has been improved drastically since. I’m making less money and working way more hours. but I’m working with my dad and my son and my girlfriend. And I’m having a blast,” he said. “I am so happy I made the change and wish I would have done it earlier.”
You’ll next find the truck from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Dec. 5 at Sons Farm Fresh in Oakdale, from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday Dec. 9 at Dying Breed Brewing in Oakdale and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday Dec. 11 at Rodin Farms Fruit Stand in Modesto.
Who knows, you might see me waiting in line, too. Just don’t take the last pork belly bao, that’s mine.
For more information and the full location schedule for the East Meats West food truck visit eastmeatswestfoodtruck.com.
