A much-needed niche for spicy and exotic Cuban food is being filled in Fayetteville by the Green Goat food truck. Located at the Yacht Club, a food truck court on College Avenue, the Green Goat serves up a host of Cuban treats of varying authenticity and unwavering good flavor. It may be a small food truck, but it packs a flavorful punch perfect for summer.
The Green Goat sports a bright, sunny green porch that makes summer snacking all the more enjoyable and serves as a welcomed reprieve from many busier spots on College Avenue. The menu is extensive and exciting, with tons of interesting options for carnivores and vegheads alike. The truck’s a la carte options make it easy to sample your way through the menu and try many of their delicious sides, many of which pack a meal’s worth of flavor.
My favorites are the tostones and and yucca fries. Tostones are fried plantains, a starchy and sweet cousin of the banana, and this version has a delightful, crispy golden coating. Think french fries, but sweeter and softer. My affinity for all things crispy and fried draws me to the yucca fries, another crispy yet sweet fried side. These fried delicacies are made from yucca root, a starchy, yet creamy vehicle for all manner of spice and delicious dipping sauce. Both sides come with a creamy cilantro sauce with adds a springy, herbal finish to the pleasantly greasy tostones and yucca fries.
The Green Goat has recently expanded their menu to include a variety of irresistible and interesting tacos. Being the intrepid taco-lover that I am, I dove right into the Korean BBQ Tacos with jackfruit, asian slaw, lotus root, green onion and cilantro sauce. Jackfruit, a tangy yet substantial fruit that is known for its umami meatiness, is marinated in Korean BBQ sauce to create Fayetteville’s best (and most likely only) Korean-Cuban Ozark taco. The jackfruit is chewy and soft in all the right ways, and is complemented by the subtly crunchy and zesty slaw and lotus root. Though they look like something that might be served at an otherworldly taco party, they are comforting and delicious.
The Green Goat’s sandwiches are equally amazing, and can be served on either sweet waffle bread or between two giant tostones. The tostones provide an excellently sweet and greasy canvas on which to pile a host of equally exciting ingredients. Both bun options are equally delicious, and taste great with my favorite sandwich, the Monster Veggie. A delicious vegan monstrosity of a sandwich, it supports layers of interesting flavor and texture. A black bean patty is coated with blackberry and chipotle jam, grilled onion, tomato, avocado, greens, and a choice of goat or vegan cheese. This makes for one of the best self-elected food comas in Fayetteville. It is simultaneously crispy, crunchy, sweet, spicy, greasy, melty, and delicious. Its everything I never knew I wanted in an Ozark-Cuban fusion sandwich, and more.
For the ravenous among us, there are several platter options with which you can cobble together a variety of tasty side items such as empanadas (fried and spicy little pastries packed with a rotating array of meat, cheese, and tasty seasonal veggies). My personal favorite is the smoky and spicy sweet potato black bean, which tastes like fall in a warm and toasty fried bread pocket. Maduros, the softer, gentler cousin of the tostone, are a tasty way to justify eating spicy hunks of fried fruit, and are oh-so delicious when dunked (or smothered) in cilantro sauce. To Ozark-ify your meal further, the collard greens are a tasty and spicy way to get a little more green onto your plate. These hearty stewed greens are something even the veggie-averse can heap happily, and guilt free on their plates.
The Green Goat is exciting, and always satisfying. Long summer days call for sunny and spicy lunches or tapas outside with friends, and The Green Goat is a must for adventurous and flavor-seeking eaters in Fayetteville. As much as I love to travel, The Green Goat has a big enough, and exciting enough menu to keep me occupied and interested in Fayetteville for a long while.