Good Morning America features Marination Mobile

In case you needed more proof that Seattle is slowly but surely gaining its street food cred, Marination Mobile has been selected as one of the nation’s four finalists in GMA Weekend’s Best Food Cart Challenge. (OK, maybe being selected by the weekend offshoot of Good Morning America doesn’t necessarily build up “street cred,” but I hope you get my point….)

On Wednesday, the show’s crew and host Ron Claiborne (he’s the one on the right), visited Marination Mobile during its weekly Wednesday lunch service in Fremont. Despite a bitter wind, the crowd was steady, hopefully making for good footage.

Marination Mobile’s spicy pork taco was the dish selected to represent the 5-month-old, Hawaiian-Korean fusion outfit. GMA Weekend’s nominations closed Oct. 25 and Wednesday Marination Mobile had been notified that it would be featured. The other three finalists, reportedly, hail from Portland, New York and Virginia.

The nomination episode will air this Saturday. A guest chef will recreate the four signature dishes and viewers will be asked to vote on Saturday for their favorite at this site, with the winner being announced the next day.

If you’ve never tried Marination Mobile, I highly suggest you do so. Monday-Saturday they are at different spots throughout Seattle, so finding one close to you shouldn’t be too tough.

I tried the chicken, beef and pork tacos and can honestly say they are the tastiest I’ve had in Seattle. Unlike so many restaurants, Marination Mobile seems to understand that spice is a flavor, not just a sensation. The meat in all three cases was soaked in flavor, my personal favorite being the Kalbi Beef — a Korean-inspired short rib, which was a succulent blend of soy sauce and citrus.

All three tacos came with my new favorite condiment — cabbage — and had just enough kick to warm me up on a blustery day.

Like the Kalbi, the Spicy Pork was sliced nice and thin with a similar level of spiciness. It’s apparently inspired by a Korean bulgogi.

I was tempted to try the Kimchi Rice Bowl, but figured to leave something for the next time I visit.

On a side note, I also learned that the second Mobile Chowdown is planned for Jan. 9 at the same Interbay parking lot. This time, it sounds like the vendors will be better prepared for the crowds.

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