I was pretty excited when I first found out about Motor City Pasty Company. Not because it’s a pasty enthusiast in the metro Detroit area, but because it’s a food truck that serves multiple areas. I’d first heard about the truck when a friend noticed it at the Detroit Fleat in Ferndale. I was intrigued so I did some digging online and found a legitimate pasty truck trying to build its fan base.
In the fall of 2017, the main issue for the food truck is that its schedule is sparse and it took me a couple months to finally visit. As time goes on, maybe the truck will attend more events and get its name out there, but for now, you have to visit the MCP Facebook page to find out where it will be.
A pasty truck is a great idea, as long as you can pull it off. On the outside, everything works for Motor City Pasty Co., from the truck and simple logo to having a presence everywhere online. Pasties are ideal food truck food as you can make them beforehand and put them in a heat box before going to the customer. It’s pretty simple.
As for this truck, there is still some work that needs to be done. The website boasts of a “flaky pastry crust,” which wasn’t true in my experience. Unless the pasty I had was missing something, the crust is shortening-based, which takes away any chance of being flaky. It’s well known that lard has to be used for a flaky crust.
Getting past that, the pasty kind of looks likes a burrito with the handle semi-formed. If it tasted great, I wouldn’t care, but the crust was super dry and forced me to sip down my beer faster than I wanted. Whenever I have a mediocre crust, I’m let down immediately, but I charged on.
The insides are the selling point for this pasty and the main reason people will come back to the truck. There wasn’t too much salt and the meat-potato ratio were ideal. Unfortunately, there weren’t many rutabaga pieces in the Miner’s Delight.
There isn’t much difference between the Miner’s pasty and The 906, but I’d suggest the Miner’s Delight if you can’t decide. As for this review, I hadn’t tried the other options on the menu: Chicken, Italian, Mexican and Veggie.
The beef and pork gave the insides an almost perfect moistness that isn’t seen in most Lower Peninsula pasties. With some work on the crust, this pasty can reach another level, but until that happens, the dryness will be an issue.
Taste: 3 (out of 5)
Crust: 2 (out of 5)
Pasty Presentation: 2.5 (out of 5)
The Shop: 3 (out of 3)
Would I come back for Pasties?: 1 (out of 2)
Total Pasty Ranking: 11.5 (of 20 points)
(Reviewed Fall 2017)