Lucky Old Souls Burger Truck

Just a quick post today and a friendly plug for an awesome local business.  If you are in the Philly area and you are at least somewhat hip to the local jazz scene then you surely know about Matt “Feldie” Feldman and his many-faceted enterprise: Lucky Old Souls. Feldie is a music lover, and a super knowledgeable music lover, at that. I was a big fan of his weekly GTown Radio show entitled Lucky Old Souls in which he spun an awesome mix of classic jazz, rhythm and blues, along with an infusion of newer and often local jazz. I learned a lot listening to those shows. And if you are a person who goes out to live local jazz shows then you surely know about Feldie’s monthly concert series at the Moonstone Arts Center. And maybe you’ve also heard that Feldie has been working on opening up a restaurant/jazz club in South Philly. Well, red tape and classic Philly bureaucracy have temporarily slowed down that process. Never one to wait around for things to just happen on their own though, Feldie has, for the past few months, been the proprietor of an amazing food truck. From the Lucky Old Souls website:

Lucky Old Souls brings joy to people through music and food.  Originally a jazz radio show and subsequently a monthly concert series, Lucky Old Souls is now also a burger truck serving delicious comfort food made with the best local and sustainably-produced ingredients.  Our "farm-to-truck" menu features grass-fed beef burgers, hand-cut fries, housemade bacon, housemade veggie burgers, seasonal local vegetables, made-from-scratch condiments, thick milkshakes, and all-natural artisanal sodas.

Most people don’t know this, but for years I’ve had a strange desire to have my own food truck (mine would sell bagels – good bagels, something which can be a rarity in Philly!). And over the years I’ve casually questioned some of the food truck proprietors that I’ve patronized. They all have told me that it is a LOT of work. But if someone can make it happen, and pull it off in style, it would be the enterprising – and uncompromising – Matt Feldman.

Well, I can’t believe that it took me this long, but today I finally had my first Lucky Old Souls burger (and milkshake). It was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

I’m not a huge red meat eater anymore, but I do really enjoy a good burger – happens a few times a year. And over the years I’ve had plenty of really good burgers. This one was up there with the best - ever. Honestly, I was pretty blown away. My burger was the special: Lancaster County grass-fed beef (most ground beef in stores is from cows that are fed corn – cows aren’t designed to eat corn. It’s actually harmful to them. They are supposed to eat grass. And thus grass-fed beef just tastes better. It’s also way more humane), collard greens (yummy, a little sweet, a little salty, right amount of garlic), habañero cheddar (just a little bit of heat), homemade bacon (YES!), homemade mayo (yes!), on a really, really good bun. This is truck food at its very best. The items on this menu aren’t priced like a cheap lunch truck, but you certainly get what you pay for. The ingredients are top quality and local! I also had a milkshake today – the first one I’ve had in a long, long time. Sinfully delicious. Next time I will try the hand-cut fries.

This food is for real, people. As good as any burger joint anywhere. If you are in Philly, you owe it to yourself to check out the Lucky Old Souls truck. As Feldie’s site says “Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @LOSBurgerTruck”

And here’s the menu:

And did I mention that the Lucky Old Souls Truck plays music?? Today while I waited for my food and chatted with Feldie I heard the late great rapper Guru, Nina Simone, and Charlie Parker. That's pretty darn cool!

And one last thing, if you don’t know about Feldie’s Philly Jazz Calendar, then by all means check it out here. 

Listening: The New Maalouf

Short post today. The new Ibrahim Maalouf CD “Diagnostic” is straight-up awesome. I’ve written about Maalouf before here and here. Like his first two albums, “Diagnostic” is eclectic and meticulously recorded, mixed, and mastered. It sounds amazing. And Maalouf is clearly growing as an artist. He’s not a jazz player or a typical classical player. His music melds the classical and jazz influences along with the music associated with his Lebanese heritage as well as the global music amalgam of his current home, Paris. This is global music. World music. Maalouf is a monster trumpet player. And a real artist. Check out this tune “Beirut” from the new record. The video is pretty special in its own right. Hey, Mr. Maalouf, please come play in Philly. Or anywhere in the northeast part of the US.