Elite Eatery is picture perfect

This dining experience began like so many: with a picture of a delicious-looking plate in the work group chat. Others replied with “yum” and fire emojis, but my immediate response was “where?” After learning it was from Elite Eatery, I knew for certain where my next meal out was going to be.

Elite Eatery is a food truck in the parking lot of a Marathon gas station on South Cedar Street. The menu is a collection of soul-food favorites, from fried catfish and dirty rice to smothered pork chops and candied yams. The service is as friendly as can be, and by the time I got home, my food was still piping hot and smelled incredible.

I’m glad I placed my pickup order beforehand; otherwise, I would have stood out in the cold for a while trying to decide. The wings dings in my co-worker’s picture looked too good to pass up, so that was locked in (thankfully the smothered turkey wasn’t available or I might have been led astray), but the selection of sides was tough to whittle down. I rarely indulge in mac and cheese and was in a treat-yourself-mood, so I picked that as well as the collared greens with smoked turkey, having recently been disappointed by some greens from another establishment. I will need to go back for the fried cabbage and dirty rice, though.

The wing dings come with a choice of seasoning, and that choice was easy since I’m a lemon-pepper fiend. The breading was super crispy without being too heavy or greasy, and the meat inside was tender and perfectly seasoned itself, having been marinated before being breaded and fried. With a drizzle of hot sauce, they tasted incredible.

The mac and cheese had the flavor of actual cheese — sharp, creamy and absolutely delectable. The greens added a nice counterpoint to all this richness, packed with smoky flavor and tasty hunks of turkey meat. Altogether, it was a decadent meal, but one prepared with such care that I didn’t feel too weighed down.

I demolished my plate, but someone with a more modest appetite could definitely make two meals out of the generous portions. Even if I hadn’t had to photograph my meal for this article, I would have anyway because it looked as good as it tasted.