The Rodeo Wagon is no Wok in the Park -- or is it?

Bringing a food truck to the National Western Stock Show is no Wok in the Park. That's because when Aramark, which handles food/beverage concessions at the Denver Coliseum, decided to add food trucks, including Biker Jim's, to its side of the Stock Show, right under the I-70 viaduct, it changed...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 20, 2012

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Bringing a food truck to the National Western Stock Show is no Wok in the Park. That's because when Aramark, which handles food/beverage concessions at the Denver Coliseum, decided to add food trucks, including Biker Jim's, to its side of the Stock Show, right under the I-70 viaduct, it changed the Wok in the Park truck it had introduced at Coors Field last season into the Rodeo Wagon. "It's gone great," says Aramark regional director Richard Hesse of the removable signage on the truck, which made the transformation easy. "We put a new concept in the truck to appeal to the Stock Show guests. We went with a Colorado cheesesteak sandwich, a brisket sandwich; we're doing smoked, marinated turkey legs." And yes, they're doing Rocky Mountain oysters, which have been getting "rave reviews," he notes.

"We can tailor the truck to whatever the particular event is," Hesse explains. "That's what makes it work; we can keep the truck active for the whole year." It was in Kansas City for football season, serving melt sandwiches at Arrowhead. It will spend the next month at the rodeo in San Antonio, doing a barbecue concept. But it will be back at Coors Field -- and back in its "Wok in the Park" incarnation -- in time for the Colorado Rockies' opening day, when it will return to its emphasis on Asian food.

But you'll still be able to get Rocky Mountain oysters at Coors Field -- just not at Wok in the Park. No, since 1995 they've been available at stand 144 at the ballpark, where they have a "small but hardcore following," Hesse says. "They certainly don't sell like the Rocky dogs, but folks who are fans buy it every time they come."

If you're a fan of Rocky Mountain oysters, the Rodeo Wagon will be open from 4 p.m. through close at the Stock Show through Sunday.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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