Thursday nights are for enjoying fun food, with an amazing view, at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort’s Skyline Terrace. If you haven’t heard about this happening gastronomic event, you are missing out. My husband and I have made this our Thursday night tradition, and have enjoyed everything from tacos, French fries, Greek salads, rice bowls with hash brown toppings, to salted chocolate chip cookies, gelato, and so many other tempting treats.
Coronado Marriott Director of Sales and Marketing Jacqueline Claudio says that they implemented the concept in May 2021, during the pandemic, when they were doing very few events. Since they only have one restaurant, they saw it as a good way to offer their guests additional food alternatives, and help get the word out about their hotel to residents, allowing people to dine outdoors in their amazing bay front space. She notes that locals comprise about 80 percent of people that attend the weekly food truck event.
When they first started, Claudio says that they had to scour to find food trucks willing to take a chance on the concept, and among those first supporters were Taco Love, Z’s Buddy Sushi and Born in Brooklyn, all with phenomenal food. Claudio says she found Cali Love Ice Cream because she was a frequent patron at their downtown San Diego location. For 2022, they have hosted about 20 different trucks with food truck owners now approaching them to participate. She has had to turn some away because there just aren’t enough days.
The Marriott features a bar with local beers, California wines, refreshing seltzers, and a mix of canned cocktails. Parking is also free for the evening. Another highlight is talented DJ TeeLynn, who spins a variety of tunes for guests’ listening pleasure. She has also provided live music with her bands on several occasions.
The event has run on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the past two summers, but they would love to continue longer, if diners would still come. People need to make their voices heard to the Marriott Resort if there is a desire to continue this event for a longer time frame.
“This year has been more popular than last, as the word has gotten out, with sometimes more than 300 guests attending,” comments Claudio.
Having enjoyed the Thursday evening food trucks since the beginning, it got me to wondering about the origin of food trucks. Some people credit covered wagons in the 1800s that sold food to travelers, others mention the Texas chuck wagons of long ago, but it seems 2008 is when the craze began in Los Angeles. Food trucks and carts are super popular year-round options in Portland, Oregon, and I’ve always wondered why we don’t have more food truck options in San Diego county, with our moderate climate, but maybe I’m just not dialed in closely enough to the scene here.
I, like many people, like to try new foods, especially ones that I don’t make at home, so I’m happy the Marriott has embraced this idea. Sometimes people think of food truck offerings as only fried, non-healthy options. But to the contrary, many food trucks offer healthy organic food, some feature one ethnicity, while others have a mix of cuisines. The Marriott recently hosted Nom, a local vegan food truck with delicious plant-based food, as well as Rice or Death, featuring creative rice bowls and more, as well as many others.
“We developed the food truck concept as a way in which to offer a fun outdoor experience for both our hotel guests as well as the local community. To our surprise and delight, it was only a matter of weeks that the event gained traction and local notoriety,” says Coronado Island Marriott Resort General Manager Jonathan Litvack. This has become a favorite for families and retirees alike. Sharp Coronado Hospital has even developed a program where they give out certificates for employees to redeem at the food trucks.
We are delighted every Thursday as we hop on our bicycles or in our golf cart to discover what culinary options are on the menu and the interesting people we will encounter. Come early to grab a table or bring a chair or blanket for lawn dining. This week’s offerings include The Groovy Greek, Taco Love, URBN pizza, Cali Cream ice cream and cookies, with a new truck to try, called Currywurst, with German specialties.
