In case last year’s season of Friday Night Markets in Old Town have been pushed down in your mental feed by the crushing cavalcade of events over the past months, here’s a quick refresher. The start time is 5:30 p.m. and lines for food stalls vary wildly. Parking is at a premium, so carpool if you can and either stake out your spot early or plan a pleasant walk to your ride to aid your digestion. And if the afternoon sun tells you to wear a cute sundress or something sleeveless, bring a sweater because she lies about the temperature drop after 6 p.m.
Market favorites like Frybread Love and familiar trucks like Nou Nou’s have returned, along with a crowd of newer vendors worth navigating the crowds to reach.
Locavore Pop-Up
The vibes are wholesome over here, with homemade everything from pickles to pound cake to freshly squeezed Meyer lemonade ($4). The Spicy Tuna Melt made with Banjo Fishing Inc.’s albacore on house-baked white bread is given zing with red onion, herbed mayonnaise, Buffalo hot sauce, slivers of jalapeño and jack cheese ($18). It’s true what they say about local tuna ruining you for the usual cans. You might inquire about extra cheese if you like a heavier melt but it’s a solid, split-able choice if you’re grazing with a pal.
Chilango’s
The truck, frequently at 724 Seventh St. in Arcata, isn’t new but it has eluded me thus far. A good Samaritan recommended the cochinita pibil in any form. Delivered atop a slim huarache, the oval of yellow masa piled with firm black beans, salsa, fresh and grilled onion, the orange-tinged pork marinated in annatto and tangy citrus juice is a deeply flavored, falling-apart marvel ($11). The price for this generous plate is a bargain because this is a whole dinner, but it’s hard to imagine the cochinita pibil not working out in anything from a torta to nachos.
Huddie’s Harvest
Apple cider doughnuts are a decidedly autumnal treat but I’m not complaining about this East Coast favorite showing up at any time of year. Rings of the softest cake flavored with cider and nutmeg, then fried dark and crusted with cinnamon sugar break apart so easily in your fingers you should probably nibble them from the paper bag. They’re $3 each, two for $5 or a dozen for $25 — but eat at least one immediately for the fullest experience you can have without raking leaves or visiting an orchard.
Share your tips about What’s Good with Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her), managing editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400 ext. 106, or jennifer@northcoastjournal.com. Follow her on Bluesky @jfumikocahill.bsky.social.
This article appears in In it for the Glory.
