Gourmet Sandwiches From a Truck? That's Rough House Food

Gone are the days when food trucks were greasy spoons. Now they serve sandwiches made with artisan breads, organic produce and farm-fresh eggs.

Even the hot dogs are top-of-the-line all-beef at Rough House Food Truck.
You know, the shiny, fire-engine red food truck serving gourmet bites on the south end of Main Street, where three eager young foodies whip up amazing breakfasts and lunches five days a week in Middletown.     

Best friends Elizabeth "Bessie" Bianco, 26, and Kristen Angelico, 26, who lives in the Middle Haddam section of East Hampton, and brother Rafael Bianco, 28, rotate shifts slinging dogs and sandwiches on the grill.

There's always two of the three on Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.  to 3 p.m. and at Wesleyan University on Wednesday nights from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Rafael says they serve two very different clientele at the two locations. At Wesleyan, "it's a very enthusiastic crowd, and breakfast sandwiches and grilled cheese are extremely popular."

During the daytime lunch crowd, the chicken panini and hot dogs fly out the window.

"We serve all the way from truckers to lawyers — a full eclectic range of everything Middletown has to offer," says Rafael, a Central Connecticut State University graduate who majored in history.

"We are three young, ambitious food-lovers on a mission to feed all you flavor cravers! Rough House offers a funky version of traditional American cuisines with respect for our beautiful earth. We are proud to support local, natural, sustainable and hormone free foods whenever possible," reads their website.

Road House began as a hot dog stand in the park-like area next to Klekolo World Coffee and the parking garage off Court Street in 2010. Bianco, who graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in international relations and communications, worked for a while from the cart before taking a job last year as office manager at Sew-Fine Upholstery at 500 Main St.

Bianco left that job and this summer, the trio got a truck and started serving food on Court Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and used Fridays to visit businesses like Pratt & Whitney. Bianco said they were limited by the city parking department regulations to no more than three consecutive hours parked in a spot downtown — per day. It was a hardship not being able to serve breakfast or stay open until 3 p.m. if need be.

Mid-summer, they found a real home on Main Street Extension in front of Estate Treasures and Home Care Connection, route: {:controller=>"listings", :action=>"show", :id=>"home-care-connection"} --> in a large gravel parking lot, across from