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HomeGrown Gourmet Food Truck's Razorback burger. + Enlarge

It’s an unlikely spot for lunch. The traffic of Interstate 630 is purring just beyond a steel fence, with an occasional vehicle honk or ambulance wail breaking the monotonous hum. The Freeway Medical Center looms overhead — a behemoth of glass and steel and concrete casting a long, and on this springlike day, cold shadow.

Centered between University Avenue and Fair Park Boulevard. Sandwiched between an interstate and an office building. This is the very heart of the urban jungle known as Little Rock. Yet, in this spot, there’s fresh food being prepared. One can smell the burgers on the flattop grill. One can see smoke wafting. Between the aroma and sights, one forgets about his particular location. It’s hypnotic almost.

So who’s responsible for creating this food and this scene that cancels out the hectic? HomeGrown Gourmet Food Truck, a newish food truck joining Little Rock’s ever-expanding food truck fleet. But while HomeGrown is new on the scene, its creator is a well-known Little Rock restaurateur: one Mark Abernathy, owner and chef of local spots Red Door and Loca Luna, and the man originally behind Juanita’s way back in the mid-1980s.

Abernathy is joined by former Red Door associates James Thompson and Richea Grant in this new venture that promises fresh, never processed foods using entirely locally grown meats and produce with the exception of seafood, of course.

So far, HomeGrown has rotated between a number of spots in Little Rock. One day it might be at the corner of Bowman and Kanis roads. The next, at the intersection of Seventh and Woodrow streets. Or maybe the new University Market at Four Corners. Diners discover the truck’s location via Facebook every day, and then the hunt is on.

The February menu includes nine items all for under $10. (Doubling up on some taco dishes will increase the price to $10 or $13.) The items include tacos such as the Ahi Tuna with seared tuna, a wasabi-sesame slaw and fried avocado wedge for $8.25, or Jerk Chicken with spicy jerk chicken and pineapple slaw for $6.25. Blackened shrimp and Mongolian Pork tacos are also on the list. There are also three burgers, including the Mouth Waterer which is a half-pound burger topped with bacon praline slices and a fried egg among other goodies for $7. There is also a chicken sandwich (and the chicken can be grilled, blackened or fried), and the Grouper Fingers sandwich of panko-breaded grouper topped with a spicy tartar sauce for $9.95. All tacos, burgers and sandwiches are served with parmesan-rosemary fries, and sodas and water are also available. Plus, HomeGrown allows diners the option of mixing and matching tacos.

There are no strictly vegetarian options, which dismayed a couple of hungry diners on one particular trip to HomeGrown, but the truck is also only a month old, and one has to believe that vegetarian items are a possibility in the future.

Still, what HomeGrown does provide right now is the promise of freshly prepared, delicious foods — even in improbable locations.

THE DISH: OUR REVIEW

Razorback Burger ($7.95): Here’s to the joys of jalapenos adding a slight burn to a well-made burger. That’s what one experiences with the Razorback — a big burger loaded with crispy onion straws, bacon, barbecue sauce and choice of cheese (cheddar in this matter). The jalapenos might have been pickled, not providing that textured snap fresh jalapenos do — not to mention increased heat — but the spiciness they did offer only enlivened the burger a little more, providing a sharp contrast to the sweet barbecue sauce. The top bun was toasted too much (still not burned though), but the burger inside was served a perfect medium as requested, and the crispy onion straws delivered a crunch along with the savory bacon. Lost in the flavors of the burger, bacon and barbecue sauce was the cheddar cheese, but what can one expect when faced with a burger loaded with so many delectable toppings?

Being a fan of uncrispy fries, the parmesan fries were delicious. The light sprinkling of parmesan and rosemary perfectly mingled with the clean potato taste. (ss)

Ahi Tuna Taco ($8.25): This dish is probably the most gourmet thing on HomeGrown’s menu (though their seafood, they’re careful to add, is not in fact homegrown). Though fried fish is the norm in a fish taco, the tuna was perfectly seared and meltingly rare in the center; the fried avocado and fresh slaw made up the crunch. The slaw was a little light (for my taste) on the sesame and wasabi, but there was a pleasing bite to the fried avocado. Actually, everything about the fried avocado was pleasing — except for the fact that there was only one wedge of it on the taco. Please, sir, can I have some more? (kw)

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RESTAURANT INFO:

LOCATION: Check facebook.com/homegrowngft for daily location updates.

PHONE: (501) 413-3672

WEBSITE: homegrowngft.com or facebook.com/homegrowngft

DINING HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Check facebook.com/homegrowngft for days.

PRICES: $2.95-$9.95

ALCOHOL: None

IN A NUTSHELL: Burgers, sandwiches and tacos — all on wheels. That’s the premise of HomeGrown Gourmet Food Truck, the newest food truck in the Little Rock market. Longtime local restaurateur Mark Abernathy, and former Red Door associates James Thompson and Richea Grant started the food truck rolling last month, offering freshly prepared and mostly locally grown food — except for the seafood. The truck is sometimes part of the new University Market at Four Corners’ collection of food trucks at the intersection of University and Asher avenues and Colonel Glenn Road, and sometimes a solo venture.