Missy McIntosh has hot sauce on her chin. But thats part of the fun of sitting on ledge near the Vancouver Art Gallery on a sunny winter afternoon and being able to devour one of the pimped out sandwiches from Moms Grilled Cheese Truck.
She laughs as she wipes off the remnants of her Dine Out Outside experience. If youre going to eat at food trucks, you have to be prepared to get a little messy.
The Vancouver blogger (LifeBitesMM.blogspot.com) is taking an extended lunch break from her job as a development associate at Fusion TV to take a tour of some of her favourite food truck vendors. Today, the centre of her food universe is Robson Square. Look in any direction and youll see a line up of people, some of them with faces upturned towards the sun as they take a break from their indoor jobs, others chatting with friends or continuing their office conversation. Theres life and energy on the street. It gets you in a good mood for going back to work, she says.
One of the things she loves about street food is its sense of community. You watch the vendors make your food and, if theyre good at more than just cooking, you engage with them on a personal level. Friendships form.
1. The food has to be good but the vendors have to be awesome.
2. Choose one thing and do it well.
3. Its not just location, location, location. You have to let your customers know where you are.
1. Be a food warrior. On a rainy day you suck it up and bring an umbrella. This is a perfect segue for rule number two
2. Dont order poutine in the rain. It tastes good for 30 seconds and then starts to clog up.
3. Get involved. Dont just stand there in the line. Be part of the experience.
Tacofino, Burrard at Dunsmuir
What she loves: chocolate diablo cookie, fish tacos, tuna ta-taco. Tacofino.com
The Juice Truck, Water and Abbott
What she loves: hot chocolate, featured soup/ the Almost Chocolate Smoothie, healthy faux ice cream. TheJuiceTruck.ca
Re-Up BBQ, Hornby at Georgia
What she loves: pulled pork sandwich.
Coma, best to check Twitter for locations
What she loves: Bim Bap, Jap Chae, Korean BBQ burrito. Twitter: @ComaFoodTruck
Mangal Kiss Mideast BBQ, VAG Plaza on Georgia
What she loves: shishlik, a local meat kabob with fresh veggies, sauces, and toppings, wrapped in Iranian flatbread. No website
Soho Road, Smithe and Howe
What she loves: naan kebabs. EatSohoRoad on Facebook
Fresh Local Wild, W. Hastings and Burrard
What she loves: albacore tuna sashimi, salmon and chips, albacore tuna melt. FreshLocalWild.com
Two of Missy's favourites COMA and The Juice Truck will be featured in the upcoming season of Eat Street on the Food Network. Season 3 airs Wednesdays at 7pm starting April 4.
