Recap: The Urban Craft Beer & Food Festival

While Sherbrooke Liquor Store has organized beer tastings in the past, The Urban Craft Beer & Food Festival was their first event to incorporate food trucks into the mix. Held last Friday at the Alberta Aviation Museum, the event was a fundraiser for the Urban Spirits Rotary Club, with proceeds supporting youth at risk in the Edmonton area. Admission tickets were $25 plus service fees, with sample tickets to be purchased separately on site, for $1 each.

At the Aviation Museum

Mack and I arrived early to avoid the crowds, which paid off on the food end of things! Little Village, Bully and The Lingnan Express were on hand in the food truck “corral” outside. The Aviation Museum restricts the use of open flame in the building, which helped to rationalize the location of the trucks, but I think they should have been more prominent somehow – the trucks and their menus weren’t even included in the program.

To the food trucks

It was also unfortunate that it had snowed earlier in the day, as it turned the dirt pad into mud. Tarps and wooden boards provided some separation, but it was less than ideal.

Food truck corral

Still, the trucks soldiered on, and we picked up a great spread – it was one of the first times Mack and I have been able to do so, given we are usually otherwise occupied during What the Truck?! events. Bully seemed to be the only truck to truly pair beers with their food, as all five of their dishes incorporated a different beer being poured in the tasting room.

Sliders from Little Village, mac and cheese from Bully, spring rolls and crack chicken from The Lingnan Express (all for $20!)

After dinner, we perused the beer vendors. Although we appreciated that the event was a fundraiser, samples were priced at 2-3 tickets each. As a result, we ended up only sampling a few beers, partly due to the fact that it would have been quite costly otherwise (we wondered if the organizers might consider including 5 sample tickets with the price of admission to get people started).

Mack queues up for Alley Kat

For my sake (as a non-beer drinker), we chose to try a few beers featuring fruit. My favourite of the bunch was Alley Kat’s Summer Squeeze Grapefruit Ale – it was even more fruity than their Aprikat, full of citrus flavour.

What the Huck from Fernie Brewing, featuring a huckleberry finish

Mack also tried Alley Kat’s Udderly Vanilla Milk Stout, which tasted more like spiked coffee to me, but Mack enjoyed the combination of coffee and vanilla.

As were were principally there to support the food trucks, we didn’t regret our decision not to imbibe in more beer tastes. But if this event does take place next year, I’d recommend attendees budget in advance, knowing the price of sample tickets. Kudos to the organizers for involving food trucks though – hopefully more events do so as well!

Portland: Food Cart Central

In September, Mack and I spent ten days in Portland, Oregon. I’m hoping to cover the highlights of our trip over a series of posts.

When deciding where we would vacation last fall, we had a short list of American cities we had yet to explore. Portland was at the very top, and given its vibrant food cart culture, it seemed fitting to pay them a visit on the heels of our biggest What the Truck?! event to date. We knew about the sheer number of food carts in the city (somewhere between 400-600), had heard about their well-established food pods (clusters of food carts), and researched some of the vendors that have received national attention. We were more than ready to experience the mobile magic ourselves.

First Impressions

I have to say, our initial impressions weren’t positive. Our first encounter came on night one, after checking into our hotel. We had located a food pod about two blocks away on Alder Street, and were hoping to score a quick dinner.

This pod, like most others in the downtown core, was made up of carts set up on the periphery of parking lots. Although we did encounter actual “food trucks” over the course of our trip, most vendors were set up in converted trailers, connected to city power and water hook-ups. Many were far from well-maintained.

Dual purpose lots

For visitors like us, it also wasn’t evident where patrons were supposed to sit, without obvious dining areas in sight. A few days later, after familiarizing ourselves with the neighbourhood, we located a park nearby, but for a city known for its pedestrian leanings, the lack of benches was surprising.

Worst of all, the vast majority of vendors were closed! We learned quickly that most downtown carts only operated during the lunch rush, while pods that catered to the evening crowd were located in other parts of Portland.

Sorry, come again

On the plus side, this did narrow down our choices quite significantly, given there were only three carts still open at 6:30pm that night. We ended up ordering from neighbouring vendors, picking up a Cuban sandwich ($7.50) from El Cubo de Cuba, and a yellow chicken curry ($5) from the aptly named I Like Thai Food.

El Cubo de Cuba and I Like Thai Food

Unlike food trucks, which are set at a grade or two above street level, many of the food carts in that area were constructed from converted trailers. As a result, we were able to peer directly into the kitchens and watch as our food was being prepared.

Although it didn’t make sense for us to partake, El Cubo de Cuba participates in Go Box, an initiative that attempts to decrease the waste of disposable food containers by encouraging the use of reusable take-out boxes. It’s just neat to see an example of a program that can flourish only with a critical mass of vendors.

With seemingly no other option, we brought our food back to the hotel for consumption. The curry was absolutely steaming hot, and cooked to order, the chicken was tender amongst the softened vegetables. I couldn’t get over how inexpensive it was – $5 for a generously portioned curry and a side of rice was unreal.

Yellow curry and Cuban sandwich

Similarly, the pork in the cuban sandwich was dripping with juice, and with meat stuffed to the brim, Mack could barely finish it. The tater tots were a fun alternative to fries.

Eats After Dark

Two days later, we made plans to check out one of the late night pods across the river. About a half hour’s walk from downtown, Cartopia on Hawthorne and SE 12th was adjacent to numerous bars and restaurants. This proximity was the case for the two other late night pods we passed through later that week (one on Mississippi Avenue and another, with live music, in Clinton), and made perfect sense given the pods’ complementary nature to brick and mortar businesses, enhancing street life all while providing a hangover cure.

Cartopia was set up on a vacant lot, and the carts, like those we had first encountered, were also plugged into the power and water systems. Unlike the downtown pods, however, Cartopia had a canopied seating area and portapotties. And with a simple string of lights, it looked like the perfect place to spend a warm fall night.

Cartopia

We were swayed by the promise of poutine ($5) from Potato Champion, but it ended up being the least favourite food cart dish of our trip. Although the fries were all right, the “curds” were mozzarella chunks, and the gravy was weirdly sour and unstrained, which left chunks of onion amongst the sauce to contend with.

Poutine

We fared better for dessert – Perierra Creperie had the longest line of any vendor, and after trying a delicate chocolate and banana crepe ($6) made literally in front of us, we could see why.

Perierra Creperie

From Whiffies, I indulged in a deep fried peach pie ($5). Freshly fried, the pastry was deliciously crackly.

Enjoying my deep fried pie

No doubt, the advantage of pods was the ability to mix and match – for the price of one entree at a casual upscale eatery, we were able to sample three different items. Though we didn’t crunch the numbers, we were almost certain we spent less on food in Portland than we have in our other trips to American cities in recent years.

The Money Cart

Our hallelujah food cart moment came halfway through our trip, when we made our way to Brunch Box on Oak Street. Featured in season one on Eat St., this was the cart that had become seared in my memory, the money shot of the YouCanHasCheeseburger haunting me.

Brunch Box

What is the YouCanHasCheeseburger, you ask? It’s a burger on steroids – instead of a regular bun, all of the makings of a burger, a patty, lettuce, tomato and onions, are bookended by two Texas toast grilled cheese sandwiches. All for $6.

YouCanHasCheeseburger

It was far from gourmet, but that burger was our most memorable meal, probably because it met our sky high expectations, built up after years of anticipation. The buttery crispness of the grilled cheese just melted into the beef, with sauteed onions providing a sweet finish.

Digging in

The burger made such an impression on us, in spite of the caloric feat, we returned to Brunch Box…two more times.

Ecstatic to be back for a grilled cheese

PDX Favourites

Because food pods have taken root all across Portland, many of the popular vendors have been able to open multiple locations.

We returned to the Alder Street pod for lunch one day so we could dine at carts that were already closed on our first visit. Though we were in the thick of the lunch rush, there were surprisingly few people around the pod. With so many vendors competing with one another, we had to wonder how some were able to survive, especially with such limited operating hours.

Mack made a beeline for Grilled Cheese Grill, a cart with three locations in the city. They had an impressive selection of classic and modern grilled cheese combinations, with Mack ultimately deciding on the Gabby ($5.75), with Tilamook cheddar, colby jack, swiss, mozzarella and bacon. He enjoyed it, but said it paled in comparison with the simple but solid grilled cheese sandwich from Brunch Box.

The Gabby

Nong’s Khao Man Gai is easily Portland’s most famous food cart, renowned across America for the sole dish they sell, a Hainanese chicken rice. They have two locations in the city, and both close up shop once the day’s inventory has been sold.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

The front clerk charmed those waiting in line, his carefree disposition translating into effortless upsells and smiling customers. I was easily convinced to add an order of fried chicken skin ($1) to the basic order of poached chicken and rice ($6.75).

Chicken and rice

Terrible photo aside, the dish transported me back to Asia. Served in a paper packet sealed with an elastic, the slow braised meat was some of the best chicken I’ve had, and even better when accompanied with a bite of aromatic, shiny rice and a drizzle of ginger and garlic-flecked chili sauce. The order also included a small container of fragrant broth, which I inhaled.

No doubt, the sheer number and panoply of carts was impressive. Though we weren’t sure how they all sustain themselves, it was entirely true that a high quality meal could be had at street corners all over Portland. Let’s hope Edmonton’s food truck culture continues to develop in this direction!

Recap: What the Truck?! @ Churchill Square

September 8, 2012 saw the biggest What the Truck?! take place in Churchill Square. Twelve trucks congregated downtown for our final hurrah for the 2012 season.

WTT @ Churchill Square

As with our penultimate event on Victoria Promenade, we again lucked out with the weather. And though it started out unbearably hot, the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings in the early evening soon made the conditions absolutely ideal for an outdoor food festival.

Enjoying summer

There were other benefits to setting up on Churchill Square, which made it immediately obvious why it is Edmonton’s de facto events space – the infrastructure, which includes built-in power hook-ups, on-site washrooms and a multitude of seating options is efficient, and cost-effective. It also does, in a way, spoil us for any other location in the city, but given the pop-up nature of the event, we hope you’re willing to bear with us in the future!

Lots of seating

Loved that newly-married Nadine and Glyn stopped by!

That said, we also recognized that in order to even attempt an event at Churchill Square, we needed to have our biggest turnout yet to not only animate the area but also enough people to patronize the trucks. Thankfully, we were thrilled for the support we received that night. One of the pieces of feedback we did receive was that people appreciated the expanse of the location – lines had enough room to breathe, and those browsing through menus could do so fairly easily. We do have to thank Northlands for stepping up and lending us stanchions for this event – they did wonders for directing and managing lines!

Yay, stanchions!

The trucks all deserve a standing ovation for what they did that night – all twelve absolutely rocked it, serving the huge crowds tirelessly and with grace to spare. We are very lucky to have such a great food truck community in Edmonton that seems to be getting bigger by the season! Among our WTT newcomers this time around were Little Village, Yellowbird Cafe and Bully.

Little Village

Nachos from Yellowbird Cafe

Bully is the shiniest new truck on the scene, the city’s first American-style truck. I tried their grilled salmon served on salad – the fish was deliciously flaky, with a nicely seared crust. The portion was so big that I didn’t have room for any other savoury dishes that night!

Bully

Buttermilk and basil marinated salmon from Bully

This time around, we also had volunteers helping us out with set-up and clean-up. Especially when things got going, it was great to have extra pairs of hands changing garbage cans so we could ensure the Square stayed spic and span. Thanks again to Brittney, Fel, Kathy, Kim, Patrick, Su and Thom for all of your help!

Some of our great volunteers – Kim, Thom and Patrick

It was great to work DJs Raebot and wijit, who really helped set the tone for the evening. No doubt Churchill is a large space, but their tunes helped bring it all together.

DJs Raebot and wijit

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! in 2012, and to those who voted us Edmonton’s number one pop-up event in Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton poll. We really appreciate the support!

Churchill Square

And though we might be done for the year, that doesn’t mean all of the trucks are! Bully, Drift and Little Village among others will be serving into October. Keep the truck love going!

Check out the full photoset here.

Recap of Blink: Urban Picnic

Our second pop-up dinner in the Blink series took place on August 26, 2012. Situated outdoors in Louise McKinney Park, the weather would undoubtedly make or break the event. We were fortunate that it was the former and not the latter.

But even better than the conditions that evening, Mack and I were able to find three amazing partners that really helped make Blink: Urban Picnic happen. The first, the Shaw Conference Centre, not only helped us ensure the price of Blink remained affordable, but went above and beyond by kicking things off in an extraordinarily creative way. Shaw lent us dishes and flatwear, a cost that would have otherwise been passed on to the diner. They also introduced the idea of offering an “escalator cocktail” as a welcome beverage. Diners, greeted at the Jasper Avenue entrance, were handed a refreshing drink, and invited to enjoy it as they took advantage of the escalators, an ideal gateway into Edmonton’s river valley.

Cocktail hour

Communal walk to dinner

The tables are set

Second, Kara and Nevin Fenske of Drift, helped articulate the concept of an “urban picnic”, designing a casual but refined family-style menu perfect for communal tables. Their commitment to local producers also meant the courses were seasonal, highlighting the breadth of harvest produce available from area farmers. They also secured live music, which further enriched the setting.

Mobile eatery (photo by Hugh Lee)

Nevin and Ron working hard

Kara serves up some crostinis (photo by Hugh Lee)

Enjoying the sunshine

Musicians from Drive the Day and Calan and Cole

Urban picnic

Family style (photo by Hugh Lee)

The fried chicken was divine, though the warm potato salad was a close second

The third, River Valley Adventure Company, agreed to serve dessert and coffee to patrons as a cap off to the night. Given that many still aren’t aware of their presence in the park, it was a great opportunity for guests to learn more about their services. Even better, Chris, the gregarious owner, offered free segway demos to anyone interested.

Free rides

Though it wasn’t entirely intentional, I ended up really enjoying the physical transitions down the gradient of the river valley. From a cocktail hour at the Shaw, dinner with a view, finished with segway ride next to the river, the sum of the parts made for a very special evening.

Watchful (photo by Hugh Lee)

Thanks to everyone who attended Blink – we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!

You can take a look at Mack’s full photoset here.

September 8, 2012 What the Truck?! @ Churchill Square

Churchill Square is a beguiling landmark in Edmonton. I think most people would argue that we need a large, open, centrally accessible space in our city, a blank slate that could be transformed into any number of things. It would be hard to argue against the opinion that part of the reason why we have become known as festival city is because of Churchill Square – from mid-June until mid-August, those that wander by will almost surely find some sort of entertainment to capture their attention.

The Works in Churchill Square

That said, for most of the year, Churchill Square still lies frustratingly vacant. City Council has tried to solve this problem, by providing funding to the Edmonton Arts Council to program the Square on a year-round basis. But the difficulty isn’t just about making something – anything – happen, but the stark reality that Churchill is an indomitably large area. And for most festivals without massive installations, staging, or the magnitude to draw hundreds of patrons, it really is a challenging space to animate and encourage a vibrancy that befits Edmonton’s town square.

Churchill Square

When Mack and I first approached the City last spring with our idea for a food truck festival, the events planners immediately directed us to Churchill Square. In a way, it made sense – the level, concrete pad was perfect for vehicles, and the concrete staircase on the west side was essentially built-in seating. It’s one of the most transit accessible locations in the city, visible from the street and located in a dense neighbourhood.

But that June, with only seven participating trucks, it just didn’t fit the scope of What the Truck?! at the time. Churchill Square seemed a little too obvious for a venue. Besides, we really loved the pop-up, roving idea of a festival based around mobile vendors, taking advantage of underutilized spaces in Edmonton and demonstrating the possibilities of thinking outside the box.

Our first WTT was located in one of Edmonton’s gems, Beaver Hills House Park

Fast forward fourteen months, and in many ways, we have come a long way – food trucks are on their way to becoming mainstream in Edmonton. The ten trucks that participated in What the Truck?! at Victoria Promenade in August were absolutely mobbed. Then a week later, Food Network’s popular Eat St. came calling, really highlighting that our scene features some trucks that can stand proudly amongst some of North America’s best street eats.

Drift filming Eat Street!
Drift on filming day

So when Mack and I were scouting locations for our final What the Truck?! this season, Churchill Square was at the top of our list. Building on our momentum from Old Strathcona, 104 Street and Victoria Promenade, we think Edmonton’s food trucks are finally ready to take on the Square.

What: What the Truck?!, Edmonton’s food truck extravaganza
When: Saturday, September 8, 2012
Where: Sir Winston Churchill Square
Time: 5-9pm

Not only will this be our biggest event ever, with a total of twelve trucks, but it will also involve three vendors new to What the Truck?!: Little Village, Yellowbird Cafe and Bully.

Little Village is one of Edmonton’s newest food trucks

The menu is now up – just make sure you’re not hungry when you peruse it! Hope to see you down at Churchill Square on Saturday!

Until Next Year: The Village of the Fringed

The 31st annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival came to a close on Sunday, and it smashed records all the way through. After years of stalled ticket sales, something seems to have changed in the market for ticketed shows: 104,142 tickets were sold in 2011 and 112, 006 in 2012. Great weather is only one factor, so I’d be interested to know how the organizers come to understand these breakthroughs. But whatever the explanation, congrats to the Fringe for this amazing feat!

Fringe alley

We headed back to the grounds on the weekend, and thankfully, the food was better on this occasion. The green onion cakes aren’t an annual tradition for us like they are for some other regulars, but we enjoyed them as a quick snack while waiting in line.

Green onion cakes

We also had a chance to dine at the Little Village Food Truck, tucked behind the beer garden by the tracks. Hopefully, if the Fringe reconfigures the food vendors next year, the trucks can be a little more prominent along the main strip!

Little Village Food Truck

Anyway, I really enjoyed the roasted lamb over potatoes – tasty, and remarkably easy to eat, and Mack liked his drunken pork sandwich.

Roasted lamb over potatoes

Drunken pork sandwich

This was the first year in quite some time that Mack and I missed out on getting a Frequent Fringer pass, but it probably worked out for the better because of time constraints. We did end up making it out to eight shows, however. Three stood out for us the most:

Medicine: TJ Dawe’s most personal play I have ever seen focused on his inner demons, and the journey he undertook to understand and exorcise them. As usual, Dawe wowed the crowd with his wit, rhythmic storytelling and the depth of his revelation. I was glad to see that it was held over!
The Popular Principles of Hypnosis: written and performed by two recent MacEwan Theatre grads, it may not have been the most polished show or even all that plausible, but it was one of the most earnestly performed, and utterly charming. I look forward to seeing Mathew Bittroff and Jayce Mckenzie at future Fringes!
Harold of Galactus: I wasn’t certain that the long and narrow BYOV at the Varscona would work, but the energy of Mark Meer and Chris Craddock carried through the room. It was amazing to see the improv masters build a complete superhero origin story inspired by an audience’s suggestion.

Of the eight shows we took in, we only received programs for three of the shows. Did others find that their productions were paperless as well? Perhaps that was a trend this year, or just a coincidence for us?

Also on the rise this year was the #yegfringe hash tag. It’ll be interesting to see if the Fringe embraces this in the future – I’d love to see a Twitter fall at the Arts Barns! I know the festival shies away from “sanctioning” reviews, but there is precedence – I remember the pre-renovated Arts Barns housing internet cafes (before smart phones became ubiquitous) encouraging patrons to post their reviews on online forums.

Arts Barns

In all, it was a great Fringe! See you all next year!

Recap: Truck Stop – Pulled Pork Throwdown!

On August 15, 2012, What the Truck?! held its ever Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition. We didn’t know what the turnout would be like, given it was scheduled on a Wednesday in a packed summer calendar. But we were fortunate to have glorious weather, great coverage in anticipation of the event, and partnership with a wonderful charity.

Behind the Archives

As mentioned in a previous post, the competition aspect of this Truck Stop had been born from the reality that certain items commonly appeared on the menus of trucks. We were thrilled when The Act, Nomad and Smokehouse BBQ embraced our idea, and agreed to put their pulled pork pride on the line for a good cause.

Vote for your favourite!

Given we were holding the event at the Edmonton Public Schools Archives, the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation was a natural fit. But more than that, their support for early learning initiatives and full-day kindergarten, vital to getting “bean sprouts” (as Director Sandra Woitas calls them) off on the right track, is without a doubt a worthy charity.

Dick Mather Park, adjacent to the Archives

Diners were free to try as few or as many sliders as they wanted for $4 a pop, while the opportunity to vote for their favourite required a $2 donation to the Foundation.

The liens grew fast and furiously, but the mood was light, and the crowds seemed to be enjoying the sunshine. We even had some food truck veterans drop by, happy to be on the other side of the window for a change!

Kara and Nevin of Drift

In the end, The Act took home the prize, earning the most votes from discerning diners.

The Act’s winning slider

But no question, with a total of $1800 raised (from a combination of donations from voters and the trucks), the real winners of the evening are the school children who will be supported by the Foundation’s work. A big thanks to the Edmonton Public Schools Archive for permitting us the use of their parking lot, the three trucks who were a part of our inaugural Throwdown Edition, and the team at Edmonton Public Schools for being a great partner.

And if you missed this Truck Stop, not to worry – you can look forward to our final What the Truck?! of the season next week. On September 8, 2012, a dozen trucks will be colonizing Churchill Square from 5-9pm. More details here.

Introducing Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition

Mack and I were looking at ways to enhance our Truck Stop events (our smaller What the Truck?! series featuring 3-4 trucks). Typically, we request that participating trucks send us their menus in advance so we are able to vet them for duplication. We know food festivals thrive on variety, so if trucks do have similar items, we have asked them to swap those items out in the past.

But recently, we were thinking – why couldn’t we use this duplication to our advantage? Why not throw a bit of friendly competition into the mix? And with that, Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition was born.

Pulled pork is one of the most common food truck items, so we asked if three of those purveyors, The Act, Nomad and Smokehouse BBQ, would be a part of this Truck Stop experiment. We were thrilled when they agreed. Pork might be a common element between their creations, but their preparations and techniques vary. Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition will seek to answer the question: which truck is the king of pulled pork?

What: Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition
When: Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Where: Edmonton Public Schools Archives (10425 99 Avenue)
Time: 5-8pm

All three trucks will be serving up slider-sized portions of their pulled pork, so you’ll have enough room to consider all three if you so choose.

For your consideration:

The Act

Nomad

Smokehouse BBQ

To vote, we ask that you donate at least $2 to the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation in exchange for a ballot. Given the location of this event, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to partner with a charity with a great cause – learn more about how the Foundation supports early learning and full-day kindergarten here.

Dick Mather Park

Dick Mather Park, adjacent to the Edmonton Public Schools Archives, also happens to be one of my favourite parks (I love gazebos), so I think this will be another great opportunity for folks to have an urban picnic in the heart of the city. Hope to see you there!

Recap: What the Truck?! at Victoria Promenade

Organizing outdoor events can be nerve-wracking, because they are so much at the mercy of the weather. So when we had our first cloudless, rain-free What the Truck?!, we made sure to count our blessings!

Before the storm

It seemed even more fitting last Friday, given it was our most scenic location to date, with ten trucks set up along the beautiful stretch of the Victoria Promenade. In our opinion, it is an underappreciated and underutilized gem in Edmonton, so we were even more thrilled at the amazing turnout!

Huge crowds

We also think it was the largest and more diverse crowd we’ve seen at any What the Truck?! event, and though it had to do somewhat with the location and perfect conditions, we also believe it had a lot to do with the dense neighbourhood of Oliver it was situated in. No doubt, the wafting of food aromas helped entice more than a few residents in the surrounding towers!

The Promenade, by Ian McKenzie

It was really neat to see people setting up picnics anywhere and everywhere along the Promenade. From benches to curbs to apartment stoops, it was casual al fresco dining at its best!

Phil was among the early birds

Fel and Jeff enjoy the mac melt from Molly’s

Joe and Vicky at their first What the Truck?!

Loved their buffet spread

Who says a stoop can’t be a perfectly suitable table?

For whatever reason, Mack and I don’t actually end up eating all that much at the events. But we did enjoy what we did sample!

Pork belly adobo from Filistix

Siu mai from The Lingnan

Of course, we do recognize the shortcomings of this location. Because we needed to maintain access to the residential garages situated along this road, we were only able to claim half of the street. This meant that unlike our previous two events, we weren’t able to situate trucks in a way that would have provided some line separation. As well, though our intentions were to have sidewalks as clear as possible, the length of many of the lines made this improbable. We appreciate the patience people had with navigating the Promenade, and your feedback will help us improve future events – for instance, we are looking at stanchions for our next go-around.

This event would not have been possible without the generosity of our partners and sponsors. The Oliver Community League was with us from the beginning, eager to help bring What the Truck?! to their neighbourhood. They also hosted a community social at their local hall afterwards, and it seemed to be a very well-attended opportunity for neighbours to meet one another.

The Urban Monks DJs, Thomas and Marc, also brought their creative spin to the table! They didn’t need to DJ in extreme conditions this time around, but they still brought down the street with their beats. Thanks, guys!

The Urban Monks

Last but not least, Tri-Line Disposal came through with their handy toters. Mack and I always like to return the event site to the community in the same condition we found it, and it really wouldn’t have been possible to do this without their mobile waste containers.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the trucks! But if you missed the event, you’re in luck! Our next Truck Stop will be taking place on August 15, in the form of a Pulled Pork Throwdown! Hope to see you there!

You can take a look at the photoset here.

Greek Eats on the Street: Little Village Food Truck

The food truck scene in Edmonton just keeps on growing – and really, the more the merrier at this point, where the demand for great street food still seems to outpace the supply. The latest addition is Little Village Food Truck, owned and operated by Theo Psalios.

Little Village Food Truck

You might recognize the Psalios name – the family opened the popular local chain of Koutouki restaurants, and starred in the first two seasons of the Food Network show The Family Restaurant. Now, the family has scaled back to just one Koutouki location on 124 Street, and Theo has branched out to bring Greek eats to a curb near you.

Theo Psalios

Little Village has been open for just a week, serving up lunch downtown at 105 Street just south of Jasper Avenue in front of the Atco Building. But we caught up with the truck last Thursday at the 124 Street Grand Market, where Little Village was feeding the dinner crowd alongside Drift and Nomad.

A fleet of food trucks!

Theo changes up the menu almost daily – make sure to keep abreast of his offerings on the Twitter account. On that night, he had two items available: a Greek lambwich ($8) and Little Village potatoes ($4.50).

The lambwich was everything it promised to be – a generous portion of delicately roasted lamb shoulder topped with feta and pickled cabbage. I especially loved the brioche bun – the sweetness complemented the meat well. The side of potatoes was also enjoyable, topped with tzatziki and scallions.

Greek lambwich

Little Village potatoes

Mack and I are hoping Little Village will be joining us for our 2012 What the Truck?! finale this September, but until then, make sure to keep up with their whereabouts on Twitter!

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