Truck-aholic: Street Eats!

 Food trucks have spread like wildfire through Calgary. I didn't jump on the bandwagon right away, because word was that lineups and wait times were insane. Now that the trucks have been around for a few months, I've had a chance to sample what a few of the trucks have to offer.

CHEEZY BIZNESS


Cheezy Bizness has been serving up gooey gourmet grilled cheese. They had four or five sandwiches to choose from, each with delightful names like, "Hot Mess," "Aloha Arkansas" and "Home on the Range." I went with the "Kimchikaze," which featured kimchi, gruyere, sriracha mayo and in-truck made pastrami.

Cheezy Bizness Menu.

Kimichikaza Grilled Cheese.

I really enjoyed my grilled cheese, and I think I would eat there again. My only complaint is that the sandwich was $9, was completely regular in size (the same I would make in my own kitchen), and did not come with any sides. After I finished eating, I was still hungry!

NAACO

I had seen a few people posting about Naaco on Facebook, so when we saw the truck parked on the Stampede grounds, I knew I wanted to try it out. Naaco serves neo-retro Indian style food-- think naan bread and taco format. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Naaco had a specific Stampede-Eats menu while they were on the grounds, so I can't comment on their regular menu.

Naaco Stampede Menu.

I had no idea what to expect from their menu items, and I decided to try the "Bolly Chips," their neo-retro take on Naachos! It was comprised of shredded mogo (I'm still not sure what that is), salad of carrot and red cabbage with lime and cilantro dressing, chicken chorizo and smoked cheddar cheese.

Bolly Chips.

The Bolly Chips were delicious! The flavour was something I can't even describe-- utterly unique. The serving was more than generous! I was completely full, even sharing some with Ashley and Jeff. I'll be on the lookout for this truck downtown so I can try their regular menu. And if that isn't enough to love about Naaco, they also operate using local, organic or sustainable operations wherever possible. They also have an herb garden growing on the roof of their truck! Fantastic!

ALLEY BURGER

Alley burgers quickly became famous in Calgary. Every few weeks, a local restaurant, Charcut, would tweet that they would be selling x-number of burgers from their back alley, and hundreds of people would line up for hours to get their hands on a $5 burger. When the food truck craze started, Alley Burger was quickly spreading food joy all over the city.

Alley Burger Truck.

Alley Burger often sells out very quickly, so Andrew, Ashley, Tom and I were eyeing Facebook first thing in the morning to see where they would be parked for lunch, and when they would be there. To our benefit, they were not parked where they initially said they would be, and were hidden behind a truck giving out free ice cream. So... Shockingly, there was no line, and we were served immediately!

Alley Burger Menu.

I decided to try the original Alley Burger, and I was NOT disappointed. The Alley Burger is comprised of a Spragg Farm's pork and roasted garlic sausage patty, Quebec cheese curds and Piri Piri aioli. This was one of the most delicious burgers I've had in a while, and I'm pretty sure it was all due to the melting goodness of the cheese curds.

Alley Burger Poutine.

We also got a single order of poutine, which turned out to be more than enough for the four of us to share.  MORE CHEESE CURDS! Overall, the meal was delicious and reasonably priced. You will definitely see me at the Alley Burger truck again!

FIASCO GELATO

My final food truck experience was really an accident. Andrew, Ashley, Tom and I had walked with our Alley Burgers to the Central Memorial Park on 13th Ave so we could enjoy our lunch in the shade. We were reflecting on how hot it was, and how lucky we were to find shade-- when the Fiasco Gelato truck drove by. We finished our meal and headed over to the truck to get some much needed dessert.

Fiasco Gelato truck.

Blueberry basil gelato.

We all tried a different flavour. Tom had candied carmel bacon, Ashley tried coconut carmel, Andrew had strawberry, and I had a blueberry basil combination. The blueberry basil was very refreshing for a hot day, and I was very pleased with my choice.

NEXT UP

Next on my list, I'd like to give the Noodle Bus, and Perogy Boyz a try. So many options, I can't wait!

Have you had an outstanding food truck experience? If so, please comment and let me know!