Not really a donut fan myself, this wasn’t really on my radar. Brent, on the other hand, was all over it. If you’ve been following the food truck revolution happening around the world then you would probably expect crazy concoctions and wildly delicious glazes. Much like the insane menu at Gourdoughs out of Austin, TX. Pulled pork, potato salad, and honey BBQ sauce on a god damn donut. Insane indeed.

Rather than a variety of donuts made with different batters or stuffed with curds and jams, Ol’ School is all about the old fashioned mini donut. You know, the ones they make at Costco, filling the place with that irresistible fried dough aroma. The menu, though small, is varied with options ranging from simple cinnamon sugar to the more elaborate special, a dig at Rob Ford with donuts covered in powdered sugar, strawberry or raspberry drizzle, and pop rocks. Plus, at 10 for 5 bucks it’s a pretty good deal.

While the menu shows creativity, I wouldn’t go so far as to call these ‘gourmet’. These days that term is getting thrown around with abandon. Case in point, the gourmet burger trend. Apparently, slapping the word gourmet on your sign is enough for some restaurant owners to think they have a premium product. Cheese and bacon does not a gourmet burger make.  What is gourmet anyway?

That’s not to say these weren’t delicious. They are exactly what you want in a donut: a soft, fluffy batter, sweetened just enough, fried til golden brown, and served up so fresh they’re still warm. I would, however, have appreciated a higher topping to donut ratio but that didn’t stop a line forming in the mere 5 minutes we were there. Apparently, Halifax likes donuts. 

As news of one food truck calling it quits made waves yesterday, it’s refreshing to see this donut loving family braving the weather and truly embracing the food truck culture even if it is only on weekends. If you’re looking to get fix, best follow them on twitter at @olschooldonuts.

The post DINE | Ol’ School Donuts makes food truckin’ a family affair appeared first on eathalifax.

Graham Cracker Fread, hand model extraordinaire

I know you’ve all seen it. Those episodes of Eat St. full of steamed pork buns, fusion tacos, and insane donuts that would make even a Krispy Kream look like a whole grain muffin. Seems the whole world is getting their street eat on, leaving us here on the East Coast crying into our greasy food truck fish n’ chips. Not that there’s anything wrong with a good ol’ Maritime fish n’ chip feast but where’s my Schnitzlewich?

Even Montreal, where selling anything out of a truck was illegal for more than 60 years, recently overturned the old law to allow for more than 40, some operated by the city’s best restaurants. So what’s up Halifax? Luckily, with several gourmet trucks currently hitting our streets, we are well on our way to a booming food truck culture. 

Bring on the street eats.

Blazing the trail were Nomad Gourmet and The Food Wolf, both serving the hungry masses for about a year now. In fact, though not as well known, Soups on the Move has been ladling out the hot stuff to Burnside workers since 2011. Then all of a sudden there were three more joining the ranks this summer: Bite Me Urban Diner, Under Pressers, and Tin Pan Alley. And they could not be more varied. From chicken and waffles to chorizo chilli frites to deep fried Oreos, there’s nothing I don’t want to stuff in my face.

But like most cities, the food truck scene in Halifax is rife with restrictions. There’s but seven site licenses around the city, dictating hours of operation and making mobility, one of the perks of being on wheels, rather impossible. Once all those spots are occupied like they are now, that’s it for us. No sharing of spots, no new trucks. Thankfully some trucks have bypassed the law by operating in private lots. A perfectly legal manoeuvre, it allows others to bring street eats to areas of the city not designated under the bylaw.

Enter The Food Wolf. Set up in so-called Squiggle Park at the corner of Faulkland and Gottingen streets, the Wolf serves up Korean and Asian fusion to North End’s hungriest. On any given day the locally sourced menu can include kimchi quesadillas, Korean pork burgers, Mexican beef tacos, green onion pancakes, and the hot dog of all hot dogs, the K-Dawg. Smothered in bacon, kimchi, a spicy Korean mayo, and a generous garnish of sesame seeds and green onions, it’s got addiction written all over it. A hot dog a day can’t be bad right? 

One things for sure, there’s no slowing down for Team Food Wolf, Natalie Chavarie, Virgil Muir and Eric Gunnels. They even recently loaded the truck on a freight-liner bound for New Brunswick to feed the hungry concert goers at SappyFest.  Food truck love at its finest. Whether you dig Korean or Asian or not, I have a feeling the Wolf will change your mind. They even have a new age app so you can track their location. Social media for the win.

But the good news doesn’t stop there. A few food trucks are rocking the streets outside of city limits. Find the Growlin’ Grumman serving up burger, fries and poutine in Windsor, the Orange Ukele, a grilled cheese truck rolling around the Annapolis Valley, Amby’s Eats dishing up tacos, inventive burgs, and risotto balls in New Glasgow, the Backroads Bistro in Mabou with a whole slew of locally inspired comfort food, not to mention all the fish n’ chip trucks you can find just about everywhere.

If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m going to cross every truck off my list one by one. Because, let’s be real, I just can’t help myself.

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