Food trucks, glorious food trucks

So there's this show on the Food Network that always makes me hungry. Its called Eat St. and essentially, they go around the U.S. and Canada visiting amazing food trucks and profiling their delicacies - everything from Mexican to gourmet chicken wings to vegetarian cuisine, all at a street corner near you.

The food on there always looks so gourmet, so fresh, so different from the ordinary (these 'food truck chefs' seem to always come up with their own sauces, their unique spin on dishes and like to use fresh ingredients.)

All this to say that, aside from ice cream/fry trucks, I don't think I'd ever seen one of the new generation of food trucks - until I moved to Hamilton.

Our first interaction with Hamilton's burgeoning food truck scene was last summer at the Festival of Friends in Ancaster. The newest and most popular kid on the block, Gorilla Cheese, was there (the name of this truck is fantastic). Hubby, of course, had to partake (sadly, I don't eat cheese so I probably won't ever get to taste the delicacy that is Gorilla Cheese, unless they can throw together some lactose-free variety!) Needless to say, he agreed with all of the praise other people had heaped on Gorilla's version of these classic sandwiches.

We then started to notice more and more 'food trucks' around Hamilton - such a noticeable change from Toronto, where I don't think I had even seen one (apart from the aforementioned fry/hotdog/ice cream vans). In Hamilton, we even noticed bakery food trucks parked outside of the mall - I mean, who doesn't want a cupcake when they're shopping on a Saturday morning?!

I know its not exclusively a Hamilton thing, but this city does seem to have more than its share of these delicacies on wheels (as evidenced by the Sew Hungry event that pops up every so often on Ottawa Street - we keep missing out on this one, but apparently, we didn't have to wait for this event to experience a whole crew of food trucks in one spot!)

Essentially, hubby found out via Twitter last week that several food trucks were gathering in a certain spot on the mountain and we got in the car and headed out there. Yes, recently, we went to our first gathering of food trucks and had dinner. A good number of trucks showed up to the event, including one serving Schnitzel, another offering Greek food, a couple of BBQ/Southern trucks and of course, Gorilla Cheese.

We opted to try out one of the newer food trucks - Dirty South. I chose the chicken tacos, while hubby had a pulled pork sandwich - they do have an awesome looking chicken sandwich made with WAFFLES - but neither of us felt we could handle it that day! Anyway, the food was great, the place was packed and it was great to see so many Hamiltonians gathering to try out the tasty local food truck fare for dinner. Other than the cupcake truck (which is so yum!) Dirty South might be my new fave restaurant on wheels.

A few days later, we ran into more food trucks at the Dundas Cactus Festival (which I'll talk about in another post), but if you have a fave local food truck, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

The great Hamilton BBQ search - Part 2

On our endless (and delicious) quest for good BBQ places, we came across Buckeye's Smokehouse last weekend, one of the (seemingly) multitude of BBQ offerings in the Hammer.

Well, not exactly came across - we had seen it during the course of our travels (on Ottawa Street) and had always planned to give it a try. After reading some really positive reviews, we decided it was time.

Slightly different than Rolly Rockets, Buckeye's has more of a sports bar feel to it, but the menu is all barbeque (nestled in the textile district, its also pretty unassuming-looking from the outside). There was also a steady stream of customers while we were there, a surefire sign of a neighbourhood fave.

We partook in the ribs, coleslaw and sides (me: sweet potato fries, hubby: jambalaya rice) and it was TASTY. The ribs were delicious, and the jambalaya in particular looked (and tasted) homemade and fresh (but as with most BBQ places, the portions were too big for me!) Still, it was definitely perfect end-of-the-week comfort food.

In our humble opinions, the prices at Buckeyes were incredibly reasonable. They also seem to have various deals throughout the week, so perhaps next time we'll head there on a weekday.

This seems like a great (and welcome) BBQ option for those in the east end of Hamilton, and probably even worth a visit for those in the west end! The BBQ search continues, and all suggestions are welcome!

The great Hamilton BBQ search

I wouldn’t say we’re Southern BBQ connoisseurs. Well, let me rephrase that – I’M not a Southern BBQ connoisseur, but my hubby is. He grew up in the Southern United States, where biscuits, pulled pork and all that good stuff are staples - standard dinner fare.

When living in Toronto, we stumbled upon a southern BBQ place that would fast become our favourite restaurant/general hang out place – we took all our friends there, out-of-towners, family, you name it. Highway 61 on Bayview Ave. became our favourite go-to spot (especially on Monday nights) for its cheap beer, live blues and excellent BBQ.

I’ll admit, of all the things I knew I'd miss about Toronto, not being able to go to Highway 61 regularly was definitely one of them. (Call me sad!)

Needless to say, finding an equivalent (or even somewhere half as good) as 61 became a priority for us early on in our Hamilton experience.

Last week, driving up Locke Street, we stumbled upon Rolly Rockets. Not much to look at from the outside, but it had parking and a neat slogan (“We Put The South In Your Mouth”), so we decided to give it a try.

Rolly Rockets doesn’t have the “take a seat and a server will be right with you” feel of Highway 61. Instead, you order at the bar, and make yourself comfortable at one of the picnic tables while you wait.

Hubby assures me that this is what a “real” southern BBQ place should look like.

We ordered our ribs (which, incidentally came with fries, coleslaw and beans! One bonus point for Rolly Rockets.) and sat down.

The food arrived, and it was….Delicious! In actual fact, these were some of the best ribs we’ve had in awhile. (Two bonus points for Rolly Rockets).

After we had finished, the owner (or it may have been the manager...)came over and asked us how our meal was. He explained that the restaurant has been open for about a year, and told us about all of the different events held there (Karaoke Fridays for example!) and generally made us feel very at home and welcome. (Three bonus points for Rolly Rockets, and we’re sold.)

As my hubby said, I think we may have found our new 61 - but that said, we're definitely still on the lookout for more BBQ gems in the Hamilton area.