On the Road: Wildside Grill, Tofino, BC

On our West Coast road trip, we  once again returned to the Wildside Grill. In our books, a trip to Tofino is not complete without a stop (or two or three) at the Wildside Grill.

 

 

There are two locations in Tofino - one at the Live to Surf Complex along the highway just south of town and one at the Long Beach Golf Course. We have never been to restaurant version at the golf course location because we love the outdoor cafe version with its covered garden seating. The cute little covered courtyard is a great place to eat - even in the rain!

The specialty at Wildside is burgers and their burgers are amazing - huge portions, fresh ingredients and creative tastes. I strongly recommend trying one of the fish burgers - salmon, tuna and cod are all amazing. All of the fish is caught locally, a lot of it on their own boat! It could not be fresher!


The french fries are the chunky style that is traditional served with fish and chips. They are always served piping hot, made fresh to order.

Their fish chowder is also tasty - not as rich and creamy as most but delicious none the less. I love the dill.

I strongly recommend a stop at the Wildside Grill to anyone visiting the Pacific Rim.

Wildside Grill

www.wildsidegrill.com

Live to Surf Complex, 1180 Pacific Rim Highway
Tofino, BC

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ out of 10

♥  Amy

On the Road: Tacofino, Vancouver, BC

Passing through Vancouver on our West Coast road trip, we were lucky enough to be able to catch the Tacofino food truck since we had missed it in Tofino.

Both Dave and I ordered the Tuna Ta-Taco for $6.50. The taco was simply delicious. High quality, fresh ingredients. Decent size portion for lunch. I especially loved the seaweed salad topping.



We managed to snag their last Chocolate Diablo Cookie for dessert. These cookies are to die for! Rich chocolate cookie with a hint of spice.

The Tacofino food truck has fast, friendly service and is definitely worth a stop either in Tofino or Vancouver. They have recently opened a restaurant location in Nanaimo as well.

I wish we had one in Calgary.

 

Tacofino Food Truck

www.tacofino.com

Tofino and Vancouver, BC

Check out Facebook or Twitter for their current location

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ out of 10

♥  Amy

On the Town: Mighty Skillet Brunch Truck

About a month ago, my co-workers once again declared it to be 'Food Truck Friday' and we headed downtown to Shaw Court where a half dozen food trucks where supposed to be located. I had my heart set on trying the Mexican food from Los Compadres but they were no where to be seen so I settled on the Mighty Skillet - mostly due to the lack of line up.

Boy was I fooled. I was instantly able to place my order but it took over 30 minutes to recieve my food. By this time all of my co-workers had made it through the impressively long line at the Red Wagon Diner, eaten their sandwhiches and were anxiously waiting for me to get my food so we could head back to the office.

I ordered the Savage Land Salad ($6.00) which featured a fried egg, bacon, cherry tomatos and fresh greens with a balsamic dresssing.

The amount of greens was a bit of a let down. The egg was perfectly cooked. The bacon was crispy but in akwardly large peices. The combination of flavours was definetly delicious... but not worth waiting 30 minutes for.

The salad does win points for the fact that it was the only grain-free, paleo-friendly option I have found on any of the food trucks.

Mighty Skillet Brunch Truck

www.mightyskillet.ca

Check out YYC Food Trucks for their current location

Rating: ♥♥♥♥ out of 10

♥  Amy

On the Road: Confusion Taco, Nelson, BC

I was quite excited when we drove into Nelson the other weekend for the ROAM Randonee Race and I spotted the Confusion Taco Truck parked at the turn-off to the Whitewater Ski Resort.

The next day after the race, we headed to the Taco Truck for lunch. I ordered the small beef taco ($6.00) which came topped with pineapple salsa and crispy onions. Dave ordered the small pulled pork taco ($6.00) which was topped with salsa, hot sauce and crispy onions. Both were taco perfection. Moist, tasty meat. Warm, soft tortillas. Fresh, flavorful toppings.

We were also given a sample of their fresh kettle chips. The chips were perfectly seasoned and could be very addictive!

I had a coffee - they serve the local Oso Negro Coffee - and Dave had a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was made properly from scratch in a pot. Pretty impressive for a food truck!

On our way back to Calgary, we stopped at the Taco Truck once again for breakfast. Dave had the waffles with berry compote and maple syrup ($8.00) . I had the Breakfast Wrap with eggs and pulled pork ($10.00). Once again everything was delicious - sure beats the standard Egg McMuffins from McDonald's as a road trip breakfast!

If I lived a little closer to Nelson I would be at this food truck all the time. Unfortunately 6 hours is a little far to drive for tacos.

Confusion Taco Truck

Nelson Nordic Ski Club Apex Parking Lot (Whitewater Ski Resort turn-off)

Nelson, BC

Friday to Sunday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥  Amy

On the Road: Main Street Diner, Nelson, BC

On our recent trip to Nelson, we ate dinner at the Main Street Diner.

The restaurant is in a small, cosy space located on the main street and was a warm escape on a snowy night. The staff was welcoming and the service surprisingly fast considered the restaurant was almost full. The menu is a combination of standard diner fare and traditional Greek cuisine - ranging from fish and chips to lamb dinners.

We ordered the calamari to share as an appetizer. The breading was a little heavier than I prefer but it was still tasty.

For my entree, I ordered the Spanakopita Platter ($13.95) which came with a generous Caesar salad. The spanakopita was wonderfully rich with a perfectly crispy shell.

Dave ordered the Bleu Burger with fries ($13.95) - of course! He had asked the waitress for extra blue cheese and she returned saying she only provided the regular amount but he was welcome to have extra is he desired. There was almost as much blue cheese as beef! Needless to say, he did not need anymore blue cheese. Dave was in blue cheese heaven and thought the burger was outstanding.

The menu claimed that their fries were famous so I stole a taste off Dave's plate. They were definetly good fries. Thick cut, perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Next time I would definetly be getting my own fries!

Main Street Diner

616 Baker Street, Nelson, BC

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥  Amy

On the Town: Perogy Boyz Food Truck

This past Friday, I managed to experience my first food tuck when some co-workers decided to head downtown in search of the Perogy Boyz. We found the bright red truck parked along 5th Avenue SW across from the McDougall Centre. Unfortunately I did not think to take any photos so I have had to borrow some.


Perogy Boyz Food Truck via To Market, To Market

For my first experience I decided to stick with the classic and ordered the Traditional Perogies - filled with potato and cottage cheese, served with caramelized onions, bacon and sour cream ($7.00).

Traditional Perogies via The Open Banana

Growing up in a Ukrainian family with a Baba of my own, I have tried my fair share of perogies and these perogies were pretty close to the one's of my childhood memories. However they were a little oilier than I would have preferred. The onion and bacon topping was delicious - caramelized to perfection. The serving size was a little small but then again I am used to gorging myself on perogies at the family Easter feast so maybe my perspective of an appropriate serving size is off. My co-workers also gave their good reviews.

The Mexicali Perogies looked delicious - filled with ground beef and topped with a generous amount of fresh tomatoes, green onion, cheddar cheese and chili aioli. I would be tempted to return one more time to try the Duck Perogies topped with saskatoon berries and ponzu sauce - the combination sounds intriguing.

Service was outstanding for a food truck - the food was served fast and the cook even took the time to stick his head out of the window to do the obligatory first bite check.

Perogy Boyz Food Truck

http://perogyboyz.com/

Check out YYC Food Trucks for their current location

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

♥  Amy