The food truck scene here in Edmonton has really exploded in 2013, with numerous  new trucks hitting our streets. This is great news for a comfort food junkie like me, because food truck food tends to be right in my wheelhouse… Simple and tasty, with an affordable price tag.

Will this plethora of new curbside dining options live up to the hype, or will they let us down? Well, the suspense was killing me too, so I checked out 3 of the newest trucks recently.

The newest of the bunch is The Crooked Fork. Not coincidently, this newest truck also had the most kinks to iron out.

I first got to try The Crooked Fork at the French Quarter Market, which you can read about here. They were already sold out of their poutine, and since all they had left were some hand breaded chicken fingers, that’s what I got.

The breading was really nice and crispy, but needed some seasoning. There was salt available, so problem solved. Unfortunately, the real problem with the chicken fingers couldn’t be solved with a simple shake of a salt packet. A couple of the fingers were raw in the middle. Raw chicken is a pretty serious no-no, but when I brought it to the owners attention the response I got was one you don’t see enough in restaurants these days; the right one.

He refunded my money, made me a new order, and apologized profusely. I always say if you’re going to complain about the problems, you’ve got to commend great service when they are fixed. Well done.

A couple weeks later I got the chance to try their poutine, and the result was startling to say the least. The components all tasted ok (although I would prefer crispier fries), but I think the issue will become obvious when you see the picture of my $7.00 order…..

Poutine at The Crooked Fork

Seriously, there was about 4 mouthfuls of poutine in that container. For $7.00.

This wasn’t just a skimpy portion. It was a total slap in the face. I kept expecting Ashton Kutcher to spring from the bushes and yell ” You’ve been punk’d! That’s a joke portion!” Needless to say, fool me once…..

The second truck I got a chance to check out has been out on the streets a few weeks now. The aptly named The Patty Wagon serves a long list of burgers and “exotic poutines”.

I decided to try the “That’s a Fun- Guy” burger, which is a beef patty (you can choose from beef, chicken, or lamb) covered with “a variety of exotic wild mushrooms, topped with creamy ‘shroom sauce and french gruyere”.

Now maybe someone, somewhere considers button mushrooms exotic, but I do not. Don’t get me wrong, I like button mushrooms just fine, but I just don’t understand the need to make your menu sound more upscale than it is at the expense of accuracy. I’ve seen it more and more at local eateries, and it’s quickly becoming a pet peeve of mine.

The burger was topped with a generous amount of cheese and mushrooms, and the patty was fairly moist. For my tastes, the meat could use a little more seasoning, as it was a bit bland. That’s an easy remedy. I think there is a lot of positive signs here going forward, but they did trip up on my one non-negotiable issue.

Gristle.

I don’t care how much I’m enjoying a burger… if I get a bite of gristle, I’m done with it. That doesn’t mean I’ll never give them another try, just that I was done with that burger. I’ll head back sometime and maybe try the chicken burger.

The “crispy french fries tossed in secret seasoning” were pretty good, though I’m not sure what comprises the secret seasoning which seemed to be mainly parmesan cheese. They were indeed crispy, and unlike the burger, I finished them all.

Check out The Patty Wagon’s website for all their info.

The last new truck I had a chance to try was The Local Omnivore. This truck has been serving for a couple months now, and not surprisingly was more polished in their execution.

Local Omnivore specializes in house smoked bacon and fried egg sandwiches. A couple things I really like about this truck is that they have some less expensive items, and a little smaller portion size than most of the other trucks. I love the option to have a smaller portion, and these guys aren’t messing up a good thing by overthinking it. Good bread, eggs, cheese, bacon, put together. I can’t find a flaw with that. I really enjoyed the sandwich I had at the Oliver Community League breakfast on Canada Day, and I’ll definitely check them out again.

All in all my experiences at these 3 trucks were a bit hit-and-miss but, given they are all relatively new, a few missteps should be expected.

Check their twitter pages to find out where they’ll be serving, or check out the What the Truck website for info on the next food truck mega-event.