The Food Fighter

Okay, I’m not one for food trucks or so I thought. I really didn’t ever see myself eating at one. Despite my snobby reaction to food in a truck this place was fantastic! Seriously, I’m craving it and can’t wait to go back. This place is amazing and the staff are so chatty and friendly! I died a little bit when I ate their crostini, it was SO GOOD. They catered at a Unilocal event and I was so excited to see a specialized « Unilocal Crostini». The guy working the truck guessed what kind of crostini I would like and he was definitely right! I can’t remember what it was called but all I know is it had figs on it and it was GOOD! I will definitely take food trucks way more seriously now, I just hope they are all as good as The Food Fighter, cause they have won me over for sure!

A few years ago, I was introduced to the new food truck renaissance in Portland. Previous to that, my food truck experience was mostly from university where I’d get cheap and cheerful Chinese food or hamburger and fries. What I saw in Portland blew my mind, just imagine what variety of food you get when you have 500 food trucks in a city of comparable size to Edmonton. The food is great, almost any cuisine you want is available, and the prices are fairly cheap.
So now, the food truck scene is Edmonton is catching on, but we still have relatively few to choose from. Today, the food fighter was chosen and despite the beautiful day and the downtown location during a Thursday lunchtime, there was no line-​up. That kind of worried me, but not enough to stop me. Only two things on the menu; chicken or eggplant parm, plus a bunch of extra sides for $ 0.50 to $ 1.00 more (not cool). I got the chicken, which was cooked perfectly and had two decent sized pieces, but the sauce was bland and the bun average. This isn’t the quality I expect for $ 9. In truth, I would have enjoyed it much more with half the meat and loaded with vegetables. For me the price is too high for what you get… and don’t get me started on $ 2 cans of pop.
There’s going to be more food trucks in the city and I’m worried about The Food Fighters chances.

I feel like the Food Truck scene in Edmonton has reached a critical mass where one can notice variation in quality of the trucks. The Food Fighter is an A-​OK truck.
Granted, the parmigiana sandwiches are filling but at $ 9 without cheese, I just feel like it’s too expensive. Firstly, parmigiana without cheese isn’t really parmigiana. Yes, you can add cheese but you need to pay $ 1 extra for it (which makes it a $ 10 sandwich).
Secondly, it’s not a sandwich that has a lot of detail that goes into it, like what some of the other food trucks are cranking out. The chicken was tender and juicy and not greasy, so they know how to deep fry the hell out of chicken. It’s just not innovative enough for the price. I was expecting it to be $ 6 and with cheese.
Generally, there needs to be a reason to go to a food truck apart from the fact that it’s the «in thing» to do. At $ 10 for a real parm sandwich (or $ 12 with a drink), I’m not convinced I want to wait in line and eat something that isn’t unique and hard to find in a regular lunch place.

When an eatery picks a niche and sticks to it, the results can be stellar. Case in point: The Food Fighter. This bright orange and blue food truck is parked on the corner of Jasper and 106 and serves up parm sandwiches, like eggplant, veal and chicken. They are huge, not greasy at all, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, cheesy, saucy, and can be customized with a variety of toppings like onions or mushrooms. Service is swift, staff and friendly, and it is a lip-​smacking and memorable sandwich.