Best Coast Provisions
Food TruckThis is wild. Two weeks in a row that I’m in my office on a Friday afternoon during the summer.
Two weeks in a row I get to try out a new (to me) food truck at Lunchtime Live.
I could see from my office window that one of the trucks I haven’t tried yet was there this week but I still did my “walk the line” to see what else was parked along South Street.
The smells coming from the BBQ trucks were almost enough to get me to change plans but I resisted….for this day at least…and headed back to the truck I was planning on getting lunch from all along.
That truck is Best Coast Provisions. The large white delivery truck turned mobile kitchen was parked close to Rose Street this week which is how it initially caught my eye. The truck specializes in “food inspired from around the Great Lakes.” The truck is fairly new. They launched last fall and have become a fixture at events and parties in the Kalamazoo area.
The menu is inspired by Great Lakes states foods. They have a Michigan coney, an Illinois and a Wisconsin sausage, an Indiana tenderloin and some “U.S. Favorites” like a hamburgers and hot dogs.
I went the International Route mixed with the Indiana staple. I picked the Poutine and added on the Breaded Pork Pork Tenderloin for an extra $3 just so I’d have a little bit of meat. The total cost was $10. I paid with my card then took a step back to wait. It was less than 10 minutes before a lady leaned out the window and told me the fries were ready to go.
I really haven’t had poutine before so I didn’t know what to expect. The dish starts with hand cut fries that are topped with white cheese curds and homemade gravy. The tenderloin I added on was chopped up in the chunks so you could get a fry, a cheese curd, and a piece of tenderloin on the tines of a fork.
The whole concept of poutine is wild to me. It’s the gravy part I can say I’ve always been pretty curious about. Chili cheese fries are such a staple in the US and that’s what my brain was trying to tell me this was. It’s not but it’s still really delicious. There was a sweetness in the gravy that complimented the tanginess of the cheese curds. The fries were delicious and would have been just as tasty on their own. The breaded pork tenderloin is pounded out flat like the giant ones you see in good diners in Indiana. I was glad I splurged on the meat just to give the dish a little bit of protein and crunchiness that the breading added.
Another solid food truck in Kalamazoo. There are some really unique food truck options coming out of this kitchen and I love the idea of highlighting the best of Great Lakes food. I wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu so hopefully I’ll see it out there a few more times before Lunchtime Live ends for the summer.
SW Michigan Dining 