FOOD TRUCK REVIEW: Footlong whistle dog cheesy goodness

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2021 (1557 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s only one more food truck grub feed before The Brandon Sun is finished reviewing the eight food trucks in the city.

Just a reminder that we paid for the food we bought. No freebies here as we didn’t want that to influence our decisions. And no professional food taster was harmed in the production of this column. In other words, I just like food. And eating, which were the only prerequisites for this new venture of The Sun’s.

Willey’s Grub Hub is the latest food truck review. The Facebook post said it was parked in the Vandaele Seeds parking lot near Medora since Aug. 18. I’ve learned before venturing out for grub at any of the Brandon food trucks, to check their locations for the day in the “Brandon Food Trucks” Facebook page.

Google Maps said Medora was more than an hour drive. One way.

Off I went.

As I made my way down the gravel driveway at Vandaele’s in a Brandon Sun car, a lunch crowd had already begun to gather in front of the food truck.

I liked how neat and organized it was at first glance. There were wooden, mobile railings erected to guide people to order. A hand-sanitizing station was situated in the centre of the two lines. Hats off to the owner for taking the extra steps to keep people separated and safe during the pandemic.

There were a couple of garbage cans on site, too. The counter was clean and people patiently waited their turn.

The menu sat to one side and patrons could review it before placing their orders.

As with all food trucks, I made my way to the counter when it was my turn to order.

No one wore masks, which was weird. But, we kept our distance from each other.

“What’s your special?” I asked the cashier.

“We really don’t have a special,” she said. “Everything’s good.”

“Do you have hotdogs wrapped in bacon?” I asked.

“We have whistle dogs,” she replied.

I overheard someone say the nachos are excellent, but I had a hankering for a hotdog.

“OK, I’ll take a whistle dog,” I told her.

“Regular or footlong?”

Why not?

“I’ll take the footlong and a diet Pepsi,” I said.

“That’ll be $10.50,” the cashier responded.

I think the last time I ate a whistle dog, I might have been eight years old. It was a treat for lunch on a Saturday. Mom would undercook the bacon, wrap a lukewarm hotdog up in it, and slide a cold slice of some no-name plastic cheese beside it. Voila. A whistle dog.

I prayed today’s adventure was nothing like what I remembered.

The cooks were busy behind the grill, and I waited maybe five minutes for my food.

When my food was ready, they called my number and I walked up to the counter and took my hot whistle dog wrapped in aluminum foil.

As the family before me had ordered a fairly substantial amount of food, I understood why their order was packed in plastic bags.

I took my food and off I went.

I couldn’t take it any longer. I was dying for that whistle dog. So I pulled over to the side of the road.

Glancing at my outfit, I thought at least if I blob mustard on my yellow shirt, no one will notice.

I unwrapped my nostalgia. It was still hot despite the 10 minutes it took me to find a feeding venue.

The whistle dog was nothing like I remembered.

I began to salivate immediately.

“Come to momma,” I said after doctoring it with mustard and relish.

It was better than anything my mother had ever attempted … thank goodness.

There was just enough bacon, properly cooked and not chewy. The bun was grill-toasted. The hotdog was a foot long, and cooked to perfection.

But the best part was the runny nacho cheese, constituting a Triple D Hunch attempt in the driver’s side of the car.

Wiping my mouth of any excess condiments and slurping my pop because I was alone, I felt it was another successful grazing endeavour.

Willey’s Grub Hub was a hopping little food truck that day and is constantly on the move, like most of the other food trucks in the area.

I knew I wouldn’t have enough room for the nachos and cheese with my whistle dog so I’m planning on heading back to this food truck next time it’s in Brandon.

That said, I’m not a fan of plastic bags, but I get the practicality of them.

While my whistle dog was a little messy, it still hit the spot. I would rate Willey’s Grub Hub four out of five.

» kkielley@brandonsun.com