It’s human nature to put things in boxes. We live in modified squares, put our belongings in rectangular drawers, and plant gardens with right angles. So when it comes to making great use of small, portable box trailers, chefs like Lynn Griffith are naturals. And while her restaurant, Picante, is small, the flavours are not and show good reason Vancouver isn’t the only city around here with a food-truck fetish.
And even better — instead of standing on a congested street with cars belching CO2 into your meal, here we can sit at picnic tables in the sun while the littles tear around the jungle gym and the generous play area at the neighbouring Toy Corral.
Having wondered about the status of the brightly painted-but-always-closed food truck at On the Farm Market throughout the winter, I was curious and glad to see the awning up and sandwich board out in the summer sun the other day. And despite rumours it would be strictly a gluten-free bakery truck, it also serves fresh international meal favourites with a southern bent.
As necessity is the mother of invention, the low overhead and compact kitchen at Picante means a pithy array of menu options and healthy, well-portioned eats. With spicy fish tacos topping the daily special menu, lunch wasn’t a hard sell, especially when they agreed to make up a non-spicy dish of rice, beans and fish for my little guys.
We all ate well that day — the meals were easy to portage, with no sloppy, spilly containers, and the take-out waste is biodegradable, which gets a big gold star in my book.
The salsas are served separately, which is a nice touch for those who prefer to dress their meals according to taste, and the fish-to-veggie ratio was generous. You won’t find a sliver of protein lost in a sea of cabbage there. Griffith, who is from Montreal but now splits her time between Squamish and L.A., also bakes some nice little sweet things, which you wouldn’t know are gluten-free from taste alone. All in all, Picante is a welcome addition to the modern Squamish food scene.
Picante will be open for the summer before Griffith heads back down south for the winter, where she works at her non-profit organization that helps low-income families learn to cook and eat healthily on a budget.
For info visit www.picanterestaurant.ca.
