Montreal Rue Food

From the Globe and Mail:
"Street food returns to Montreal after 66-year ban "

Montreal, a city with a reputation as a gastronomic trailblazer, is carving out its own course when it comes to street food – just a little behind schedule. After being banned more than half a century, food trucks and carts are now allowed in Montreal, and visitors can expect an array of options beyond the standard hot dogs and foot-long sausages.  Items such as a Nutella, peanut butter, and bacon grilled sandwich, a crepe stuffed with chorizo, goat cheese or spinach, and a crispy pork belly taco served with apple slaw have become available around the city. Decades of pent-up demand appeared to be unleashed Thursday. Lengthy lineups formed at some locations on Montreal’s first day without a street-food ban. There are, however, some conditions. Anyone hoping for a fix of traditional, cheap hot dogs and foot-long sausages will be disappointed. The trucks and carts have been preapproved by a city committee with an eye toward quality and originality. While Montreal has faced criticism for limiting licenses to higher-end fare, one food truck owner who helped spearhead the project says the rules make sense. “There’s no shortage of hot dogs and poutine in Montreal,” said Hilary McGown, one of the owners of the Grumman ’78 taco truck, explaining that traditional “casse-croutes” are easy to find. “I don’t see why we have to keep reinventing the same old things.” Montreal’s street-food ban, unique in Canada, was installed in 1947 for sanitation reasons. Attempts to lift it over the years have been thwarted because of cleanliness concerns and resistance from restaurants worried about lost business. As part of the pilot project, trucks will be allowed to set up at nine locations from June 20 to Sept. 29. To be eligible, vendors must have a production kitchen or restaurant that meets sanitation requirements. The locations, which include parks and city squares, are away from existing restaurants to avoid direct competition. Alexandra Graveline, a spokeswoman for Tourisme Montréal, which counts restaurants and hotels among its members, said the city has found the right balance with the new rules. “We think it’s a good compromise,” she said, explaining that the food trucks reflect the city’s reputation as a gastronomic hub without hurting the restaurant business.

^ It's odd that such a cosmopolitan city like Montreal and one known for it's food is just now allowing to be sold on the streets. Hopefully, this pilot program will be made permanent. ^

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/montreal-lifts-66-year-old-ban-on-food-trucks/article12714346/