In a nondescript swath of land on Thomasville Highway, wedged between Walgreens and Mattress Agency, there’s a culinary treasure trove.
Two high food trucks have arrange their cellular kitchens on this small lot at 3537 Thomasville Rd., the place you possibly can take house their flavorful fare or eat it proper there at a lengthy picket picnic desk.
A kind of food trucks is Mann’s Doghouse, owned by Scott Mann, who moved to this spot in April after leaving his restaurant on Tennessee Road.
The aroma of garlic butter will let you already know that the opposite deal with right here is Leola’s Crab Shack from Eric McKinnon, who’s the proprietor of Leola’s Crab Shack, open 13 years, at 710 Orange Dr. He arrange this website Might 1.
Coronavirus has been powerful on so many food trucks that rely on enterprise from workplace buildings, festivals and sporting occasions. A number of have switched gears and located methods to outlive. Mann’s and Leola’s are amongst them.
We stopped by the Thomasville Highway website on June 2 to choose up our favorites at each locations — who might resist both one? We had a little little bit of a wait however there was loads of room to take a seat and area out from different prospects whereas we waited. You may as well name forward.
All our meals traveled nicely and we rapidly dove into them at house.
Leola’s seafood combo was scrumptious, aromatic of spices in a buttery sauce. We purchased a combo with a cluster of snow crabs, six garlic shrimp, half a baked potato and a container of coleslaw for $20. We cracked open the crabs and pulled out succulent, sweet-briney morsels. We made quick work of the garlic shrimp, already deveined. The shells, which seal in juices, simply come off. The half baked potato and coleslaw have been each good as nicely. Different choices embrace blue crabs, pork chops, rooster wings, mullet, tilapia and fried shrimp.
We’ve had crab combos at Leola’s crab shack restaurant prior to now and I’d say this meal from the food truck was simply pretty much as good. We bumped into one buyer who stated she was thrilled to search out a Leola’s a lot nearer to her house.
We had a surf-and-turf type of lunch due to our po’ boy selection at Mann’s Doghouse.
Scott stated po’ boys have turn into so standard on this new location that he’s added a surf-and-turf po’ boy with a cut up Bradley sausage, topped with chunks of fried purple grouper and completed with a remoulade sauce and chopped lettuce and tomato ($18 combo with fries and a soda). The po’ boy was additionally terrific. Scott stated he needs to rotate the surf ‘n turf with the sausage and breaded and fried lobster tail with a lemon cream sauce.
Scott does a nice burger, among the finest in Tally, so we couldn’t go that up. We ordered The Doghouse burger combo ($12) with glorious hand-cut fries and addictive Michigan-style coney sauce — a recipe Scott discovered from his grandfather. The burger was fats and juicy, with plenty of Applewood smoked bacon and melted American cheese on a tasty brioche bun.
Mann’s Doghouse additionally serves sizzling canine, grilled rooster sandwiches and wraps and different burger and po’ boy choices.
The final time we loved Scott’s burgers and sizzling canine was at his restaurant on Tennessee Road.
When universities and workplaces have been ordered to close down in mild of the coronavirus, it had a devastating impression on Mann’s Doghouse, a brick-and-mortar enterprise he opened in February 2018.
“We have been on the scholar facet of city and actually there was no enterprise,” stated Scott. “We spent eight years constructing our enterprise and it was misplaced in a matter of two months.”
“As quickly as we began feeling the restrictions, we went into Plan B mode,” stated Scott, who began out within the food truck enterprise earlier than opening a restaurant.
“We bought the truck out of storage, cleaned it up, bought it again in situation and leased this land,” he stated. He additionally added umbrellas for the picnic tables and constructed an overhang “to guard from the solar and components.”
“It’s a lot simpler financially (than the restaurant),” stated Scott. “The enterprise is prospering. We’re doing extra enterprise right here than within the restaurant.”
Yow will discover Mann’s Doghouse, climate allowing, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; 850-320-2283.
Leola’s is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday; 850-559-7809.
For extra about different food trucks on the town and how one can discover them, please verify our food truck listing at tallahasseetable.com/tally-food-truck-directory/ If you’re a food truck and wish to be included, please electronic mail us at tallahasseetable.com along with your location and hours when you’ve got a common spot or the place to search out your information.
