If I won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone, but there would be signs - like me documenting the…read moremany food trucks/shacks that dot Newfoundland's expansive network of roads.
I wasn't able to stop at nearly as many as I would have liked due to time constraints and wanting to live past the age of 50, but I was able to stop at Zippy's Take Out in South Brook as we worked our way back across the province.
The broad menu is conveniently located on a TV just inside the trailer's doorway, with the friendly one-woman operation giving me suggestions as a first timer. I ended up going for one of their signature dishes, the Newfie Mess. This takes fries dressing and gravy to a whole new level, adding slices of deep fried hotdogs, shredded mozzarella, sauteed onions, and instead of the typical chicken /turkey gravy, a beef version tags in. I appreciated that I was warned about the heftiness of the portions, and that a small would be enough for one.
My wife went with a classic bacon cheeseburger and fries.
Belying its humble housing, Zippy's conveniently has the wireless buzzers that let you know that your food is ready, and it was all the more convenient given how heavy it was raining when we were there!
We happily arrived in between other customers, so we had our food in quick order and I scampered back to the car to keep it and myself as dry as possible.
The Newfie Mess was true to its name, piled high in its container and spilling over into the open top half. There's no subtlety to a dish like this - it's all richness and umami and it succeeded.
The beef gravy was absolutely chock full of ground meat, and glistened with its thick and velvety texture.
The hot dog bits had a hit of crispness, as did the golden brown, hand-cut fries, although the latter quickly relented to the Mess on them.
I always love sauteed onions, and this time was no different, and same goes for the dressing that added some herbaceousness and depth to the dish.
My wife's burger was a solid diner-style burger, with a good char on the patty and toasted bun, melty cheese and crisp bacon. Her regular, un-Messed fries were a nice glimpse at what Zippy's can do with a fry that doesn't have a pound of toppings, and we liked what we saw.
Zippy's and its peers have long provided affordable and convenient food to Newfoundlanders and CFAs alike, and Zippy's showcases why this format endures, with hearty, delicious food that's easy on the wallet, if not your waistline.
