'da Blue' food truck debuts in Buffalo

The Blue Lantern Lounge, located at 6120 Seneca St., Elma, has announced a new venture that will reach beyond its current brick and mortar location. The new "da Blue" food truck will burst onto the scene in early February, taking a unique "street eats" menu direct to the downtown Buffalo lunch scene.

After fielding numerous requests at the restaurant to expand, to do private parties and catered events, the decision was made to take the operation on the road, said owners Tom and Donna Pease.

"Expanding our footprint at our current location just wasn't an option due to the constraints the property presented," Tom said. "A second location sounded good on paper but, unfortunately, we couldn't be in two places at one time. The need to be hands-on and available to the customer led us to the decision to go mobile."

The idea was first hatched when Donna, also a realtor, was working with a client in Batavia.

"Seeing a brick and mortar bakery with four food trucks out on the streets of Batavia started me thinking how The Blue could benefit from a similar venture," she said. This led the Peases to Donna's client's food truck designer.

Owner Ian McDonald of M design in Rochester designed and built the "da Blue" food truck to the exact specification Blue's executive chef Tom Nocera required to make the operation flow with relative ease.

Tom and Donna have taken their vision and passion for the business and created a mobile kitchen that mirrors their brick and mortar business. When "da Blue" opens, the public can expect a menu that contains some of The Blue Lantern's most popular selections, along with specific offerings designed just for the food truck.

Tom also indicated "a certain twist would be applied to all menu items, which would make them unique to 'da Blue.' "

Readers may first see the new truck crusin' around town. A soft opening is tentatively planned for late January, while the "Blue Crew" gears up for what's ahead.

The food truck will be available for catering, private events and house parties based on availability. Live entertainment will be the norm for special events as long as schedules permit.

"Imagine 'da Blue' rolling into your driveway: ready, willing and able to serve your guests. All while you enjoy your party, with live entertainment to boot," Donna said.

"The ability to bring restaurant-quality food to the general public and to our guests' own turf seems to be an avenue that we only dreamt about," Tom said. Now, that dream has become reality. The slogan "Livin da Dream" is emblazoned on the all sides of the truck.

Check out The Blue Lantern Lounge website at bluelanternlounge.com or visit www.dabluefoodtruck.com for details and upcoming menus, calendars, or to schedule the "da Blue" food truck.