A delicious addition to the Northern Michigan restaurant scene comes in the form of food truck Earth, Wind & Fryer, which is heating up the village of Northport with its made-from-scratch menu featuring the much-loved duck burger, which celebrity chef Mario Batali calls “perfect.”
“Mario Batali and his wife are here about once a week, and they always have good things to say about the food,” says Earth, Wind & Fryer Co-Owner Kevin Murphy. “They’re really nice people. If we’re doing something good enough that Mario is happy to eat it and bring friends back that’s pretty good.”
Inside a toasted bun, the seasoned duck breast patty is topped with pear chutney, brie, local lettuce and mayo. The idea for the famous burger happened organically, says chef and co-owner John Snyder.
“Did you ever hear how Led Zeppelin wrote ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in 20 minutes?” John asks. “It just sort of happened. That’s how the duck burger happened too. I really like mixing savory things with sweet things, and duck and pear go really well together. Brie was an easy choice for those two things.”
Earth, Wind & Fryer serves more than just great burgers though. The food truck’s large menu is more like a brick-and-mortar restaurant, offering visitors a variety of options. With a focus on global street foods, you’ll find items such as handmade gyros, falafel, chicharrones and tostones.
“Kevin and I used to travel when we were younger, and we were heavily influenced by a lot of the foods we were able and lucky enough to eat in Europe,” John says.
Almost everything at Earth, Wind & Fryer is made from scratch including the mustard, which is made with cider from Tandem Ciders. The food truck also buys local produce from Bare Knuckle Farm and Provemont Hydro Farm along with baked goods from 9 Bean Rows.
Opening daily at noon, the food truck is a perfect spot for lunch after a morning spent on the beach or shopping in Northport. During the summer, Earth, Wind & Fryer is open most nights until 10 p.m. depending on the weather and events at Mitten Brewing.
Ummm…Stairway to Heaven was “stolen” from the group Spirit…