Food Truck Food from Dec 12-16, 2011
If this is your first time reading one of my week in review food truck pieces, here’s what’s going on.
My day job is as the web producer at WCBS Newsradio 880 (cbsnewyork.com). We just moved from the CBS Broadcast Center at 524 West 57th Street (between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue) to 345 Hudson Street (between Charlton Street and King Street).
At our new location, we have most of the awesome food trucks throughout the week and I’m excitedly trying all of them at lunch. I’ll be posting photos and reviews here on The World According to Evan. On the day I have each one, I post a single photo on Facebook and Twitter (@evabin) to the annoyance of some of my co-workers. But it doesn’t bother me. After all, I’m getting my foodie on during the work day! 
Now, without further ado, I present my lunch selections for the week of Monday, December 12, 2011 to Friday, December 16, 2011.
On Monday, December 12, I went for Schnitzel & Things, which is just what it sounds like. Follow them @schnitznthings.
Schnitzel & Things truck - New York, NY - Dec 12, 2011
Schnitzel & Things truck - New York, NY - Dec 12, 2011
I had the veal schnitzel platter, which comes with the schnitzel, two sides, and a condiment for $11.95 (a bit more than I’ll want to spend on lunch each day, but I have to try everything). I selected the Yukon Gold French fries and cucumber salad as my sides and the pesto mayo as my condiment.
Veal Schnitzel from the Schnitzel & Things truck - New York, NY - Dec 12, 2011
The schnitzel was mighty tasty, the fries were great, and the cucumber salad was particularly delightful. I enjoyed several bites that included all three items. The pesto mayo was too much for the schnitzel (though it was good pesto mayo). So, I just dipped the occasional fry in it. I will definitely be trying one of the many other options at Schnitzel & Things!
Veal Schnitzel from the Schnitzel & Things truck - New York, NY - Dec 12, 2011
On Tuesday, December 13, I tried the Taim Mobile truck. They do falafel, hummus, and assorted salads. Follow them @TaimMobile.
Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
As you should see in the photo below, taim is a Hebrew word meaning “highly pleasant to the taste, delicious.” You might see that on the side of the truck and say to yourself, ‘We’ll just see if it’s highly pleasant.’ Well, it IS!
Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
I got the falafel sandwich. According to the menu, that’s green falafel + hummus + israeli salad + pickled cabbage + tahini sauce. I got it with “everything” and that adds pickles, s’rug & amba sauce. That was $5.75. I also got the pear-mint-lemon smoothie, which was $5.50.
Falafel and smoothie from Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
This is the best falafel I have had in my entire life!!!!! In fact, it is probably one of the best sandwiches I have EVER had!!! I mean this is perfectly balanced knock your socks off delicious! And it’s a steal for the price! You HAVE to try this! Seriously, do it! As for the smoothie, is was a flavorful and refreshing accompaniment, but too pricy for me to have on a regular basis, but if you’re not pinching pennies, go for it!
Falafel from the Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
Falafel from the Taim Mobile truck - New York, NY - Dec 13, 2011
On Wednesday, December 14, I tried Rocco DiSpirito’s Now Eat This! Truck. Their whole thing is healthy food, but not uninteresting food (double negative you say?). Follow them at @NowEatThisTruck.
Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
Actually, it’s about much more than just you buying a healthy lunch. Here is the description from the Twitter account – “Buy lunch from me, buy lunch for a kid! The Rocco DiSpirito Now Eat This! Food Truck will educate kids about healthy eating and cooking!” Also, Rocco is often actually there! I missed him that day, but heard he was there a bit later.
Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
Penne and meatballs and chocolate brownie cupcake from the Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
I got the Mama’s Meatballs with penne marinara. The menu lists it as being 345 calories and having 6 grams of fat, as well as being low carb, low fat, and sugar free. It was actually tasty and, at $6, not bad when it comes to price.
Penne and meatballs from the Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
I also got the chocolate brownie cupcake with vanilla icing to have for dessert. In a world of fancy cupcakes for outrageous prices, $2 is good. This one is listed as having 77 calories and 2 grams of fat, as well as being sugar free and gluten free. I’m sorry to have to say this, but it was bad. Sorry Rocco.
Chocolate brownie cupcake from the Now Eat This! Food Truck - New York, NY - Dec 14, 2011
As you saw, there is quite the variety on Rocco’s menu. My co-worker Bill offered me a taste of the enchilada and it was quite good. So, I’ll be back. I think I’ll next check out the General Tso’s Chicken.
Thursday, December 15 was the company party and there was plenty of food there. So, no need to go out and spend money for lunch.
On Friday, December 16, I tried the Sweetery truck, which is, you guessed it, full of sweets – cookies, brownies, and the like. Follow them @SweeteryNYC.
Sweetery truck - New York, NY - Dec 16, 2011
They had seen my previous tweets about my daily lunchtime eating experiences and actually sent me a message in the hope that I would review them.
Sweetery truck - New York, NY - Dec 16, 2011
Now, you might be thinking ‘I thought this was about lunch.’ Well, they have a “savory” section to their menu. I decided to get the ham and cheese croissant and, while I was there, a brownie.
Ham and cheese croissant and brownie from the Sweetery truck - New York, NY - Dec 16, 2011
Now, this is where the review gets tricky. When I tweeted a photo that day, I said my lunch was “tasty, though greasy.” and Sweetery very quickly replied with a message saying “Evan, sorry u were disappointed, however there is a lot of butter in the croissant, which gives it the appearance of being greasy.” Now, as a croissant itself, that is totally true. There is a ton of buttery goodness! It was a very delicious croissant, but it costs too much ($5) to say it’s a ham and cheese croissant. There is very little ham or cheese inside. So, to be fair, I really felt like it was overpriced for what I was getting. But if you ask me plain and simple if I enjoyed eating it. The answer is absolutely yes.
Ham and cheese croissant from the Sweetery truck - New York, NY - Dec 16, 2011
As for the brownie, it was great, albeit a bit oily. I was trying to eat it slowly while doing work, but ended up eating it pretty quickly.
Now I have to give Sweetery a lot of credit for persistence. When I woke up on Monday, December 19, I found another message from them reading “Evan, now that your in the hood, perhaps you’ll give us another shot at redemption???” Okay, Sweetery, I will. I think it will be the salmon and dill quiche. But I don’t see the truck being a regular option for lunch. I see it as an occasional indulgence for a sweet. However, we’ll see what happens with the quiche.
Brownie from the Sweetery truck - New York, NY - Dec 16, 2011
Bon Apetit!
- Evan Bindelglass
(Photos taken with iPhone 4)
Pingback: Food Truck Food: Dec 19-22, 2011 – Crisp, Gorilla Cheese, Big D’s Grub Truck, and Kimchi Taco | The World According to Evan
Pingback: Food Truck Food: Jan 3-6, 2012 – Now Eat This!, Big D’s Grub Truck, Sweetery, and Bongo Brothers | The World According to Evan
Pingback: Food Truck Food: Jan 9-13, 2012 – Schnitzel & Things, Now Eat This!, Real Good Truck, and Bongo Brothers | The World According to Evan