The Eddie’s Pizza Truck | Various Locations | 917.439.7522 | www.eddiespizzany.com | |

SOMETIMES IT JUST THAT QUICK. I was on my Twitter this morning when I saw a retweet alerting fellow followers that the Eddie’s Pizza Truck was not only making its debut in Manhattan on 40th and 6th Avenue (their brick and mortar” home is located in New Hyde Park, Long Island), but, to celebrate, were also offering free half “bar pies”.

So I zip downtown in a cab to make it by noon, when the free ‘za would start being served. I made it to what was already a sizable line by a little after 12 o’clock, meeting a whole bunch of hungry lunchers who had likewise, just hours previous, had found out about Eddie’s Pizza Truck’s promotion via “ReTweet”.

I wasn’t on the long line long (?!), when someone “truck-affiliated” walked towards the back of the line and declared that the free bar pizza would be honored up to three people before me; everyone else after that would pay full price. Having only five dollars left from my fifteen dollar cab ride (yes, I know, for free pizza…), and would have to make a trip to the nearest ATM since an individual bar pie starts at 7 bucks.

Once I returned from the ATM, to the end of a much longer line, and made quick friends with a lovely young lady named Lud(milla) [ScoopsTweet on Twitter], another truck-affiliated fellow walked to the back of the line and newly declared that the free pizza would end with the persondirectly before me! I attempted to plea my case, alerting the gentleman as to exactly how stupid I was to spend 15 dollars for a free half pizza that would only cost 7 bucks for a full pie. Understandably, he had no sympathy.

A few minutes later, however, he let us know that anyone who was willing to pay for their pizza could cut the line…. Done! Once I walked right up to the truck, I could take a quick look at their full menu and watch the order-taking and pizza prep in action, staffers epitomizing “service with a smile”

I ordered an individual bar pie—whose raison d’etre is “to be high in taste and low in—half plain and half topped with pepperoni. Comfortingly, each pie is oven-baked to order, and with its very thin crust, is done in only minutes.

I was scheduled to have lunch with “Trixie” less than an hour later, so I knew I couldn’t (read, shouldn’t) finish a whole pie. Again, I rewarded others within proximity to help themselves to a slice, saving me a slice of each plain and pepperoni. (I don’t know how I didn’t see you, Lud, but I did look for you!) The Eddie’s truck folks were so moved by my generosity, I guess, that they also threw me some free fried sweet potato gnocchi—which did help allay the sting of realize I had spent $25 (including tip) for two thin slices of pizza…. I took my slices to Bryant Park, across the street, to enjoy.

I enjoyed these (two) slices very much, it turned out. The crust, from dough they make in-house themselves—was properly thin and firm, if not fully crispy, though it holds a great fold. I personally might have preferred a bit more flavor to the crust, but any lack of it was more than made up for in the rich, tangy, aromatic, well-seasoned and nicely balanced sauce. The cheese, as well, had a nice, mellow taste, and was pliable to the teeth without sliding off the slice. A quick survey of the folks who enjoyed my pizza charity found that they all were very impressed and pleased with the pizza, one even claiming “Awesome!”

(The sweet potato gnocchi were a nice little novelty as well, though are best eaten quickly, while they’re hot.)

Then I was reminded of the true miracle, which was that an entire bar pie has only 290 calories. Over half of Subway’s 6″ sandwiches have a higher calorie count! And in office building mecca that is Midtown New York, having a street truck quickly serving oven-baked, tasty, low calorie, thin-crust pizza pies for under ten dollars is a charm I think many will find hard to ignore.

I expect Eddie’s Pizza Truck to do fast business….

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

The Eddie’s Pizza Truck | Various Locations | 917.439.7522 | www.eddiespizzany.com | |

THE REAL PRESENT OF the day was picking up a client check in Midtown this afternoon. And knowing I was in Midtown, I made a note to myself to stop by the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck that would be slinging from the corner of 52nd Street and Lexington and, more importantly, serving Peking Duck which is never on their Street Truck menu, which means I’ve never tried it.

So after depositing the check at Citibank and making my way east on 52nd from 6th Avenue, I made sure I kept my eye open for any othe the other numerous food trucks I hadn’t tried yet.

After a few false alarms (thanks for nothing, DHL and Verizon FiOS trucks!), I came across the Meats ‘n’ Frites truck right off Park Avenue. Known for serving Angus and Kobe beef burgers with traditional, double-fried Belgian pommes frites, it was enough to forget about dumplings for the day.

I took a quick look at the menu on the side of the truck, filled out an “order card” of which burger, which cheese, which condiment, etc. I wanted, and was only minutes away from getting a brown paper bag to cart across and enjoy while sitting on the side ledge of some huge block-long building.

For some reason, I was not expecting to like the burger as much as I did, which was very, very much! Fresh, tender, flavorful meat does make a huge difference, with the leaner beef keeping its juiciness without being so “drippy”, or over-sogging the bun.

And only since it was my birthday was I going to give myself some credit for enjoying this so much (I had planned to only eat less than half of it—saving room for the best present, my official birthday dinner tonight at Sushi Yasuda, that I was being treated to by my friend, “Trixie”—but guiltily finished anyway!) because I was such a proud fan of my topping combination. The aromatic brioche stood up nicely against very mellow and soft goat cheese, while sweet and earthy onion jam was accented my bright, piquant and slightly vinegary mustard.

The pommes frites were less a second banana and more of a co-star, bringing back waves of nostalgia—for me at least—piercing crispy-on-the-outside shoestrings of airy potato that might be the only thing that ketchup was really made for.

Well, it’s off to the shower before dinner for me, while I recharge my camera battery. If I do wind up being corralled to go out and “party” for my birthday tonight, I will have the solace of knowing that I have more than “set a good base” for any amount of drinks I wind up consuming.

Care to join…?!

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

WHO KNEW? WHO knew that living in the foodie homogenous Upper East Side—with it’s myriad sushi, Chinese, Thai, Italian, pizza, burgers spots, and little else—would wind up being a benefit. I had this revelation today as I was convenienced by the close proximity of a client’s place of employ to the formerly elusive Schnitzel & Things truck in Midtown, and, after a few bitefuls of their signature German/Austrian schnitzel, found myself unfortunately grateful that I lived only a few footsteps from the most authentic German restaurant in all of Manhattan, the Heidelberg.

Having read that the Schnitzel & Things trucks had received several positive write-ups—from the New York Times to TimeOut NY—and had also won a Vendy Award for Rookie of the Year, I was more than excited to come upon the truck this afternoon on 54th and Lexington Avenue, already managing a line of customers, curiously enough, all guys.

Their menu offers some appetizing main course lunch options, if limited (the present foodie trend is of a singular food item ideology), offer schnitzels—hand pounded, breaded and fried meat—in chicken, pork, and cod varieties, as bratwurst and something they are calling a “Schnitz Burger with Cheese.

This afternoon, they offered a special Veal Schnitzel, which is what I ordered, as a platter, meaning I got to select two sides and a condiment to go with it. I chose the Austrian Potato Salad and Braised Sauerkraut as my sides and the Alfonso Olive Sauce as my condiment.

After the first bite of the decent-ish schnitzel I, by subconscious default, compared it to the Heidelberg’s version, which, to be fair, is much more of the realized traditional meal, with seemingly more seasoning because I was surprised how that element seemed to be lacking just a bit with each part of the platter.

The textures were all close to spot on; the schnitzel was thin and crisp on the outside,with the veal on the inside being tender enough to easily cut and bite through. The shreds of cabbage were cool and crisp, and the nuggets of potato in salad were comfortably malleable between my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

Not overwhelmed by the taste, however, I only ate about a third of it—a little sore that this food truck purchase ran me twelve dollars (the regular schnitzel platters cost $10)—and finished the last of it while writing this post. Yet, as I finish the last few bites, I honestly can only think how soon I must get back to the Heidelberg, where the so-old-it’s-new-again singularity of German/Austrian cuisine—in the former Old Germantown—isn’t in the burgeoning food mecca that is the Lower East Side, but just a 60 second walk from my front door.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

TRENDS HAVE BEGUN to overlap more, with greater frequency, and, most of them, to great effect. People who don’t have the time or means to travel all over the city for some fine food now may enjoy the regular if not frequent convenience of having fine food driven to their neighborhood and dispensed from trucks. As well, in no small part due to the recession, customers and their wallets have become nostalgic for the comfort foods of their youth.

Food trucks have become so ubiquitous, that as a consequence, foodies have come up with the terminology of “brick & mortar storefront”, which is just a 9-mont old way of saying restaurant. And, yes, in this city especially, restaurants must compete with each—even to support each other—and vice versa.

So one might become skeptical when NYC staple restauranteur Donatella Arpeia uses the front of one of her “brick & mortar” places, Midtown East’s Mia Dona to—Mondays through Friday from noon until 2 p.m.—park a tiny, circus-red cart on front of her space to sell homemade meatball heros (NYC food blog Midtown Lunch ventured to ask if this signaled a “shark-jumping” moment in the city’s food universe).

The meatballs—and even the focaccia bread—are all prepped and made in house, and you can watch the video of executive chef, Nick—along with GM, Jesse—proudly tell me about what the ingredients of both the meatballs and the bread, as well as explain the rest of Mia Dona’s menu.

I got to enjoy the nice aromas from a few feet away as the bread got toasted, meatballs get spooned on top, cheese on top of that, then the sandwich gets closed and panini pressed and comes out hot, crusty, and gooey.

It’s an excellent sandwich. The sauce is rich and deep with flavor without feeling heavy or overcoating the inside of your mouth. The cheese was gooey and non-obstructive,as it sometimes can be an other meatball heros, relying more on its casual yet almost rustic flavor than on the oversold visual of cartoonish “stringiness”. The ground veal meatballs are nicely firm but not dense, and juicy enough to fall apart easily as each bite finishes as one singularly familiar and satisfying food idea.

Inevitable comparisons will be made to the Lower East Side’s Meatball Shop; to me, the debate is moot. They are both excellent (I am supportive, not competitive. If anyone has the advantage, it would be Mia Donna, just on it being more geographically convenient.

That and the fact that that, if the comfort food trend ever abates, I at least know a restaurant only in Midtown East whose other non-trendy menu items I’d be curious to try.

Which very well, and quite validly, could be the whole point.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

I WAS MAKING my way up Broadway in the rain yesterday afternoon, having earlier had a stellar sub from No. 7 Sub on 28th, I made a point to keep track of the various food carts, expecting them to be in greater number and variety of cuisines with the upcoming New York City’s warmer seasons.

Oddly, maybe because of the weather, block after block only offered Halal trucks,with their standard—and I’m sure, decent—chicken and rice dishes, falafel and gyros. It wasn’t until I got to 48th Street that I found something that at least looked a little different, a truck labeled NYC Cravings.

Initially, I thought it might feature NYC staple foods such as hot dogs or possibly a pastrami sandwich on rye. But, no! This truck featured, prepared and served Taiwanese dishes, such as Taiwanese-Style Fried Chicken (or Pork Chop or Fish Cake) over Rice, Taiwanese Chicken Wings, Taiwanese Pork Dumplings, and Zongzis, which is their version of a tamale.

Even in the rain, there were great smells coming from the truck, and seeing that the dumplings and wings each cost $3 per order, I ordered one of each and watched them cook them to order while reading the positive write-ups from respected foodie websites Eater.com and Midtown Lunch, as well as the New York Times and GQ Magazine.

I took my wings and dumplings, aware that I wouldn’t be able to eat them until I got home, and that wouldn’t be until after a brief client meeting. I can smell the sweet aromas emanating from my paper bag as I rushed home in a cab, and was still thrilled once I finally got home and opened my containers.

The commute was the only and only slight detriment to both items; the residual steam took some of the crisp out of the wings’ skin and releasing some moisture from the dumpling casings.

But the flavors were all present and spot on, soy sauce-based spicy and sweetness in the still juicy and sizable wings (take note, KyoChon!), and the delicious pork filling, heady with tang and aromatics, were supported nicely by the simple, chewy dough and a dollop of their iteration of a hoisin sauce.

I can see why this truck was a Vendy Award finalist in ’08, and its food makes me wish I still worked at the Time·Life Building just two blocks away, although if the rain didn’t stop from waiting patiently in line for this great grub, I don’t see why a little distance would as well…!

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

THANKS TO SUPER BOWL LXIV airing at 6:30 in the p.m., I didn’t have to be at work at the restaurant until 2, offering, for once, the opportunity to finally able to hit the Wafels & Dinges truck at its Sunday location, two blocks quite conveniently away from my apartment.

I grabbed a maple-bacon wafel for myself, and another with a side of their famous spekuloos for my fellow staff members who were already at the restaurant for brunch service, while making suggestions to some of the trucks first-time customers recommendations on what combinations of wafels and dinges (toppings) they should try.

I, yes, have a separate VIDEOS section on this site; since this is such a brief post, I’ll include this video of some of my friends enjoying their gift wafel with maple syrup and spekuloos.

They all agreed that it was a tasty way to start the day (and please excuse some of their attempts at acting!), and now that the football season is over, and I won’t be working on Sundays any more, I think I can start looking forward to a yummy weekly breakfast tradition.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

AFTER SHOWING MY NEXT DOOR neighbor, Gina, pictures from my last visit to the Wafels & Dinges truck—and after telling her that they would be parked two blocks away from us on 86^th Street today Sunday—she gladly volunteered to join me on my next visit.

So it was on this very, icy cold Sunday that she knocked on my door that we set out upon the streets of New York City to find the bright yellow vehicle. Fortunately, I was able to check the Wafels & Dinges Twitter Page to receive the most recently updated change of address; they would not be on 86^th this morning, but instead would be trying out a bit of real estate on 59^th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

So, after getting the similar message from Thomas, the owner of the Wafels & Dinges business, winner of the 2009 VENDY AWARD FOR BEST DESSERT and upcoming Throwdown with Bobby Flay competitor) and confirming the absence of truck on 86^th, Gina and I hopped a cab downtown on Lexington.

We jumped out at 59^th and found the truck a few steps of from the corner.

I let Gina peruse the many delicious options—this being her first visit—as I resigned to not only ordering the same bacon Maple Wafel I did last time, but also ordering a wafelini, finally with the speuloos which is best described as a spread much like peanut butter but tasting of graham crakers (and not available in the U.S.!).

One again, crazy delish. But surprisingly, what Gina finally decided to order—a Liége wafel with fresh strawberries—might have been the best of the bunch. The strawberries were fresh and naturally juice without that cloying sticky syrupy-ness, letting the berry showcase it’s natural sweetness and flavor over the slightly firmer wafel option.

We asked the servers a myriad of questions about operations and customer traffic, then after a a beautiful cup of hot chocolate, said our goodbyes and proceeded to make our way back home.

Along the way, and walking part Bloomingdale’s, Gina and I noticed David Burke’s somewhat new place tucked inside, Burke at Bloomingdale’s. I first noticed the decor, then the menu, then the food—which all looked impressing and appetizing—and, after finally getting permission, was allowed to take some photos of some of the good stuff I was looking at.

There was plenty enough here—food, atmosphere, decor—to merit Gina and I making a plan to try the place out early in the week for lunch, possibly with friends in tow. And the pictures above are just from the BURKE IN THE BOX, takeout part of the restaurant (although that is the kitchen from which all the food is served/delievred); there’s a whole, cozier “half” with more booth seating and a bar. I just figured I’d share this discovery (at least for me, discovery) with you. Which means, of course, I’ll be posting about it soon as well.

Which I’m excited about. Especially since this was a day where I almost didn’t find what I was looking for, and found something I wasn’t looking for.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Wafel & Dinges · | Burke at Bloomingdales ·