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 | |

AND SO IT continues…. It was only a few years (and a recession-induced nostalgia movement) ago that the food universe started to embrace new trends. First was re-proliferation of comfort food (burgers, pizzas, mac ‘n’ cheese, fried chicken, then burgers again). Next was the exponential evolution and expansion of street truck/cart food ideology from hot water dogs and gyros to veal weiner schnitzel and Peking duck dumplings.

My visit to the Hester Street Fair earlier today seems to prophesize the next high-minded (if not broad-minded) fanatical foodie fad: finer festival food dining.

I got down to Essex and Hester Streets around none to find a decent-sized crowd already in attendence.

I had wisely skipped lunch, looking forward to enjoying the offerings of the larger-than-expected number of food/beverage booths. First up was the booth from a restaurant called Bunnychow (bunnychowny.com) featuring contemporary South African cuisine. I ordered the lamb bunnychow, that was served on a piece of bread and topped with peach chutney and coconut flakes.

This was absolutely delicious, almost surprisingly so, although I should have remembered how well spicy curry flavors and exotic seasonings go with tender meat and the perfect complement of sweet fruit. Having never heard of this place before, I have already made a note to myself to check out the restaurant firsthand.

Next was an almost newbie as well, never having heard of Malbon Bros. (malbonbrothersbbq.com | Facebook page), yet having read someone’s rave of their pulled pork sandwich of the Hester Street Fair Facebook Page. I had to submit and ordered a deliciously, rich, vinegary barbecue sauce highlighting tender strips of pork, topped with a bright, crisp slaw, and panini-pressed into a sturdy bun. (And they kindly asked that I remind you that, contrary to rumor, Malbon Bros. indeed will have their booth at the fair every Saturday and Sunday until December!)

Big and flavorful, this sated me thoroughly, (and went very, very well with the outrageously delicious fennel lemonade from a stand whose name I don’t remember) but ultimately highlighted a new problem. How was I going to be able to stay hungry when I was enjoying some great yet filling food?

The answer would come at the next booth I hit (another former stranger) whose table had one of many signs that caught my eye. It included the words “chocolate-covered bacon”, and my response to anything food-related that includes bacon is immediately Pavlovian (yes, I’m one of those people!).

The booth was for a company called Roni-Sue (Chocolates) (www.roni-sue.com | Facebook page) and was also selling Bacon-Caramel Popcorn with Spicy Peanuts, Bacon Buttercrunch, and Maple Bacon Lollipops.

I ordered the Bacon-Covered Chocolate and Bacon Popcorn, and when Roni, of Roni-Sue, offered a sizable paper bag to put my new goodies in, I realized that I could order what ever food I wanted, and be able to take it home to enjoy, either later at home or with my coworkers at the restaurant where I work.

Having been told that I had missed the Bacon Marmalade stand by a day, I figured I had more than fulfilled my pork quota for the day, I figured it was time to check out the very enticing dessert stands that were peppered about. Two very attractive ladies sat behind a table of very attractive vegan and organic confections at Boomtown Baked Goods (www.boomtown-bakedgoods.com | Facebook page).

I asked for an assortment of things, including a chocolate and mint macaroon and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Roll, which were all raved about by my waitresses by the time I got back to the restaurant. (I forgot the names of the kind and friendly ladies who were working the stand, but they were worth the visit alone…!)

Knowing the whole time that the stands for Luke’s Lobster ["Luke's Is On A Roll"] and Porchetta (www.porchettanyc.com | Facebook page) were present—and having already became longtime fans of them both—I decided I would likewise reward my friends with their signature sandwiches, the making of which I made a brief video of right here.

It was time to leave. I’d pick up a lobster roll, put it in my bag, and give a really nice treat to my fellow staff. But my plans were spoiled by a beautiful display of appetizingly colorful macaroons—including one flavored with maple and BACON! They belonged to culinarily creative Macaron Parlour (on Facebook).

I bought three maple bacon macaroons, which went into my paper bag, atop my Porchetta sandwich and the Boomtown baked goods. Suffering from porcine overload, I was happy to come across the stand for Luke’s Lobster (www.lukeslobster.com | Facebook page).

There I would order a lobster roll from the people who, a few months ago, made the best lobster roll I ever had, and bring it back home to the Upper East Side, and have my unwitting comminglers be so impressed with the heady goodness of this indigenous Maine staple that they would look that much more forward to the upcoming opening of Luke’s second outpost just a few blocks away.

Alas, that particular joy would have to wait. It was not until I got back uptown and into my restaurant—and had opened my bag to distribute its bounty to the two waitresses, the bartender, and assorted regular customers—that I discovered the horrible absence of lobster roll!

As I fought back figurative fears, the others welcomed the invitation to frenzy feed, making quick work of all macaroons, popcorn, and chocolate-covered bacon. I was able to save a slice for myself, and decided I would only give up one bite of my Porchetta sandwich, since I knew it would be the first thing I’d want to eat once I got hungry again.

Manhattan is rife with street fairs and festivals, and they have been selling the same sausage & peppers, mozzarella & corn cakes, and lemonade for decades. I implore the committees who are responsible for them to follow the lead of the forward thinking people behind the Hester Street Fair (which as well showcases many other cool and creative knickknacks that have nothing to do with food).

That would be more than fair.

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.

In my old lifestyle, I’d be bartending on Sundays, and hungover all day on Wednesdays (from overdoing it the night before at Karaoke Night!), which meant I couldn’t get to the truck when it was in my neighborhood—a few blocks away on 86^th Street between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues—to enjoy these wafles for myself.

And after, having just missed the truck last night be mere minutes on my return from PHUDE-ing down in Union Square, I decided to take advantage of my new sobriety-created energy and trek down by Times Square to reward myself for my discipline.

I jumped on the downtown 5 train and took a quick trip to the Times Square station, walking out of the subway and up 5^th Aven…

…to 46th Street between 5^th and 6^th Avenues, where the Wafles & Dinges Facebook Page alerted its followers it would be.

I took a quick look at the menu to refamiliarize myself with all of the yummy options, rendered immediately moot once I saw the BACON SYRUP WAFEL special scribbled on the chalkboard on the side of the truck! I ordered one while perusing the truck for the rest of its wares and watching the wafel-makers create other customer’s dishes.

Mine finally, quickly, came out, and it was a thing of visual and aromatic beauty. There was a little courtyard seating area just a few steps away; I made myself comfortable and dug in.

As I told the gentlemen who prepared this for me, this was f__king outstanding! The waffle was warm, toasty, light, airy, with a respectable crisp on the outside. The bacon—that gets crumbled and thrown into the batter right before the batter gets poured into the “iron”—was most lean, chewy without be gummy with fat, smoky, and flavorful. And the fine drizzle of maple syrup worked just enough to cut the bacon’s salt but sweeten the wafles cakiness.

They had used “Brussels” wafel for this dish, but I was curious to try their “Liége” wafel as well, touted as “Soft ‘n Chewy…the ones the Belgians kept secret from the world.” After seeing the one the pretty lady next to me had just received, I ordered a liége mini-wafelini for myself. The bonus being that it came skewered with fruit. Yes, fruit! You see, I am eating healthy…!

The fruit was fresh and sweet, and the liége wafelinin, unadorned, had a greatcrepe-like taste to it, with a slightly more dense interior, which I could see holding up very well under some ice cream, which, of course, is one of their many toppings—dinges!—options.

The truck will be at 86th Street again this weekend, and after showing the pictures off my camera to my friends in the neighborhood, I believe we now have a large group of people who look forward to descending upon the Wafels & Dinges truck on Sunday.

You coming with…?

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

My former bar customer and now good friend Brooke, who is unfortunately unemployed, volunteered some of her too available free time to join me on a dumpling truck run after my post about NYC chef Anita Lo’s Rickshaw Dumpling Truck last week. We quickly organized a foodie meetup through FB and, after a quick drink at D’s, headed to 86th & Lexington for the grub.

Turning the corner and seeing the truck, Brooke reacted almost as elatedly as I did when I first saw it. We wanted to try the duck version, but they were only selling the Pork & Chive and Chicken and Thai Basil—same as last time—although the smartly recommended that we return later in the week as they do mix up the varieties.

Brooke was also smart enough to suggest that we try one of their other, non-dumpling dishes, as they do as well offer side dishes and salads. We went for the $3 Chili Sesame Noodle Salad, added that to our orders of each the Chicken and Pork dumplings, and made our way to enjoy the food, again, at Danny & Eddie’s, where we could be outdoors and the backyard and eat, drink, and be all sorts of merry.

We decided to try the salad first, and you can see her earnest opinion of her first couple of tastes in this video.

And here some better looks at the Chili Sesame Noodle Salad:

We made fast, deep dents into that dish, but Brooke was here for the main event: the dumplings, which I helped her make quick work of also. At least this time I remembered to get a few shots of what the dumpling—in this case, the Chicken Dumpling—looks like on the inside:

And with a quick dip of the sauce….

Yes, still very, very good food! And for 15$ total, light but filling—we couldn’t even finish the salad (and as I recommended to her and reminded myself, that salad is a great item to order and save for lunch the following day!).

Now I’m psyched. She’s as enthusiastic a foodie as I am (I wasn’t sure at first) and now I have someone who lives only a few blocks away who wants me to call her at any whim to join her for further food expeditions. Maybe, one of these days, you’ll join us too. Just bring your smile and an appetite (and money, but hopefully, not a lot!)….

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

She adds to her resumé Truck Vendor, as she now has a company called Rickshaw Dumplings which likewise has a truck that sells a variety of her also award-winning dumplings!

I discovered the dumplings first, on my way to see the very decent movie, THE HURT LOCKER. I had a few minutes before showtime to squeeze in a quick bite, and my first idea was to get a quick Whopper Jr. from the BK right next door to the theater. Alas, the lines were long with two softball teams who had just finished a game, so I left intent on walking half a block to Papaya King.

Out of the corner of my eye, did I espy, a truck whose coolly, yet brightly, painted side read, DUMPLINGS, parked right across the street. I walked over, ordered a box of six Pork & Chive dumplings, and, miraculously snucked them into the theater. (They are packaged so nicely that it looks more like a gift!).

So the following day I did some research and that’s when I did some research and found out that this was an endeavor of Anita Lo. Also finding out, on the website, the trucks schedule—Monday through Friday on 86th St. & Lex., 5pm until 9 pm!—I knew I would have to return.

And return I did! How happy I was to turn the corner and see this:

Right outside the subway; prime location, if you ask me! I took another quick look at the menu.

The price is obviously right (a dollar a prepped-from-scratch, steamed-to-order dumpling), which made it even easier for me to venture trying a little variety. The website shows all the different varieties of dumplings they make; here’s a rundown:

Classis Pork & Chinese Chive, served with Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce
(Bell & Evans) Chicken & Thai Basil, served with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Peking Duck, with Lemongrass and Thai Basil, served with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Wild American Shrimp, with Wasabi, Crunchy Jicama & Scallion, served with Sweet Miso Dipping Sauce
Vegetarian Edamame, with Lemon Zest and Soy, served with a Lemon Sansyo Dipping Sauce
Szechuan (Bell & Evans) Chicken, with Szechuan Spice
(Dessert) Warm Chocolate Shanghai Soup Dumpling, a Black Sesame-Crusted Mochi Wrapper with hot Melting Callebaut Chocolate

I was quite happy with the Pork & Chive last time, so I ordered the same, then mixed it up with another order, this time the Chicken and Thai Basil. The truck was clean—and smelled wonderful—and the service quick, friendly, and professional, as you can see here in the video that I took. (And, for the guys, the girl was even cuter in person!)

Realizing that, especially after my afternoon of brats and fries, these two boxes of food might be a little much, I called my good friend, Danny, to see if he wanted to try out and share some of these. He obliged and I net him at his bar, Danny & Eddies’s (1st Avenue between 85th & 86th Sts), and we pretty much dug right in.

These were so good they were gone before I could even remember to take some “half-eaten” shots of the dumplings. Neither Danny nor I could choose a favorite, although we enjoyed them both. The dumpling “skin” was thin enough to be translucent, as you can see in the pictures, so the featured flavors are that of the stuffing—layered, textured, nicely seasoned, and easily discernible in their many fresh ingredients—and not the dough. Most people, like myself, Danny, and fellow foodie, Marcy, hate any type of stuffed dough/bread where the outsides overwhelms what’s inside in mass, flavor, weight, etc.

These meaty morsels disappeared very quickly, as Danny and I now have standing appointments to visit the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck at least once a week. Hopefully you’ll join us. Trust us, it’s worth the “trek” for the “truck”!

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

PS Read up on my second visit to the Rickshaw Dumpling truck!