Ya gotta love a good food truck. I remember once, when traveling to Oahu, I passed a Shrimp Scampi food truck with a huge line. I was on my way to a business meeting and afterwards I asked a local whether I should go back and get the scampi out of the truck. He insisted. It was the best shrimp scampi I ever had in my life. I still think about it. Pretty regularly. 15 years later.
Are all food trucks that good? No way. I heard a harrowing story of a man who got food poisoning from a food truck in Europe and he ended up paralyzed. No kidding. No joke.
But…there has been a revolution in food truck cuisine and there are some places that you can find some amazing and really diverse food in the metropolitan area.
Smorgasburg is in a warehouse in Sunset Park for the Winter, and although I have never been to that location I plan to try it soon. In Summer, Smorgasburg will come back to a location in Williamsburg on Saturday and a location in Prospect Park on Sundays. For a list of vendors and an idea of the diversity and quality of the food, go to the site http://www.smorgasburg.com/vendors/
Mad Sq. Eats–right next to Madison Square Park on the Broadway side–has a great selection of food trucks. I had one of the best pretzels I’ve ever had in my life there. Last year they were there in April and August so look for them again this year. Lots of delicious main courses and desserts can be had. You’re right next to Eataly and the original Shake Shack, so if nothing strikes your fancy in the trucks, go there instead and get a panini at the former or a burger at the latter. And make sure you check out the latest art exhibit in Madison Square Park. They have some of the best public art exhibits I’ve seen in Manhattan.
As for the food vendors in mid-town, well, they are not for the light of heart or for the sensitive stomach. Although I simply love having them there (Giuliani forbid them in the nineties and it left a hole in the streets and hearts and stomachs of mid-town workers) you have to be a little careful–especially with the meat. Let me put it this way; these are not fair trade, free range, educated and psychologically nurtured meats. But…if you’re tough, the street food is delicious. I have to say that I have grown out of them. I am pickier than I was in my twenties.
Every once in awhile, a selection of GREAT food trucks pulls into Grand Army Plaza near where I live. They have delicious grilled cheese and a donut truck that will blow your mind. There is an ice cream filled donut option that simply makes me wonder how I lived this long without thinking of that! There are lots of other great options too.
So go forth and eat from trucks. Be wary, but do not be a snob, lest you miss out on some of the best food NYC has to offer.