The Food Truck Rally Was Terrifically Delicious! Part I

I really love planning a day around food especially if it takes me to a part of town that I've rarely spent any time in. Today was a trip to Grand Army Plaza at Prospect Park to join in on an amazing Food Truck Rally with an array of incredible eats. I mean what better way to spend a sweltering, sticky and gross day in the wonderful Borough of Brooklyn! Man was it hot. Add in the fact that we were standing in the middle of sixteen food trucks pumping out additional heat...man it was hot.
My main goal, other than stuffing my face, was to finally (FINALLY!) try the Ice Cream Sammies (sandwiches) from Cool Haus, especially their crazy Fried Chicken and Waffles sandwich. Oh Yeah!
So we'll start there...

Ok, so they didn't have the Fried Chicken and Waffles at the Park today (I'm crying on the inside,) so I had to settle for Beer and Pretzels with Snickerdoodle cookies. Settle is a bad word since I devoured it in time to finish my sons Ice Cream sandwich. His was an amazing Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Can I just say the Ice Cream was wonderful and the flavors were so right on the money that I can only describe it as...you have to try it for yourself to believe it. I also recommend the Root Beer Ice Cream because the flavor was like you were eating it right out of the bottle...no joke. Cool Haus was also auditioning their new milkshakes, but I was way too full at that point to give them a try.
Ok so let's rewind a bit back to the main courses of the day. Here's a tip...always take extra family members to food festivals, or Food Truck Rallies, because it gives you the opportunity to try more than you can actually eat. However you must make sure to influence everyone into getting something different so that they all don't go for the Pizza, which we'll get to in a minute.

The day started with an innocent tour of the various vehicles parked at the top of Prospect Park, checking each and every menu just to make sure we weren't missing anything. Of course having the kids along means that they have to be taken care of first...

Oh Snap! No I mean the SNAP hotdog truck that my daughter got that Chili Dog at. Oh man, so delicious, Chili was pretty good, but I only was allowed a smidgen...darn kids! A little disappointing that they didn't have the Belgian Fries ready, I really wanted to try them, especially since they use the leftover Peanut Oil to fuel their truck! That's totally cool.

This Pizza is from Eddie's Pizza NY, and it is the only thing my son wanted eat. I have to admit that I was totally surprised he wanted Meatball on top because all he ever wants is plain. Either Noodles, Pasta, Pizza or Chicken Nuggets, the boy is particular. I am thankful though because he never eats his crust, and I'm the crust eater. I was able to weasel one slice after bribing him that I'd buy him that Spiderman wrist shooter thing at the toy store...you have to be firm in these matters. Overall a very good Pizza Pie with an extra thin crust and very tasty sauce. Me, I prefer the traditional NYC Pizza, but this wasn't far off, and boy did my son tear through it!

Part II of our trip to the Food Truck Rally coming soon...

NYC Department Of Health Restaurant Ratings Map...It's Interactive!

I remember a couple of years back when the letter grading system was instituted in NYC by the Department of Health, causing a minor uproar in the restaurant community because some thought it was unfair. The main reason for the uproar was that restaurants have to hang their grade in the front window of their shop or they would be fined. Some restaurants responded by creatively hiding their grades, if they were not an A, like putting a row of tall plants in front of their windows. Look, the bottom line is that we all pay good money to eat at restaurants that are clean, that are free of pests, and keep their food properly refrigerated. Most people have probably seen these grades without exactly understanding exactly what they mean. I mean a B sounds good right? Well it's not. A B means that a restaurant has some major violations...major! 

I'm not going to explain what the violations are or what the process is for the restaurants to appeal their grades, that would take too long. Most of us don't have the time to really check out a restaurant on our own before we go out to eat...or do we? 

Thanks to the Department of Health they have set up an interactive map of the entire city so you can quickly find out about a restaurant that you are planning to go to tonight. The amazing thing is that you can see exactly what the violations are, if any. Don't let yourself be fooled by how a restaurant appears or sounds, make sure you are looking out for yourself because the last thing you want to have to deal with is Food Poisoning, or worse, a trip to the hospital. Click the link below to be taken to the map:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/dining/new-york-health-department-restaurant-ratings-map.html?ref=dining

NYC's Cheapest Foods Are Generally Bad

Piggy-backing on my $1.00 Pizza rant (It sucks,) comes a great article from NY Mag where they search the city for cheap foods and do a taste test. Well let me tell you, it didn't go well. Cheap food, while easy on the wallet, is not so easy on the taste buds, or the stomach for that matter. Sure there are probably a few cheap treats that satisfy, but the general consensus is that they are sub-standard. Basically it's bad food that's unhealthy.
Don't be fooled people, it's a story that's too good to be true. Dollar Pizza, Hot Dogs, Bagels from that cart next to your job, a Hamburger from the deli around the corner....the list goes on and on. Also a lot of these cheap food items are from street vendors, but please don't confuse them with some of the high quality Food Trucks that serve NY. Just like with anything, it's up to you to find quality. Click the link below to read the article from NY Mag:

newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/07/platt_ranks_cheap_eats.html 

McDonald's Secret Sauce Revealed?

Two all beef patties, SPECIAL SAUCE, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun! Ah-ha! What is that Special Sauce they speak of? Is it Thousand Island dressing, or is it a magical concoction that makes you secretly desire a Big Mac at 12AM on a Tuesday? Well maybe that's just me. Anyway as far back as I can remember, people have always wondered what the heck the sauce is and why is it so damn tasty. Of course conspiracy theories have always abounded, even going so far as to say that McDonald's put in an addictive element that makes you come back for more. Honestly it's easy to believe since they have never addressed it in all their years of existence...until now.



I can't help it, I'm still skeptical. Not that I don't like a Big Mac now and again. Probably way back in the 50's this was how the sauce was made, when McDonald's was still in it's infancy, but you're telling me that they didn't put something else in the sauce? Hmmm. Maybe I've heard too many stories or seen too many movies like 'Fast Food Nation.' Obviously this video coming out now is clearly in response to the wave of Fast Food restaurants trying to use better ingredients, or at least that's what they're telling us. I'm not fooled, it's like the boy who cried wolf if you ask me. Some food just can't be pawned off as good food, nor should it be.

Why More And More Food Trucks Are Opening Up Their Own Shops

I love Food Trucks and really appreciate what they do for the City, and the quality and care in which they do it. However it's not an easy life. Living and working in NYC is already hard enough, but what these vendors have to deal with on a day to day basis is sometimes cruel. Ever drive into the City and try to find a place to park? It's a nightmare, but we have options. We can take the train in and don't have to worry about finding a spot. Food Trucks have to find a spot every day in all areas of town, and most times those spaces are already filled. Not to mention every parking law in the City is basically against them. Plus restaurants aren't their biggest fans either since they believe they are losing business to these guys, and in my opinion that's not true. Of course Food Trucks are a trend, a very good trend, but trends tend to fade. In NYC there will always be a need for Food Trucks, it's a way of life. A convenience for the people who don't have time to sit in a restaurant because they have to get back to work. Again all trends come to an end and most of the Food Trucks, I'm sure, have a plan B which would be to open up their own shops, which a lot have already done. Here are a couple of examples:

Mexicue has 2 shops, one at 345 7th Ave (Bet 29th and 30th), and one at 106 Forsyth St. (Bet Broome and Grand

The Treats Truck has The Treats Stop at 521 Court St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Big Gay Ice Cream has a shop at 125 7th St (bet 1st Ave and Ave A)

I must admit when I find out that a Food Truck vendor has opened up a shop I get really excited because to me it means that they really have made it. Not to say that running a Food Truck only can't be successful, it can, but it just seems really hard to keep it going day after day. You gotta think that the winter is really tough on these trucks, in NYC it's all about the good weather. Having a permanent shop alleviates the issue of having to worry about snow, rain and all sorts of other crazy things that happen on the streets of NYC. In this foodies opinion I hope the Food Truck trend continues on and on with new vendors coming on to the scene, while the oldies but goodies graduate to shops that can provide New Yorkers with tasty treats all year round. Either way it's very exciting. For further reading on this subject, click the link below to the NY Mag story discussing this exact issue...of course in a far more intelligent way than I did...

newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/07/food-trucks-turn-to-stores-for-convenience-reliability.html

Also remember the Food Truck rally is this Sunday 7/15 in Prospect Park from 11-5! Hope to see all you foodies there!

Cookie Monster: You've Got Cookie, So Share It Maybe

Sorry I couldn't help myself...who doesn't love Cookie Monster. This video made me very happy, hope it does the same for you...

Two New UN-Frozen Yogurt Places Opening Up In NYC

Frozen Yogurt shops have been opening up all over the City these days. Whether it's Pinkberry, O Red Mango, FlavaBoom, 16 Handles, Berrywild, Eskimix, Holey Cream!, Peaches, or Yorganic, Frozen Yogurt has taken the City by storm. So it should come as no surprise that two new Frozen Yogurt places are entering the fray. Wait, did I cross out Frozen? Yes, in fact I did. These two new establishments will be selling Yogurt without it being frozen. Unique you say? Yes, indeed it is. The first shop which just opened on Monday is called the Yogurt Culture Company and is a subsidiary of Dannon Yogurt. Obviously Dannon has been synonymous with Yogurt in the country for years, but this new venture is a step back to the basics. In a statement Michael Neuwirth, the public relations director of Dannon, said..."It emphasizes the real yogurt, not a sweet product. We believe yogurt is an ideal food. It's high in protein, easy to eat and really doesn't need much sweetening." When they say basic they mean it. There are four choices: Regular, Greek, Whole and Skim. The regular Yogurt is made in White Plains, NY, and the Greek from Pennsylvania. A cup of the delicious Yogurt is a whopping $5.49, but can be dressed with a slew of free toppings. The Yogurt can also be blended with a sweetened fruit puree or honey. Strictly on the down-low, they will also be selling Frozen Yogurt and a multitude of other delicious foods which you can find out more about on their website:

www.yogurtculturecompany.com/

The Yogurt Culture Company is at 125 Park Ave at 41st Street and is open from 7 to 7 M-F, 8-7 on the weekends.

The other new shop is Chobani SoHo, also a familiar name in the Yogurt biz, known for it's top-selling Greek Yogurt, but won't open for another month. This shop will be very Mediterranean inspired with toppings like figs, pistachios and honey. It will also feature some of it's own unique blends like Yogurt with Toasted Coconut and Pineapple, scattered with Hazelnuts and sweetened with Agave. Yum! Also available at the shop will be a pantry section filled with many Mediterranean ingredients like Oils, Spreads and Nuts. Chobani will be a take-out only shop and will only use it's own Greek Yogurt that is made in a factory in upstate NY. Store hours and prices have yet to be determined and they will not sell Frozen Yogurt. So look out for updates as I will be keeping an eye on the progress.
I must say these two shops are an exciting entry into the Yogurt phenomenon happening here in NYC, even if it's not of the frozen variety. Honestly for most people they may be a tough sell at first but I believe people are always looking for something delicious and unique whether it be for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Frozen Yogurt only has a shelf life, in business terms, of a couple of months in the city   due to the weather. Once September hits most people turn their attention to warmer things, or at least things that don't make them cold when they eat it. While the prices may seem a bit high, most people will feel it's more about the quality and will understand the value they are getting. Only time will tell of course, but I can't wait to get a taste of some fresh Yogurt at one of these fine establishments.