I've visited the Treats Truck and Mud Truck's mendacious knock-off Love Truck. One recent Monday morning at 14th and 8th I came upon El Idolo taco truck. The driver was busy cleaning up after a long night of serving tacos, tostadas, and the like, which I hear are delicious. He told me he's on that corner usually from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am. I'll keep an eye out for him.
This past Friday night I encountered the new Wafels & Dinges Truck at Astor Place. Not really my scene--the truck was mobbed by a bunch of yunnies and touristy types. What is it about snack places with the word "Belgian" on their sign? That Pommes Frites joint is always swamped with giddy gaggles.
Anyway, it was a cold night and a hot waffle sounded pretty good, so I tried the Liege Wafel with Nutella. I chatted a bit with the waffle man. He's from Tunisia (his partner's the Belgian) and the truck's been around town for about three months. As I paid my 5 bucks (yikes) someone on the left whacked me with her giant handbag and someone on the right whip-creamed the elbow of my coat with his waffle.
My Liege and Nutella was yummy and warm, but far too sweet for my taste. If I try it again I'll take it plain--but I probably won't try it again, unless I have some out-of-town visitors who would "get a big kick" out of street waffles.
The point of all this is: I wonder, as the city becomes increasingly hostile to small business, will we see more and more mobile entrepreneurs? Will they expand to non-food items, like the lovely vintage knife-sharpening truck I am sometimes lucky to see?
Imagine a city built of nothing but glass towers filled with banks and Duane Reades, where everything interesting is on wheels. We'll have mobile art galleries, portable poetry readings, used-book mobiles, rolling burlesque shows, RVs featuring itinerant sex clubs and traveling piano bars.
And do you know what will happen then? Whoever the mayor is will enact a ban on these trucks. Then Chase Bank, Starbucks, and Rite-Aid will be given permits and exclusive territory rights for going mobile in their place.
You know I'm right on this one.
8 comments:
There used to be a mobile brothel that would sit in a parking lot down around 13th and Broadway. It was a Winnebago with hookers in it. Their problem now will be finding parking lots in this damn town.
yeah i've been seeing some pretty elaborate food trucks and in record numbers.. i am also shocked by the new "chains" of street carts, or street carts with their zagat ratings and nyt / nyp reviews laminated and displayed.
downtown by wall street, i see some cart lunches hitting close to 10 bucks with long lines. i've tried some just to see what the big deal is, but it's always dry dark meat chicken bits with yellow rice and a bucket of sauce dumped on it. nothing to write home about.
the taco trucks have been around on the uws above 100th st forever, if you find a good one like the one on northern blvd in queens, they are some of the best mexican food the city has to offer, but even then be prepared to spend about 5 or 6 bucks.
the REAL crime is the hot dog carts which have started serving PORK hot dogs. i got screwed by one outside moma of all places recently.
after they stopped selling yoo-hoo, shit went downhill fast.
i agree with you that when it gets out of control the city will move to regulate it more.
Liege waffles are fantastic - but leave the nutella off them (nutella is for crepes anyway). Leige waffles are carmelized with belgian pearl sugar in the dough when they are heated. It is a very special taste (very addicting) which would be overwhelmed by nutella. Give it one more try and eat it plain and hot. You won't be sorry.
the liege waffle was very good and i did find myself eating around the edges to avoid the nutella. so maybe another trip to the truck for a plain is in order.
the brothel bit is intriguing. maybe some enterprising belgian will bring us a new truck: Waffles-N-Hookers?
We have mobile brothels (Winnebagos) in San Francisco. Although, the alley they occupy is sandwiched between a Best Buy and a gym, so, we'll see how much longer that lasts.
That taco truck on 14th and 8th is amazing. The food is really good, crazy cheap, and those guys work their asses off all night long for a ton of interesting customers ranging from bar hopping drunks to late night livery cab drivers. I love this place and make a point to stop by it on my way home from a night of drinking quite often.
Jeremiah - you are right about this - you know you are! Wasn't it a mobile living room sponsored by a corporation (can't remember which one) where someone posed deep throating her fist? And then there's the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile. So yeah, the corporations are in on it to, fo shizzle.
wow, Hawaii - you really know your Liege! I'm impressed and intrigued by that "Belgian pearl sugar" comment - I'm going to have to check these out.
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