Midtown Lunch

I like the sweet stuff just as much as the next guy, but desserts are not exactly my area of expertise. I tried the chocolate chip cookie from the Street Sweets Truck, and thought it was fine, but for a comprehensive look at their offerings I decided to turn to Kathy YL Chan, our resident coffee, sweets, and Hawaiian food expert here on Midtown Lunch (she’s also the blogger behind A Passion for Food.) She “sacrificed” herself by trying a good number of the Street Sweets Truck offerings, and filed this Top 5.

First the Treats Truck, then Dessert Truck, Wafels & Dinges, and now the Street Sweets Truck (followed by the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck). It would be easily to shake one’s head at the severe overflow of baked good and dessert oriented trucks in the city, but as far as I’m concerned (from a consumer perspective) the more, the merrier.

Unlike the other aforementioned trucks, Street Sweets Truck sets itself apart by being tied to a stone and mortar bakery in Brooklyn, One Girl Cookies. One Girl Cookies bakes a good number (but not all) of the products sold at the SS truck, including a selection of One Girl Cookies and some goods exclusively made for for SST.

I sampled my way around a good portion of their products, and while nothing is “the best of its kind”, as a whole SST is a notch above Treats Truck, the most comparable of moving dessert vehicles in town. Below, the top five to note for your next SST visit.

1. Pumpkin Whoopie Pie

Imagine this: two plush pumpkin cookies rounds, gently spiced and oh-so adorable. In the middle, a thin swoosh of gooey, frosting. The frosting is perhaps too sugary sweet on its’ own, but together, they make a wonderful pair. Whoopie pies seem all the range, and since Joe the Art of Coffee stopped carrying those lush mint whoopie versions from This Chick Bakes, the SST is your best bet for a midtown whoopie hankering. Over at the One Girl Bakery, where these whoopie pies were made famous, they also serve a pumpkin whoopie ice cream sandwich with Il Laboratorio’s ricotta gelato which is absolutely to die for. Perhaps we can rally and suggest that Street Sweets start carrying the ice cream sandwiches as well!

2. Lemon Loaf Cake

I showed up just before 11am on a Monday, and as I was settling upon an order I spotted a batch of something fresh coming out of the oven. “Loaf cakes!” the proprietor declared. And I could not say no. If you do happen upon an opportunity for a fresh loaf cake, do not pass it up. The cake alone is lovely, but served warm it is something special. The top is golden, and extra crunchy, and the cake boasts a dense, buttery crumb offset by citrus-y bursts of lemon. Extra lemony – that is a bonus. Priced at $3, it’s also one of the best deals to be found at the SST.

3. Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookie

Small, yes. Pricey for the size, yes. But tasty? Ooh yess. The abundantly nut-studded cookie is a familiar cross between cookie and brownie with a gleaming, crackly crust. Moist, chewy, and dark chocolate-y in flavor, it’s the kind of compact though richly satisfying treat I like to tuck into my work bag for a late afternoon snack or an on-the-bus-home sort of treat.

4. Red Velvet Cupcake

I head straight downtown to Pinisi Bakery for my red velvet cravings, but SST’s version, even by non-Midtown standards, is pretty awesome. Moist and fluffy crumb, heavy on the cocoa, the cupcake is topped off with a just-the-right-portion of tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting. It’s easy to see why this is their top selling cupcake.

5. Croissants

The SST croissants are served plain, or stuffed to order with your choice of filling. Honey, dulce de leche, and cashew butter all sound very nice, but it was the praline cream I fell for. Chilled, smooth, nutty, and generously smothered about, it brought a memorable twist to an otherwise ordinary treat. The croissant is a solid creation, good for midtown, but keep in mind it cannot compete against those in non-midtown territories around Manhattan (aka Patisserie Claude, La Bergamote).

The Street Sweets Truck usually parks M-W-F on 53rd btw. 5+6th, and T-Th on 55th btw. Mad+Park.  For their exactly location, check their Twitter Account, or the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker.

Read these other posts by Kathy YL Chan:

• Shave Ice is the Best New Thing at Cafe Zaiya (But the Frappes and Soft Serve are Pretty Awesome Too)
• A Food Porn Guide to Navigating Your Way Through Cafe Zaiya
• Where to get Two Little Red Hens, Doughnut Plant, Balthazar & More (in Midtown)
• Everything You Wanted to Known About FreeFoods NYC But Were Too Cheap to Try
• Hawaiian Island Grill Won’t Remind You of Oahu, But This Fat Guy Didn’t Mind