Choice Streets Brought Some Old And New Favorites Together


Choice Streets, the food truck version of Village Voice’s Choice Eats happened on Pier 86 just below the Intrepid last night and I was happily there to check out all the goods.

Usually at these food truck affairs, it’s always the same trucks over and over again. But I was pleased to see some new offerings aside the expected Wafels & Dinges, Frites ‘n’ Meats, and Red Hook Lobster Truck. Quite a few vendors who very rarely make the trip to Midtown proper showed face. Solber Pupusas and Souvlaki GR served up their Vendy Award winning deliciousness.


And Bongo Brothers, which is a favorite of Andrea’s downtown, proved that their stellar Cuban sandwiches are a welcome addition to the NY street food world.


I’m fully aware of the deliciousness of Freddy the King of Falafel, Mexicue, and Taim Mobile, so I mainly stuck to some of the newer trucks I had yet to fully experience. Phil’s Steaks lived up to Rachel’s previous experience with a well-seasoned steak and salty provolone sandwich. Mexico Blvd brought a nice al pastor taco (with a generous pineapple garnish) to the mix, but lost me on the vegan (and bland) quesadilla. And Morris Grilled Cheese Truck had both the classic cheddar and landaff and the gouda and bacon fat sandwich for tasting. Their simple and inventive combinations might have been my favorite two bites of the night.


There wasn’t too long of a wait at any of the trucks, including the usually insane Korilla BBQ queue. They tried out a promising new taco: elote salad, prosciutto powder, and cilantro-wasabi aioli. It wasn’t their best effort, but with a little refining, it could be as tasty as their bulgogi tacos. I was hoping this might be a new special, but the guys tell me for now it will not be offered on the truck. Perhaps at the next of these big food truck gatherings.


To balance things out, there were a few “healthy” food trucks. NYC Healthy Bites hangs out in the Union Square area and their dry organic hot dog reminded me why we don’t usually focus on health food on this site. The Green Pirate Juice Truck, however, foiled that idea with some well-balanced and delicious vegetable juices like The Hot Pink Limeade (beets, limes, and cucumbers). Seriously!


Unfortunately, Cinnamon Snail had to cancel at the last minute due to a truck emergency. I was bummed because I was really craving a vegan donut. Instead, I settled for my first Kelvin Slush of the year and two tastings of Coolhaus‘ ice cream sandwiches, thank you very much!


The most exciting discovery (aside from the breathtaking views from the West Side Highway) was the brand spanking new Chinese Mirch truck. Last night marked their first official appearance on the street (or I should say “on the dock”). This is a truck version of the Indian-Chinese fusion restaurant in the Flatiron. They brought some Tibetan momos over rice in a spicy chili sauce. It’s a little premature to make a full judgement on their food, but they plan to launch in the Financial District today and hope to come to Midtown soon enough. Follow them on Twitter at @ChineseMirch.

2 Comments

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    Was there last night and very disappointed with the efforts by the Red Hook Lobster Truck. When I went up to the truck one hour into the event they ran out of food and had to shut down. Shocked me how unprepared these guys were, the rest of the time you just saw them walking around and trying the other trucks.

  • That cuban sandwich was awesome

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