Midtown Lunch

In case you missed it on Eater yesterday, our very own Blondie & Brownie scored a book deal this week!  The project is tentatively titled “New York ala Carte” and will be a “guide to the city’s gourmet food cart scene, with more than 60 recipes from New York’s top vendors.”  We don’t want to give away all the secrets, but I think it goes without saying that many of our favorite Midtown Lunch vendors will be highlighted (and you might see the names of a few more ML contributors popping up to help with the project.)  As the project starts to come together we’ll be sure to fill you guys in before anybody else, but for now you can get a few more details about the book over on their blog, and make sure to congratulate them in the comments.

In light of the recent difficulties plaguing food trucks in New York City, we thought it might be useful to take a look back at the history of vending in NYC. Our man Brian Hoffman gives street food tours for Urban Oyster both in Midtown and the Financial District, so we asked him to pull from his extensive research on past and present vendor regulations to give us some perspective on the current scene.

Photo Courtesy of Detroit Publishing, Library of Congress, Circa 1900

Yesterday we linked to a Crain’s report that has revenue from some food trucks down a whopping 70%, a fact that undoubtedly has to do with food truck owners struggling with unclear laws, a barrage of parking tickets, and other difficulties that make operating their small businesses much more difficult than it should be. Yet this is nothing new, just the latest batch of regulations and restrictions street vendors have had to overcome for centuries.

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The law still stands that food trucks are not legally allowed to set up at parking meters to operate their business. And while petitions have been signed, videos have been circulated, and meetings have been held, we don’t see quite as many trucks as we used to. However, it seems as if the police have been bothering the trucks a little less frequently in the last few weeks. Have they finally found better things to do, or is it just lulling us back into a false sent of lunchtime security…

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If you’ve been by 52nd Street in the last few days, you may have noticed some signs taped up announcing a public hearing by the Vendor Task Force Committee. The meeting will address regulations regarding street vendors and it’s open to the public. So I urge all of you who have an interest in the future of food trucks and carts in the city to attend and show your support. It starts at 6:30pm tonight in the auditorium of the New York Blood Center, which is located at 310 East 67th Street (between 2nd and 1st Avenue).

If you need an afternoon chuckle, check out this article over at the New Yorker. Bob Mankoff, who’s drawn The New Yorker’s iconic cartoons for over 20 years, waxes poetic on street food and gives a nod to the Street Vendor Project. It’s always good to see an influential publication take notice of the cause, and if they can do it through humor, it’s certainly something to smile about.

Related:
Own A Print of the Elwood Smith Vendor Wars Cartoon from the New York Times

Earlier this month, we showcased a video from Save the Food Trucks, an organization that is working to keep the food trucks alive and operable in the city. Well, for the next few Wednesdays, they’ll be releasing some fun little videos featuring food truck owners answering what they would serve to Mayor Bloomberg for lunch. We have an exclusive peek of the first three videos in the series with a few familiar faces to Midtown: Eddie Song (Korilla BBQ), Kim Ima (Treats Truck), and Vendy nominee Adam Sobel (Cinnamon Snail), whose truck has been seen on the weekends here at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market. We already know that Mayor Mike likes his burritos extra spicy. Maybe he’ll take them up on the offer.

Check out the videos after the jump.

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Speaking of Street Meat… the Vilcek Foundation, an organization that honors and supports foreign born scientists and artists who have made significant contributions to society in the U.S., has dedicated their entire Fall 2011 newsletter to immigrant street food vendors. Here at Midtown Lunch we’ve always seen what a huge contribution immigrants have made to the vibrant street food scene of New York, so it’s nice to see somebody else recognizing the connection.  The newsletter has features on six immigrant food vendors from around the country (including two in NYC: Dessert Truck and Veronica’s Kitchen), and the introduction was written by yours truly!  Check it out…