Midtown Lunch

I know it’s freaking cold out there these days, but don’t let that deter you from the street meat!  Street Vendor business always drops off in the winter, and this year is no different.  I’ve already heard from a number of vendors that business has dropped as much as 60%, and it’s not just the cold… it’s the wind too.  So as tempting as it is to eat at whatever crappy chain is at the bottom of your building, get out there and help your favorite street vendor make it through the winter.

And just to show that I practice what I preach, I dragged Hagan (the 93 plates dude) to the 53rd & 6th St. cart today, which we proceeded to eat on the street in the freezing cold!  And from what I hear, we just missed the DOH…

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Apparently yelling loud does get the Department of Health’s attention! A DOH spokesperson emailed Gothamist to claim the whole thing was a misunderstanding:

“The Health Department currently prohibits, and will continue to prohibit the sale of raw shellfish from a mobile food cart. However, the wording in the recent amendments to the Health Code effectively prohibit the sale of all seafood, raw and cooked, and that was unintentional. The Health Department intends to fix this, and will not enforce this amendment as written.“

That’s a huge relief! Now how about the smoothie vendors? Do they all need to outfit their carts with refrigerators, or was that unintentional as well?

The brand new version of Article 89 of the Health Code of NYC, which now outlaws all seafood, fish, and shellfish from being prepared or sold by street vendors, takes effect in just 15 days. And as yesterday’s news makes its way through the vendor community (and those love it) it’s looking more and more like the Department of Health slipped this rule in under our noses. A small percentage of vendors in New York City sell seafood, and some might be able to get rid of it without a huge impact on their bottom line- like the tianbula from the NYC Cravings Truck (“chicken and pork chops are our bread and butter”). But for vendors like the Schnitzel Truck and Kwik Meal, (and street food lovers like us) it’s a far bigger deal.

Schnitzel Truck owner Oleg had this to say:

“If fish is stored, prepared and sold properly, why is it assumed to be more dangerous than meat or poultry that can also easily spoil if not kept under proper conditions. We feel that our cod schnitzel is a great addition to the menu and adds another dimension to the overall experience of eating from a food truck. There are numerous customers that only eat the cod from us and we feel terrible that we’ll have to remove it from the menu.”

I also spoke to Kwik Meal owner Muhammad Rahman, and he seemed genuinely speechless that he might have to give up selling something he’s been cooking for years.

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If this is wrong, than I don’t want to be right…

I’m all for the Department of Health making sure our food is safe to eat, but this is ridiculous!  Apparently at the end of last year, the Department of Health adopted a resolution that rewrote many parts of the health code as it pertains to street vendors.  It takes effect January 1st of this year, and if enforced it’s going to have a huge effect on Midtown Lunch’ing.  Namely, no more fish, shellfish, or seafood from street vendors.  Here it is direct from the newly rewritten Article 89:

§89.19 f(2) Fish. No fish, shellfish, or any food consisting of or made with an aquatic animal, as defined in Article 81, shall be prepared, stored, held for service or sold from a mobile food vending unit.

The full ramifications of this are just sinking into my brain right now, and it’s easy to joke about the “safety” of eating seafood from a truck. But think about all the great seafood options being offered right now from carts and trucks in Midtown alone… the fried cod from the Schnitzel Truck, Tianbula from the NYC Cravings Truck, and the always delicious salmon and tilapia served by Kwik Meal (shown above.) And worst of all, what the hell is Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart going to sell?! This must be some kind of a bad dream.

And that’s not all.

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Today’s Washington Post has an incredibly interesting article on how difficult it’s been for new street vendors are having in places like Virginia, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco. It’s refreshing to see an article this balanced and well researched, a stark contrast to most of the recent puff pieces that make street vending out to be the next cash cow for restaurant entrepreneurs. It talks about the different rules vendors face in different cities, and also reports on some solutions that are being suggested in places like San Francisco.  Even though the article doesn’t really cover New York City, the issues (and the final line of the article) are relevant to us.  “Right now it’s mayhem. If this food truck thing blows up even more, it could get really messy.” [via @biggayicecream]

Related:
News Flash: New Street Vendors Are Finding It Difficult to Make Money
Prediction: New Carts & Trucks Are About to See Some Serious Backlash

I love it when Anthony Bourdain gets all vitriolic on the things that bother him (I find myself agreeing with him pretty much every single time) but I can’t stand by his (totally surprising) opinion about New York City street food.  A few weeks ago, after heaping praise on a hot dog cart in Denver for an upcoming episode of No Reservations, Bourdain was quoted saying some not so nice things about his hometown street meat options:

["Really awesome"] is not how he’d describe the frankfurters in New York, which are “standard dirty water dogs” and “completely forgettable,” Bourdain said, a snub that he extended to New York street food in general. “The street food in New York is shameful, terrible and indefensible,” he complained. “It’s absolutely appalling.”

He does clarify the statement a bit to exclude the street food of the outer boroughs.

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Lisa Colagrassi, the ABC7 reporter who quoted the 4% vs. 25% street cart statistic yesterday was nice enough to respond to our question this morning: “Sorry that it took so long to get back to you, Zach. Kevin Pomplun [the Chef from the Picnik Smoked Truck] actually used those numbers in relation to his restaurant experience… b/c there is no rent, employees etc. Is it an official number… probably not, but an example of the advantages of vending over establishing a restaurant.” Well, there is rent- it’s just cheaper than a brick and mortar (you have to pay to park your cart somewhere, and pay for somewhere to smoke all the meats.) Also, the Picnic Smoked Truck didn’t have to fight for their spot. They were given a special permit by the Downtown Alliance to park there… and even Kevin admits it’s “no less of a challenge” than running a restaurant.

Related:
Opening a Street Truck is Just as Risky as Opening a Restaurant (Despite What the Local News Says)

Surprise!  Another local news affiliate has discovered the amazing street vendor phenomenom. Of course the Cupcake Stop Truck is front and center (aren’t they always), but it also touches on the Picnick Smoked Truck, which was written about in our Downtown Lunch column.  Once again, the report completely misleads people into thinking these new trucks are big money makers.  But the part that really bothered me the most was this quote:

“With a brick and mortar restaurant the profit margin is about 4%.  With a truck, it’s 25%.”

Really? That doesn’t sound right…

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Those of us who love eating street food, but hate taking lunch back to our desks, have a common problem.  Where should we eat?  There are a number of indoor pavilions and outdoor seating areas scattered across Midtown, but sometimes I just wish there was a place right next to the carts to just saddle up and tuck in.  Well thanks to Pratt Grad Student Ali Pulver, now there is.  For her thesis she is developing a couple of tools to make it easier for us to eat on the street.  And after testing out the “Lunch Ledge” and the “Hydrantable” last week, I’ve got to say these could represent the greatest advancements in street food technology since the invention of chicken and lamb over rice!

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