Midtown Lunch

The week that gross food fanatics have been waiting for is finally here… “This is Why You’re Fat: The Book” is out, and to celebrate they’re having an Eat N Tweet Challenge today involving 6 NYC food trucks (and a lot of over the top lunch specials). The way the contest works is this: every 20 minutes, starting at 11am, @TIWYF will be twittering one by one the locations of each of the 6 trucks in the city selling a special item inspired by the book (i.e. disgustingly delicious). The first person to hit up each truck, and twitter photos of themselves @TIWYF with each of the six specials will win a private food cart party of your choice with 25 friends, and This is Why You’re Fat gift bags with free copies of the book! I know a lot of you have twitter blocked by your offices, so we’re adding @TIWYF to the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker for the day so you can follow along.

The best part is, even if you can’t make it to all six trucks you can still try any of the This is Why You’re Fat inspired menu items. And I’m pretty sure at least three of the six trucks will be in Midtown tomorrow. Find out which ones, plus more tips, after the jump.

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Ask and ye shall receive!!! Miss Softee (who we profiled on Tuesday, from the Queen Frostine crew) has teamed up with the Treats Truck to create an ice cream sandwich! A squirt of soft serve, sandwiched between two (delicious) Treats Truck chocolate chip cookies.  Amazing… don’t let the weather discourage you from this one.  I love it when insane dreams become a reality.  Oh, and did I mention it’s only $4 (which is a great deal considering the two cookies alone from the Treats Truck would cost $2.)

Check out a photo of this wonderful creation after the jump…

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Saw this message on twitter from Miss Softee to the Treats Truck yesterday and it gave me a great idea! Two chocolate chip cookies from the treats truck, plus a squirt of soft serve from Miss Softee’s ice cream truck would make quite the awesome ice cream sandwich- don’t you think? Ideally this would be perfect on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the Treats Truck is parked on 38th & 5th and Miss Softee is parked on 40th and 5th. But I suppose if you liked the idea enough you could walk from 45th and 6th (where the Treats Truck is parked today) to 40th and 5th.

I actually suggested this idea to Kim a couple of years ago as a way to smooth things over with the Mister Softee truck that parked on 45th and 6th (as you may recall, he wasn’t too excited when the Treats Truck showed up on the scene.) I think now it’s time to make this happen! Even if it isn’t officially endorsed, I’m sure that you could buy two chocolate chip cookies from Kim, walk them over the Miss Softee truck- and she would be more than happy to sell you a squirt of soft serve for a couple bucks.

Related:
Meet Queen Frostine: The Ladies of Mister Softee

Since their opening two weeks ago the Schnitzel & Things Truck has been moving around daily, with stops in Williamsburg, Dumbo, Downtown Manhattan, and Union Square, using twitter to let their 1000+ followers know where they are going to be.  Eventually they hope to make it to Midtown, and yesterday they got pretty close- parking in Madison Square Park.  As is usually the case for a new vendor parking in a new spot, things didn’t go so smoothly.  I checked in with the owner to find out exactly what happened.

“We got harassed by 4 different dudes as soon as we showed up.. But we weren’t having it man.. Whatever, it was the usual, you know the “I’ve been on this block for 15 years” routine:) and??? You want us to move because??? Take a walk.. They wouldn’t leave us alone, I called the cops on them for harassment:) then they brought their own cops, it was a freaking mess but funny, cuz they couldn’t do anything.. We reasoned with the cops and they didn’t do anything but leave and the guys were left in bewilderment ..

And then came the real threats…

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If you are observing Passover, then starting tomorrow Midtown Lunch’ing is going to get a whole lot tougher for you.  Thankfully the Treats Truck is saving your ass in the desserts department.  Kim just started serving apricot bars (on the right) which are made with matzoh meal, and plans on having macaroons and other assorted Passover cookies all week long.  She also was quick to remind me that her peanut butter cookie sandwiches are all gluten free, so maybe that means they’re Kosher for Passover?  Doubtful considering all the stupid non bread things you supposedly can’t eat (corn & rice? wtf!)  Then again I doubt Kim has a Rabbi there in the morning blessing her apricot bars… so if you want to get super technical, you probably can’t eat those either.  I’m going to avoid the hassle by sticking with the amazing looking pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting on the left.  (What can I say?  I’m a terrible Jew.)

You can visit the Treats Truck on 45th & 6th today from Noon to 4 p.m., or you can follow them around using their website, or Twitter.

Hey! I know those two girls…

Vendr TV launched yesterday, a new website and video podcast that goes inside the world of street vendors. They plan on covering street food from all over the world… but naturally are beginning in New York City. For their first video, they spent the day in Midtown with Kim and the Treats Truck- and not surprisingly Blondie and Brownie were caught on video buying treats in the background. (In case you thought their “Taking on the Treats Truck One Treat at a Time” feature on their blog was a farce… this is the evidence that they are in fact always there.)

Did you make the video? Check it out after the jump…

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What would we do without the precious Blondie and Brownie, who today have unearthed the cutesy side of Midtown Lunch’ing that few of us would dare trek into. I suppose I could see myself buying some of these Treats Truck valentine’s day cookies for my wife, but eating at McDonald’s for a Hello Kitty Watch? I don’t think so. (Spongebob watches… that’s a different story.) For those who are interested, the McDonalds on 42nd & Madison doesn’t have them, but the one on 47th btw. Mad+5th does. [Blondie and Brownie]

Two chocolate chip cookies with nuts from the Treats Truck lying face down on 47th Street & 6th Ave.  How do I know they were from the Treats Truck?  Because I’m the one who dropped them… urgh, it’s so sad.  Lesson: Don’t carry a paper bag with cookies in a gloved hand on a super cold day.  You may not feel that bag slip out of your hand, and then by the time you notice and retrace your steps, the cookies may be lying in the middle of the street. If I can help one person avoid the same thing happening to them, then maybe it was worth it.  Oh, who am I kidding.  It could never be worth it.  I think I’m going to cry.