Tuesdays Are the Day for Milk Truck Grilled Cheese in Midtown

A few weeks ago, Blondie reported that the New York Public Library exhibit NYC Lunch hour would bring food trucks to 40th and 5th, and that Schnitzel & Things would be serving up their grub on Tuesdays. It looks like the schedule has changed. A few weeks ago on a Tuesday, I noticed a long line outside of Milk Truck, a grilled cheese truck that has received much attention downtown, but rarely makes its way up to Midtown. Lo and behold, they were there again last week, so I decided to try it while I had the chance.

My office roomie is privy to my moonlighting and noonlighting activities as a contributor at Midtown Lunch, so she offered to help me out by ordering a sandwich that we would split and swap, so I could give reviews on two. What a gal. It was a scorcher of a day, but not far to walk for us. Plus it seems like the food truck lines by the library are a bit more organized as of late, extending into the eating area in front of the library rather than blocking the sidewalk all the way to 5th avenue.

I know a lot of you are incensed about the amount that these grilled cheese trucks are charging for the quintessential cheap American grub, and although I’m sure many will still think it’s a rip-off, Milk truck’s sandwiches aren’t quite as close to the $10 limit as other trucks. The first thing I noticed on the menu was the inclusion of mustard or pickled somethings on many of the sandwiches. Even though I love mustard, I had never tried it on grilled cheese before. I was a little skeptical, but I thought I’d give it a taste. That said, the ham and cheese sounded like the best option simply because, in my mind, the mustard sounded like a natural condiment with the ham and cheese sandwich ($7.75). My coworker went for the $6.75 “Classic with a Twist”, also with mustard. Both sandwiches are described below, but for further info, the weekly menu can be accessed from the Milk Truck menu page on their website.

When we got back to the office, we traded a sandwich wedge each and dug in. Both the sandwiches were big enough, the bread was nice and crunchy with perfect grill marks on the outside but soft within, and the cheese was melty and stretchy.

The first sandwich half I tried was the classic with a twist. The ingredients are: aged Wisconsin gruyere, champagne vinegar pickled onions, and whole grain mustard on a dark rye from Blue Ribbon Bakery. My immediate thought was, WOW, this is fluffy and creamy and delicious, and… sour. There was a pretty high whole grain mustard:cheese ratio, and there were pickled onions slathered on too. I absolutely love pickles, mustard, anything with vinegar, so this was just my style. My second thought was that the sour flavor begins to overpower the flavor of cheese. If you don’t like sour flavors, you won’t like this grilled cheese sandwich. So. Steer clear of the extras and stick to the classic if you’re not a fan of all things tart.

The ham and cheese sandwich has New York state cheddar with applewood smoked ham, and Colman’s spicy mustard on rosemary bread. The mustard didn’t steal the show in the same way, but it was still strong. There was much less mustard on the sandwich, but it was Colman’s, which is horseradishlike and for me, brings to mind a very mild wasabi flavor (mustard is in the same family as horseradish, wasabi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and lots of other fun stuff). I couldn’t really taste the rosemary I was looking forward to in the bread, but I definitely tasted a salty + sweet ham flavor and I loved the texture and pliability of the cheese.

The Milk Truck also offers shakes and other sandwiches; the Bacon Cheddar Blue grabs my attention, but it also has spicy pickles. If you’re really keen on the milk part of Milk Truck and wary of pickles and mustard, start off with the classic and maybe get some of the add-ons on the side… but do give it a try some Tuesday. I confirmed with Milk Truck that they’ll be at 40th and 5th at least until the summer is over, and you’re unlikely to see the truck around in Midtown otherwise, according to their location schedule.

Milk Truck Grilled Cheese, 917-520-7415

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