Midtown Lunch

There are a lot of lunch places that try to make you seem like a better, more healthful person by eating there and it’s rare I step into these places. However, I’m not above trying a place that proudly declares it’s organic and serves food that just might make me live an extra day if there’s some intriguing reason to. When I saw a post about the Katchkie Truck, permanently parked in the lot behind City Winery (site of this ML’s Fifth AnniversaryParty!) I was intrigued. They’re open five days a week for lunch and the menu sounded simple and tasty, with all of the food coming from an organic farm upstate that also sells at farmers markets and has a catering company in the city. Lots of greens and grains straight ahead.

The truck has a fairly limited menu and a $10 lunch deal in which to try them. There are three sandwiches: Beef and veggie burgers, and a BBQ sandwich of chicken or pork. There are also three sides which when I was there were coleslaw, fancy potato salad and an heirloom tomato and cucumber salad. You can pick one sandwich, a side and strawberry lemonade for $10. I also noticed they have a single variety of ice cream for $3 a cone.

I asked the woman working at the truck which of the sandwiches she’d recommend, and she said a lot of people order the veggie burger. Shockingly, I’m not opposed to eating burgers made of non-meat products (unless it’s a portobello mushroom), but I’m always wary because there are a lot of crappy, mushy patties masquerading as veggie burgers out there.

This one was large, and composed of grains, wild rice, spinach and mushrooms. It also managed to not be all squishy like the worst of its kind can be. If you don’t like tomato, beware that not only were there two slices straight off the farm on top, but I opted for the addition of tomato jam. I liked this if only because it seemed like a lighter summer option but I’d like to try the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich too.

While I liked the potato salad, why were there only three bites of it? This was the only downfall of the meal for me, but since the burger was large I guess I can’t complain too much.

A surprise highlight of the meal – aka, a Brooklyn Happy Meal – was the strawberry lemonade. It wasn’t too sweet, or too sour and if you froze it would make a kick-ass popsicle.

If you’re trying to unclog your arteries, you could do a lot worse than the Katchkie Truck and it’s really no more expensive than most other “new-school” trucks roaming the streets. A bonus with this one is that they never have to deal with police kicking them out of their spot, and you always know where they’ll be parked.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I always know where the truck is parked.
• I prefer my lunch to be pesticide free.
• That strawberry lemonade is killer.

THE — (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Meh, I don’t really want to spend $10 on lunch from a truck.
• Where’s the rest of my potato salad?

Katchkie Truck, in parking lot on Spring St. btw. Varick & Hudson streets