When I heard about today’s Food Truck Rally, it seemed perfect luck that my sister and I had a photoshoot in Prospect Park with a friend just as the rally was set to start. After countless photos in the park (damp grass, but still quite fun – think the shots of us jumping are my favorite), we made our way back out to Grand Army Plaza. Before the photoshoot, we managed to snag a sample from the Treats Truck – two thin sugar cookies with a thin layer of vanilla cream in the middle. We were ready for more.
We waited a while in the line for Taim Mobile, which was primarily serving falafel. I’d really liked the falafel samples they had at the Village Voice Choice Eats. While we were waiting in line, we watched people slowly peel off to get a cupcake during the wait from the Cupcake Stop. I’d been meaning to hunt them down at some point to welcome them back to the streets. Clearly I had to have a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. The icing was light and whipped – just like I like it. The peanut butter chips were a nice touch. The chocolate cake wasn’t quite as chocolate as I like it, but was good and moist. These guys have really come a long way back from their first weekend! Turned out to be a wise move, as the wait for real food was quite lengthy.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake - Cupcake Stop
In the end, we bailed that line and made our way over to the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck. The line doubled back in a U-shape and took us some 45 minutes+ to conquer. The idea overall of the rally was good – plenty of space. However while conceptually having full access to the trucks is nice, it just took too long for each of them to wait on the customers when they were offering their entire normal menu. I’ve oftentimes wished that vendors would offer their full selection at these events. And now I know why they don’t. Noted!
Rickshaw Dumpling Truck Menu
I’d been wanting to try Rickshaw for some time now. I ended up trying their pork dumplings, which were pork, cabbage, ginger, and scallions. You could do an order of the dumplings ($6) or for $9, could add in your choice of side dish – salad, chili rice noodle salad, or chilled edamame. I went for the combo and the noodle salad, which was made with fresh carrot, cucumber & sprouts. The dumplings were good – small, but with 6 of them in an order, it as more filling than I’d originally thought it might be. The noodle salad was actually quite flavorful as well, with the chili adding a nice spicy contrast to the cool temperature. I do have to admit with the chilly damp weather today, I would have liked a warm side, but the noodles were tasty enough to overlook that. I’d like to try their sit-down restaurant, which offers a more robust menu. [Oh and the few bites I had of a butterscotch bar from the Treats Truck were tasty as well – very moist and chewy!]
Pork Dumplings and Noodle Salad
Anyone else go to the event? What’s your favorite food truck in the city at the moment? (If you’re not in NYC, that’s ok – would love to hear about your fave where you are, if applies!)
grits in the city 