Food Trucks: Parked, Mexico Blvd., VLAIC, Sweetery NYC

I’ve become fascinated by the food truck industry. I’m watching Eat Street on the Cooking Channel as I type. I just started following a number of food trucks across the country on Twitter. Over the past week, I have spent hours surfing the web, reading different food truck stories. Food trucks are another example of why America remains a land of possibility. An industry that was started here is taking the world by storm – meriting news coverage of the London street food during the Olympics.

On Wednesday, despite the rain, I walked over to the World Financial Center to check out the handful of trucks serving lunch. I ordered two tacos from Mexico Blvd. – the Pastor which is pork tenderloin served with a pineapple slice, and the Bistec which is steak. I was curious about their triple X hot sauce and the server recommended getting it on the side. It was a good recommendation because they’re not kidding around with the triple X rating – the sauce is HOT. Just a few drops are enough to transform the taste of the already-delicious tacos. I wasn’t sure how I would like the sweet and spicy combination of the Pastor. I loved it!

Through Twitter, I stumbled across Parked which is an annual food truck festival. This year it was being held at South Street Seaport. Of course I had to check it out. As I spotted the trucks, it was like spotting truck-sized personalities. With some of the bigger brands, it was like seeing a celebrity up close and personal. it was an unexpected reaction, but it added to the experience.

I went to Parked with the goal of checking out some sweet trucks. It’s been a hot day in NYC today so my first stop was at the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck. The server recommended a mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was exactly what I needed to cool off. I walked around, checking out the other trucks – lots of taco trucks and grills, especially grilled cheese. Most had a line which was great to see.

The truck I was looking for – Sweetery NYC – was parked near the entrance from Fulton. It’s a big truck – and very tall. At 5’2″, I barely reached the tip jar. There was no menu but a sign out front offered savory croissants & quiches, ice cream sandwiches, baked treats and drinks. A few of the baked treats were on display behind the windowed counter. I had the brownie – pure chocolatey, melt-in-your-mouth decadence. YUM!

To all of you food truckers, keep up the great work and the creativity. Thank you for giving us convenient, exciting and delicious options for to-go dishes. I would love to hear more about your stories. If any of you are interested in sharing your experience, please send me a message on Twitter.