(credit: NYSF)

Things are never quiet on the NY food truck scene.  We were contacted by several vendors last week who were not only chased away from their spots in the Flatiron District, but they received summonses as well.

The Cinnamon Snail, Mexico Blvd and Kelvin Slush were all part of the action, and there were likely more trucks involved.  Adam from The Cinnamon Snail heard a rumor that someone who didn’t have their ID got thrown into a police car, but he was not sure which truck it was, and stresses that it was an unconfirmed rumor.

The Flatiron District was the main beneficiary when food trucks were chased from midtown.  Although the foot traffic wasn’t as heavy as midtown and business dropped off, at least it was a fairly safe haven.  We’re not sure if that’s even true any more.

Adam said he was worried this would happen when the block they used to park on with no one else around started having 3-4 trucks a day on it.  That’s a recipe for disaster.

If any food trucks are reading this, please spread out.  If you see a food truck parked somewhere, try to park at least 2 blocks away.  It’s a lot harder for a business to say it’s being affected by one food truck than 3 or 4 within a 2 block radius.

(credit: NYSF)

Being the ever-vigilant food truck diners that we are, there was a tweet late last week from The Taco Truck about them coming to the High Line.

We contacted our friends at the Vendy-Award Winning food truck and got the scoop for you.

The Taco Truck is launching a kiosk tomorrow at the Chelsea Market Underpass at 15th St & 10th Ave, which they anticipate being open through October.

The hours will be Sun-Tues from 11am-9pm, and Wed-Sat from 11am-10pm.  Now you can enjoy The Taco Truck for lunch or dinner (or both).

You can see The Taco Truck’s High Line Kiosk menu here.  It looks pretty damn good!  We’ll have to stop by and try it out.

(credit: NYSF)

(credit: NYSF)

WE ARE ON THE ROAD TODAY AND CANNOT POST ALL DAY, but wanted to let you know about two new food trucks that will be on the street today –  and they couldn’t be more different from each other.

On Monday we gave you a NYSF First Look at Shorty’s, after their soft opening last weekend.  Cheesesteaks, Italian roast pork, and chicken sandwiches are how they made their name at their two brick-and-mortar locations.  We had a roast pork, broccoli rabe and sharp provolone hero on Saturday that was delicious.

Shorty’s told us they will be at 47th & Park today, you can see their menu here, but double-check their location on twitter here in case their plans changed.  To further entice you, anyone who orders a sandwich today can get a free beer at either Shorty’s location (as long as you are of legal drinking age).  Talk about an offer you can’t refuse.

(photo courtesy of The Squeeze)

We also told you about The Squeeze, a new bio-diesel, organic, living foods and beverage truck, which is also hitting the streets today.  CEO and Chef Karliin Brooks has created a healthy, tasty and fun alternative street food option to entice people in the city to give vegan fare a try.  They promise you will not be disappointed.

Gelati (credit: Jean-Bernard Carrilet, Lonely Planet)

Now that lunch is over, we can alert you to an article we ran across on the Lonely Planet website with mouth-watering photos of the 11 Best Street Foods Worth Blowing Your Diet Over.

Yes, I’m sure you and I can both come up with street foods they missed (nothing in the USA!), but that’s not the point of the article.

The point of the article is to make you want to go to these places on future trips, so stop drooling and book that flight.  You don’t have to go all the way to Japan, China or Ghana.  Some of these are as close as Canada (poutine), Jamaica (jerk) and Mexico (gorditas).

Click here for the full Lonely Planet article, and enjoy!

Currywurst (credit: NYSF)

Mexico Blvd (credit: NYSF)

In the first few months of 2012, it seemed like things were slowing up from the frantic pace of new food trucks and carts in 2011.  Now that it’s mid-May and we’re hearing about all these commencement addresses, it seems like a good time to see who graduated to putting a food truck on the streets of NYC in the New York Street Food Class of 2012.

There are lots more new vendors than we originally realized.

Early in the year we saw the first authentic Philly cheesesteak truck in Phil’s Steaks, and just this weekend, Shorty’s had their soft opening with cheesesteaks, chicken and Italian roast pork heros.

Speaking of heros, right at the beginning of the year, Our Heros started parking in the Financial District with hot and cold heros, platters, soups and salads.  In the last few weeks, they have also started coming up to midtown a couple of days a week.

One of the better new trucks is Mexico Blvd, who rub their meats with spice blends that impart vibrant flavors.  Their menu isn’t large, with mainly tacos and tortas, but it is delicious.

Mike 'n' Willies (credit: NYSF)

Mike ‘n’ Willies also has a nice selection of tacos, and sliders as well, with bbq pulled pork, chickpea fritters, brisket and even fish tacos.

On the Asian front, a new cart called Fun Buns was rolled out by the team behind Bian Dang.  They will eventually have 3 different types of bao (Chinese buns), although only 2 types are being served as of today.

Chinese Mirch also has bao, which they call duck sliders on the menu, as well as momos, which are Tibetan dumplings.

Just a couple of weeks ago we saw the debut of the Munchie Mobile, owned and run by NYU students who make big burgers, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese and even pancakes.  They should be able to satisfy most munchies cravings.

Munchie Mobile (credit: NYSF)

Other new food trucks in 2012 are the Urban Lobster Shack On Wheels, this week brings a new vegan and fresh juice truck called The Squeeze, and if you like big meatballs and rock ‘n’ roll, check out Marky Ramone’s Cruisin’ Kitchen.

Despite new laws designed to discourage food trucks, Hoboken has a couple of new ones.  Cool Beans debuted about a week ago with iced coffees & teas, banana whips and waffles.  Molly’s Milk Truck is scheduled to hit the street on May 20th with an American menu of healthy salads and sandwiches.

There are a couple of new food carts too.  Kelvin Natural Slush has a new Ice Cube at the corner of Bleecker St & 6th Ave, although it is off the corner for repairs for the next week or two.  We also want to try a great looking new cart on Union Square West called Morocho, which their menu describes as Peruvian Fusion.  Last but not least, the King of Falafel & Shawarma opened a new cart in Manhattan to go along with his award-winning cart in Astoria.

There are also new places to enjoy all these food trucks, new and old.  There’s the new World Financial Center Food Truck Court, the Long Island City Food Truck Lot, and even the return of a few trucks to the old Tavern on the Green spot in Central Park by West 67th St.

There are more food trucks than ever to enjoy, and more places to enjoy them.  Man, I love this job!

Urban Lobster Shack On Wheels (credit: NYSF)

(credit: NYSF)

One of the newer food trucks in town is the Urban Lobster Shack…On Wheels.  It’s an offshoot of the Urban Lobster Shack, a tiny storefront with locations in the basement of 805 Third Ave (bet 49-50 St) and at 15 Stone St (bet Bdwy & Broad St).

The menu is a bit more varied than the other lobster trucks, with 5 different types of lobster rolls, clam chowder and french fries.  They also started rolling out a couple of new specials this week such as a fried clam strip roll and shrimp & lobster bisque.

We’ve been getting caught up in Rangers and Knicks playoff fever, so we went for a Linsane Asian Lobster Roll for $14.  It  It was still a little chilly out, and the shrimp & lobster bisque special for $6 looked good too.

(credit: NYSF)

I started with the bisque, which was thick and creamy, but could have been a bit hotter.  Black pepper and several other spices were mixed into a tomato soup base.

Unlike their clam chowder – which I had last week and had tons of potatoes and clams – the bisque was mostly soup, with only a few pieces of seafood at the bottom.  But that’s to be expected in a bisque, as opposed to a chowder.

For about the first half of the soup, it all blended together well, but about halfway through, the tomato flavor got too strong for my taste.  I’m used to bisque having more of a heavy cream, chicken stock and sherry base.

(credit: NYSF)

If you are in the mood for a soup, I thoroughly enjoyed the Urban Lobster Shack’s clam chowder last week.

The Linsane Asian Lobster Roll is a lobster roll topped with wasabi, soy, sesame mayo, scallions and sesame seeds.  On my first bite, there was the distinct taste of wasabi with a nice little kick, but it wasn’t brutally hot like wasabi can be.  The sesame mayo mellowed the sauce out a bit, and the scallion rings actually added some crunch to the sandwich.

The lobster meat was sweet and tasty, and went well with the Asian-inflected sauce.  I would definitely recommend this lobster roll.  The garlicky scampi lobster roll I had last week was really good too.

The next thing I want to try is the fried clam strip roll for $10.  They had it as a special yesterday, and I was told a shrimp roll would be another upcoming daily special.  What’s that about good things coming to those who wait!

You can follow the Urban Lobster Shack…On Wheels on Twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies Twitter feed.

(credit: NYSF)

(credit: NYSF)

One of the more interesting food trucks in NYC is Cambodian Cuisine Torsu.  The owner, Jerry Ley, and his wife Christine, came to America 30 years ago as penniless refugees from Cambodia.  On my first visit to the truck, Christine told me that “torsu” means “don’t give up” in Cambodian, and the slogan over the truck doors says “On The Street Looking To Survive”.  They’ve had some difficult times, but have not given up.

Jerry’s passion is cooking Cambodian food for people.  The truck first came out a little over a year ago serving only dinner from 6-11pm by the NYU Welcome Center.  They were off the road over the winter, and are now back serving lunch around the Flatiron District and dinner by NYU.

On this visit to the truck, I went for #10 on the menu, chaar kuey teo koke for $5.95.  I also wanted to try an appetizer, and got a #3, mchoo soup ($3.95).

(credit: NYSF)

I started with the mchoo soup.  If you want to know what mchoo soup tastes like, imagine if egg drop soup and hot & sour soup got married – that’s it.  It was pretty vinegary, had a bunch of egg in it, and was spicy.  The broth was thick and had a few big pieces of tofu, sliced bok choy, scallions, bamboo shoots and vermicelli noodles.

The chaar kuey teo koke was a sauteed wide rice noodle and chicken dish with lots of additions.  By additions, I mean small pieces of scrambled egg, cabbage, garlic and a few green vegetables like baby bok choy and Chinese broccoli.

(credit: NYSF)

The sauce was a little spicy, but not overly so.  With plenty of sliced white-meat chicken, noodles, greens and egg, I really enjoyed this lunch.  I didn’t need the soup, the noodles were plenty, but I wanted to try two different things.

The best way to find Cambodian Cuisine Torsu know is to follow them on twitter account here or our Mobile Munchies twitter feed.  They are usually by NYU for dinner, but are still trying different areas for lunch.

Jerry & Christine (credit: NYSF)

(credit: NYSF)

I walked by Worth Square earlier this week, and they were already getting things ready for Madison Square Eats, which starts Friday and runs until June 1st.

We’ve had some excellent lunches at previous incarnations of Madison Square Eats from great vendors who don’t normally serve lunch on the streets of Manhattan.  Roberta’s Pizza, Asia Dog and Bar Suzette, among others, and they all seem to be coming back for this edition.

Click here for a full list of vendors.

Another wonderful thing about Madison Square Eats is the vendors are open until 9pm, so you can go there for lunch or dinner and a drink.  Last time there were some nice craft breweries at the event, and it’s less crowded than at lunch.

Should be a fun and delicious time for all.

Asia Dog (credit: NYSF)

Eggs Travaganza - 52nd & Park (credit: NYSF)

Not the nicest morning, but people are saying the rain should stop by lunch.  Whether it does or not, you can still enjoy great New York Street Food from the vendors on the right and the trucks below.

Today is all about charity and balls! At the WFC, all the food trucks are donating 5% of sales to City-Meals On Wheels. Nice going guys!

As for balls, Uncle Gussy’s has keftedes, Greek-style meatballs, and Cruisin’ Kitchen has several different types of meatballs including a Mediterranean vegan option which they are debuting today. Guess you can’t call those meatballs, just balls.

As always, check the Mobile Munchies twitter feed before heading out, in case anyone had to move at the last minute.

eggstravaganza ‏ Rainy tuesday! Today’s special# fluffy steak n egg burrito $ 6.00. If you missed u morning breakfast couse rain? We r still available!

WFC Food Trucks ‏ Tue 5/1: @Citymeals Promo at #WFC @bongobros eddiespizzany@fritesnmeats @rickshawtruck & @cupcakecrewnyc ALL TRUCKS DONATING 5% of sales

RedHookLobsterTruck ‏ occupy wall st is occuying our space! so we had to move today. We are on 47th and lex!

Taïm Mobile ‏Varick and King today!

LIC Food Trk Lot ‏ Come on down today for some goodies! 11-3 with @Palenquefoodand @PeraNYC

Frites’n'Meats ‏ 2day @WFCFoodTrucks it will clear up. 5% of Sales go to@citymeals #foodtrucks <3@citymeals

Phil’s Steaks ‏ Trytofindus Tuesday!!! We’re on Park Ave and 23rd serving from 11-230. #occupy your stomach with #Cheesesteaks!!!!!

Uncle Gussy’s ‏ It’s Tuesday and the special today is Keftedes Greek style meatballs!!!! Baklava and all that!! #Greekfood

Korilla BBQ ‏Good Morning NYC!! Lunch @ SoHo (Varick & Vabdam) Dinner @ CU (116th & Amsterdam)

BigDs Grub Doing THAT rain dance again..it will stop raining just in time for lunch at Hanover Square btwn Water St and Pearl St. 11:15 to 2:30pm!

MorrisGrilledCheese ‏ Come on down today!! 11-3 for some goodies. @Palenquefood and@PeraNYC

Mexicue ‏ Starret lehigh today! 26th between 11th and 12th.

Comme Ci, Comme Ça ‏ is on 36th St @ Broadway today!

Cruisin’ Kitchen ‏ Lunch 11:30 -3p today… 21st /5th Balls, balls and vegan balls !!!

Wafels & Dinges ‏ Tue-rrifc Tuesday! Momma Truck is on Canal & Broadway until 4:31pm, Kastaar is on Front & Washington in DUMBO until 4:29pm. Vedette is @ 60th & 5th ave until 7:57pm, Bierbeek is @ Columbus Circle until 9:59pm, Goesting is @ Flatiron until 7:58pm. One free dinges for telling us which Belgian singer has the number one hit in the US right now…and what city are they from? Hmmmm

Coolhaus NY ‏ Today’s #HausPWRD @ 115th/B’way & 38th/6th = INABA for $1 off 2 sammies 11am-5pm! Come check out our newest baby T3 @ 38th/6th #WEKEEPITREAL

Milk Truck ‏ predicting the rain will end by lunch. come by wall & william today to see if i’m right.

Valduccis ‏52nd &Park today! The rain will be over by lunchtime! So, Come Eat,Enjoy!

Sweetery ‏ Hudson /King st we are on hold waiting to speak to a higher authority to have the water sprinklers shut down, our expected wait time is…..

Our Heros Food Truck ‏ Water&wall today specials hot pastrami w/ melted Swiss mustard on toasted hero, soup chick & veg w/ rice

BIAN DANG ‏ Corner of 24th and park! Ready by 11:30!

Bongo Brothers ‏ Today we are at the World Financial Center from 11:00 to 3:00!

Desi Food Truck ‏ desi food truck going to Amsterdam & 117 on Tuesday for Lunch.Pls come by

Crisp on Wheels ‏ Located on 49th, between 6th and 7th. ORDER ONLINE,http://wwwcrisponwheels.com

Domo Taco ‏ Hudson and houston today!!! Ready at 11:30

NowEatThisTruck We’ll be on Lexington btw 52nd and 53rd again today

Gorilla Cheese NYC ‏Gorilla in SoHo…Hudson & King for Lunch….till 3pm…..let the cheese comfort you from the #thunderstorms….rain gone time for cheese…

Cupcake Crew ‏ Truck parked in WFC food Truck lot(N.end ave & Vesey st)Deeeelish flavors on board.Join us today for a cupcake #CupcakeBliss. Today’s menu:Nutella Rocher,Bklyn Blackout,Salted Caramel,Banana Hummingbird,Red Vel,Choc/Vanilla(classic)

Mike n Willie’s ‏Taco Tuesday in Bay Ridge Brooklyn 86th street between 4th and 5th avenue #yummytacos #sliders buy three tacos get free rice&beans &soda

Frites’n'Meats ‏ Lunch 2day @ the WFC food truck lot on vesey & northend burger of the week THE MEXICANA preorder 9172929226

bobjoTruck ‏ Apologies BobJo fans. We’ve moved to a new location. On Water Street and Counties Slip corner.

funbunsnyc ‏ Get your porkbelly buns here on water st btwn maiden la and pine st!!!

RickshawTruck ‏ Happy May Day! Take a break from protesting and eat dumplings! Conveniently parked at World Financial Center, as well as Hudson and Houston!

CamCuisineTorsu ATTENTION EVERYONE: CONTRARY TO THE RUMORS HALAL FOOD CARTS HAVE SPREAD, BUT WE ARE VERY MUCH OPEN AND WILL NOT TURN OUR CUSTOMERS AWAY!

Chinese Mirch ‏ Good morning Dumbo, truck at Front & Washington, come get something different for lunch today!

TheTreatsTruck ‏ 11:30-6:30pm 17th st just east of 5th ave!!

Cruisin’ Kitchen ‏ Today’s featured ball … Vegan Mideast Vegan Ball !! 21st 5 av Lunchtime !!

NEW JERSEY

The Taco Truck ‏ Mention “Taco Tuesday” 11:30AM–4PM and with any order of tacos get 1 extra free taco! Free taco excludes… http://fb.me/1jrMe2Vbt

Home By The Range ‏Serving lunch in JC from 12-2! Rain should subside by 12 or 1! Come get some!

Two Pitas ‏ At the Podbase making falafel, tahini, hummus, pickles, Israeli, etc… Will monitor the weather and post. If lunch, Mulberry.

(credit: NYSF)

Last year we told you about a new food truck with a punk rock pedigree called Marky Ramone’s Cruisin’ Kitchen.  They did events on Long Island & New Jersey, but were in the city outside Marky’s gig at the Gramercy Theater in October.  Thanks again to our eagle-eyed reader @CarlyFrankel for telling us about them.

We made contact with Keith Album, the truck’s chief, cook and bottle washer (that’s actually what is says on his business card), and have been following them on twitter.

Keith told me they now have a NYC mobile vending permit, and will be in the city permanently starting today.

Click through to see what they serve and where to find them.  A hint: Do you like big balls?

(credit: NYSF)

Marky Ramone’s Cruisin Kitchen serves 4 different types of meatballs.  They have (left to right) Italian (beef), Asian (pork), American (turkey) and Mexican (chorizo) meatballs.  Each one has an applicable sauce and condiments.

An order is $7, and you can get it either “in a boat” or on a roll.

You may wonder what the connection is between Marky Ramone and a food truck.  It turns out Brooklyn’s own Marky Ramone is also a chef, and has his own marinara sauce available online and at 10 different stores in the tri-state area.  They also sell it at the truck for $7 a jar.

You can find Marky Ramone’s Cruisin’ Kitchen on twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies twitter feed.

We tried two different lunches (whew, that’s a lot of balls!)  Check back tomorrow for a NYSF First Look.  One will be here, and one will be on CBS NY, who we write for as well.