New York Street Food

A couple of months ago, we told you about Hot Dog University in Chicago, run by the Vienna Beef Company.  Did you know that more than 80,000 (gasp!) people have graduated from one of the Hamburger University campuses run by McDonald’s.  There are HU’s in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Hong Kong, and now China.

This news item reminded me of a funny story that happened to me in London a number of years ago.

It was one of my first business trips to London and I was staying at the Regents Park Hilton, a decent business hotel.  I was in London nearly 2 weeks and had to be there over the weekend, so on Friday night I went down to the hotel bar for a drink.  It was pretty quiet, and being in London, I ordered a Guinness on tap, which I figured would be better than Guinness in the US.

All of a sudden, 5 or 6 nicely dressed British couples came into the bar in a celebratory mood.  The guys were each holding something I couldn’t make out, and they all ordered bottles of Budweiser.  I commented how amusing it was that the American was drinking a Guinness and the Brits were drinking Budweiser.  They laughed, and I asked what they were celebrating.  They had just graduated from Hamburger U, and proudly showed me their diplomas.

Well, that explained the Budweiser.

gastroPod

Latin Burgers and Tacos

Two very interesting street food news items in Miami.

Chef Jeremiah, a Miami native, is opening gastroPod in his hometown.  gastroPod is a vintage 1962 Airstream trailer that has been converted into a mobile kitchen with modern technology.  Chef Jeremiah draws heavily on Caribbean and Latin culinary traditions, and has worked at such innovative and top-notch restaurants as El Bulli in Spain, WD-50, Spice Market, Café Grey and Aquavit in NY, Moto in Chicago and Aquaknox in Dallas.  Looks like an exciting street food development will be opening shortly in Miami. [gastroPod]

Also in Miami, Food Network chef and Miami native Ingrid Hoffmann is unveiling her new mobile food concept, The Latin Burger and Taco Truck this Saturday at a charity event with Frank Kelly’s Project Vacant Streets.   Thereafter, the truck will roam South Florida serving lunch, dinner, and after hours eats daily.  As for the menu, Ingrid told the Miami New Times: “We will be experimenting with different styles burgers and tacos from a decadent Latin Burger, which is a chuck, chorizo and sirloin burger, melted Oaxaca  cheese with caramelized jalapenos and onions & a red pepper mayo, to healthy chicken tomatillo taco served in sprouted grain flowerless tortillas.  There will be the Gringo Burger the Sweet fries and all my special sauces. We’ll always have 3 burgers, 3 tacos and weekly special ranging from Mole and Tinga poblana to Curry salmon taco with pineapple salsa and jalpeno aioli or Ancho seared beef with queso blanco and cumin mojo.” Yum! My mouth is watering already. [Miami New Times]