New York Street Food

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (credit: NYSF)

At this point, we’re all used to the concept of  food trucks crossing over into the brick-and-mortar world. Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Treats Truck, Kimchi Taco Truck, Schnitzel & Things, Mexicue, Souvlaki GR and others have all opened retail spaces.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream is no stranger to crossing over into the retail realm, with two stores in Brooklyn and one in the East Village.

But VLAIC is pushing into new territory by opening a Balinese restaurant this week.

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(credit: NYSF)

If you’ve spent any time below 14th St during the summer, you’ve probably seen the ubiquitous Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (VLAIC) trucks around. There are 6 (!) trucks that also hit Williamsburg, Soho, Flatiron and other areas, but we live in the Village, and always see their yellow trucks either parked or driving around.

On a recent visit to the High Line to meet a friend on a very hot and humid day (like today), I got there a little early. With a few minutes to kill, I went up to the VLAIC truck and ordered a cone. It was a brutally hot day, and ordering an ice cream cone was more an act of self-preservation than a treat, but I do love ice cream, in all its shapes and forms.

VLAIC is known for their rich and interesting flavors such as gianduja (chocolate & hazelnut), cinnamon, ginger and palm sugar. They also have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and pistachio.

Even though I love dark, rich chocolate, my eye was immediately drawn to Earl Grey Tea, which I enjoy a hot cup of from time to time. It cost $4.90 for a small cone or cup and $6.90 for a large. That’s a bit on the high side, but VLAIC uses only the finest ingredients in their ice cream, and that’s not just hyperbole.

(credit: NYSF)

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(credit: NYSF)

Last week we reported about food trucks returning to the old Tavern on the Green site.  We really enjoyed going there last summer, but the city’s Parks Department said it would not allow the trucks to return this season because of upcoming renovations at the site

Pera Turkish Tacos and Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream were reportedly serving towards the end of last week, so we stopped by the site yesterday, pieced some information together, and now we think we know what’s going on.

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The four food trucks located on the old Tavern On The Green spot (Central Park West & 67th St) will be opening Saturday for the season.  As reported by Zagat Trucks, they will be giving away free food from 2-4pm on Saturday (4/16), and a live band will also be playing.

You probably know Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream and Rickshaw Dumplings, but the other two vendors were unfamiliar to us until we tried them last year…and they were both excellent.

We tried two items from Pera Turkish Tacos last year – lavender & honey roasted chicken on lavash bread ($3.50) and smoked lamb on a zucchini pancake ($3.75).

Both were delicious, but the standout was the zucchini pancake used as a Turkish taco wrapper.  It was eggy with dill, chives and small pieces of zucchini in the batter – and that doesn’t even address the bbq lamb and feta inside!

We are also really looking forward to the grilled spicy shrimp taco from Pera, which we didn’t get a chance to try last year.  Full menu here.

chicken taco in lavash bread (top) & smoked lamb in a zucchini pancake (bottom)

The 4th vendor, Ladle of Love, was very good too.  They serve soups, stews and sandwiches, and I had their beef bourguignon.  You could taste the red wine, beef broth and herbs like bay leaf and thyme in the sauce.

The chef also gave me tastes of two sandwiches to try: a BLT chicken sandwich on ciabatta with chipotle aioli mayo and a serrano ham and manchego cheese with watercress, also on ciabatta bread.  Both were very tasty.  Full menu here.

The Fine Print: The deal lasts from 2–4 PM, and diners can get one menu item from each truck for free.

After Saturday, the trucks will be open every day from 11 AM to dusk throughout the summer.

Mexicue, our current NYSF Featured Vendor, tipped us off to a really cool event next month.

The Brooklyn Brewery and Edible are presenting a 5-course dinner featuring their beer and food from the following Vendy Award nominated food trucks – Mexicue, Souvlaki GR, Rickshaw Dumplings and Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream.

The event costs $40 per ticket and is being held on Wed, March 23rd from 6-9pm at the Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th St, Brooklyn).

Tickets are not on sale yet, but we will be sure to let you know when they are.  Sounds like an awesome event!

Souvlaki GR