My Life in Meals

The Biryani Cart has won a number of different awards and accolades, including the People’s Choice Award at the Vendy’s. Besides for the biryani that they are so famous for, they also serve up other South Asian specialties like chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, and kati rolls just to name a few.

I had a day off work this week and was running an errand right by the cart, so of course I could not resist finally trying it out. Because I went pretty early (just before 12pm) I managed to actually score a platter and avoid the line. Word to the wise - they usually sell out by 2pm or earlier so make it an early lunch!

The biryani is all that it’s hyped up to be. I got the Spicy Chicken Biryani and it was extremely fresh, authentic, spicy and delicious - laced with tamarind and an array of other spices and topped off with a boiled egg. Amazingly satisfying!! My only complaint was that they could have offered up a bit more chicken! For you vegetarians, they also have a vegetable biryani option as well.

I might just have to get them to cater my wedding ;)

Biryani Cart
46th St & 6th Ave
New York, NY 10036
Price: $

I was so excited last week when I was taking my usual walk to the subway, and saw that the Jamaican Dutchy cart has now moved to 38th st between 6th and 7th ave. I’m not in the area during lunchtime, so I got some picked up for me and ate it for dinner.

So here’s what they’ve got: Goat Curry, Jerk Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Escovitch Fish, Cow’s Foot, and a few other daily Jamaican specialties. I tried the oxtails platter (large $11) and it was delicious, even reheated. First, the portion is humongous, two people can easily share a large. Second, the amount of meat they give you is highly surprising, considering that oxtails are on the pricey side. Third, the rice & “peas” they serve it with are delicious, although I’m not sure why they are called peas when they are clearly kidney beans?

The only thing that was missing was some heat! Isn’t Jamaican food supposed to be really spicy? This was SO mild that it really felt bland! Next time I will have to inquire and see if they have any hot sauce. Can’t wait to try the Cows Foot and Jerk Chicken!

Jamaican Dutchy
38th st (btwn 6th and 7th)
Website
Price: $$$ (for a cart)

I just love street carts and street food. Nothing like it - fast, cheap, and delicious! Unfortunately I have never worked in midtown, so I rarely get to try the multitudes of new and old street carts that heavily populate the lunch scene in that area. Luckily, I had a day off from work last week and got to hit up my second favorite “halal” type cart- Kwik Meal.

What’s so special about Kwik Meal? First, the chef and owner, Muhammed Rahman is the famed ex-chef of the Russian Tea Room. That’s right a world renowned chef set up shop midtown to run a halal cart! Second, when you order “lamb” at most carts you end up with gyro meat, cut off a spit or fried on the flat top (including my number one favorite halal cart, the famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th).  Kwik Meal, on the other hand, uses actual lamb meat. Served to you in small chunks, and marinated in a secret mix of spices including garlic, cumin, coriander, onions, and god knows what else. Additionally, Kwik Meal was the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Vendy Awards, and has been mentioned in countless publications as one of the best street carts in NYC.

So what do you get for $7.50 (yes I know, more expensive then your usual $5 platter)? You end up with tender chunks of deliciously flavored lamb, topped with white sauce and “green sauce” and a side of salad. Most carts offer up the standard red sauce if you want some heat - but this green sauce is awesome and actually really spicy. I always ask for extra, but that’s just me! The white sauce is also much better then your usual cart, its actual yogurt similar to an indian style riata. Lamb and Chicken platters pictured below!

Kwik Meal also offers fish and shrimp over rice that are also very tasty, but on the pricy side running you around $9 for a platter.  Rahman also runs Kwik Pasta alongside the regular Kwik Meal cart, which I haven’t tried yet but hope it’s half as good as the original outpost next door.

Kwik Meal
45th St. nr. Sixth Ave.
New York, NY 10036
Price: $$$ (For a cart)

We happened to stumble upon the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck in the West Village this weekend and just had to try it after hearing such great things. This is definitely no Häagen-Dazs or Baskin Robbins - Van Leeuwen serves up some very fancy-shmancy artisinal ice cream made from only the freshest and purest ingredients. And man it was SO GOOD! They have some very exotic flavors like Ginger or Red Current, but we decided to go with the Pistachio to be on the safe side. While I was expecting her to hand us a cup of green ice cream with chunks of pistachios in it, their version contains no whole nuts, but yet had an intensely nutty flavor. On their website they state that the pistachios they use are a very special and rare variety (accounting for only 1% of the total pistachio production in the world). Can’t wait to come back and try some of their other flavors!!!

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck
Multiple Trucks, check twitter for location updates.

Let me start this post of by saying I am really not a dessert eater. I would rather order an appetizer then a dessert any day. On this particular night however, I finally gave in and tried the Wafles and Dinges truck because I have been hearing such excellent reviews about it from blogs and friends alike. They even won the waffle Throwdown with Bobby Flay!

I ordered the classic Brussels Waffle (mostly to pay homage to my dog Mocha, who is a Brussels Griffon) with bannanas, strawberries, walnuts, nutella, and vanilla ice cream. It was 35 degrees out and freezing, but this was totally worth eating curbside. The waffle was cooked perfectly, and the ice cream was really excellent. The sweet fruits and salty walnuts were the perfect topping combo.

Yum! I will definitely come back and try the Throwdown waffle next time!

Wafles and Dinges Truck
Check website for current location

On Tuesday, I blogged about the free street cart food being given away via Tenka deals. I work on the Upper West Side, where these trucks rarely ever visit so I was pretty disappointed I wouldn’t be able to get in on the free deals. I love my street carts! Imagine my excitement walking out of the subway on Friday morning and seeing the Frites ‘N’ Meats truck parked right outside my office that day. TGIF! Around 1:00pm I ran down to the cart to receive my free Angus Burger. I thought the line would be longer but I got my food within ten minutes.

Frites ‘N’ Meats has a really innovative method of ordering. They have laminated menus, where you can circle what you want with a Sharpie. This is pretty cool because it wipes right off with a little spray and water and they can use them again the next day. This cart also only uses the finest ingredients: the breads are from Balthazar’s, the cheeses from Murray’s, and the beef from DeBragga & Spitler.  I ordered the Angus Burger, with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, onion, tomatoes, ketchup, mayo and mesclun greens, on a brioche bun. I also ordered a side of hand-cut Double Fried Belgian Fries with the Spicy Chili Aoili sauce. Although the burger was free, I ended up paying $5 because I got fries and the sauce, as well as the jalapenos and cheese on the burger. Still not bad for an Angus burger and fries that will run you about $20 bucks at any decent restaurant in the city.

I ate half the fries on the way back up to my office. They were piping hot, extremely crispy, and perfectly seasoned. Delicious start! When I got back to my desk I opened up my burger and was pretty impressed about how good it looked considering it came from a street cart. When I bit into it I was even more impressed by how it tasted. It was perfectly cooked “medium” and the brioche bun is both a classy and tasty touch! I opened up the spicy chili aoili for my fries, but was disappointed that it really wasn’t spicy at all. It tasted more like mayo with a tiny drop of hot sauce and garlic.

The burger was pretty big, and I saved the other half for my boyfriend. He warmed it up and ate it the next day and it was still delicious! All in all I will definitely be returning to the Frites ‘N’ Meats truck next time they are in the neighborhood.

Frites ‘N’ Meats
For current location, check out their Twitter or Blogger.
Website
Price: $$ (For a street cart)