The Bistro Truck

Food trucks around New York City are giving an entirely new meaning to “meals on wheels”. Sure, street cart vendors have always been a part of the city’s charm, but the invasion of high quality food trucks transcends the traditional dirty water dogs and street meat so tied to this city’s food culture. This influx of everything from barbeque to waffles and dinges in mobile form seems obvious for a city constantly on the go. Still, it’s not until you buy chocolate molten cake out of the back of a truck that you think, “Damn, I wish I thought of this”.

What I find particularly interesting is the emergence of the expanding range of food available on the street. Middle eastern food carts have been staples of New York’s sidewalks for ages. Latin American food is certainly the runner up, but they seem no less prevalent. So, when I passed The Bistro Truck I was intrigued by the idea. It’s so fitting. In Paris, bistros are the alternative to haute cuisine. They exist so you can get a moderately priced, moderately sized, home-style meal, while you smoke your cigarettes, wearing a beret, reading Camus, and trash talking Americans. In New York, bistros have taken on a different role, often charging exorbitant prices while maintaining a certain degree of culinary snootiness. To see the bistro in the most pedestrian of settings was a welcome sight.

Lets talk food. I ordered the Marrakech lamb, which came with cous cous and a small salad. For 7 dollars, I was very happy. The lamb was likely braised for hours, and then pulled. I really didn’t detect many North African flavors though, so I was a bit confused as what made this Marrakech lamb. Instead, the lamb reminded me of a Jewish style brisket (that is opposed to Texas BBQ brisket). It was rich, flavorful, and tender, with just enough juice or gravy to soak up the cous cous. The cous cous itself wasn’t anything special, but once it got together with that brisket, it excelled. Other items on the menu include a “bistro burger”, which I saw being served, and it looked pretty damn good. My friend ordered the Dijon chicken, which I tasted, and liked.

Look, this isn’t a foodgasm in the slightest. It’s lunch on the street, for seven dollars. That being said, the service was a little slow. I chalk that up to a pretty long line, and its prime location on Fifth Avenue near 14^th Street. Still, the woman who seems to play owner, chef, waitress, and cashier at the same time appeared to be working her ass off, so I chose to be forgiving. Yet, some nasty old hag just had to bitch at this poor woman. She remarked snidely about the wait, which was no more than ten minutes, to which the owner apologized emphatically. To be fair, this is street food, and it should be rapid, but I empathize with the Bistro Truck. Mainly, that is, is because I wish for nothing more than to untie my tie, wrap it around my head, and cook hot dogs out of the back of a truck. Until next time, stay hungry out there folks.

Report Card

Food: B

Service – B+

Atmosphere – A

Price - $

Overall – B+

(Note – I am changing the Price grading system in the Report Card to dollar signs, instead of a letter. An “A” for price could mean a 5 dollar sandwich, or a 25 dollar entrée, depending on where you go, so this is far more telling. Grades will range from $ to $$$$$)