Word on the street is that Steven Fulop is now against all food trucks. Tell me that isn't true.

Even if there are no food trucks at Hudson Street, it doesn't mean that I will patronize Cosi and Subway. I am not into their food. I like the ethnic food provided by the food trucks.

Somehow I missed this...

============================

Munchmobile: Great meals on Wheels

Friday, May 28, 2010
Peter Genovese
starledger

The much-maligned lunch truck, a streetwise descendant of the push carts and food wagons parked outside factories, mills and warehouses in the 1940s and 1950s, is undergoing a renaissance.

Colorfully painted gourmet or specialty food trucks first found a foothold in Los Angeles, then spread to New York City, San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and elsewhere. Trucks with such monikers as Frites ?N? Meats, the Calexico Cart, Cupcakes a GoGo, the Dim Sum Truck, ChiLantro and Big Gay Ice Cream started attracting a generally youngish clientele starving for alternatives to chain and other mainstream fare.

Now the fanciful lunch trucks ? all with Twitter feeds or Facebook pages to alert customers to their ever-changing locations ? are going nationwide, with trucks opening in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, which got its first gourmet lunch truck, Cafe de Wheels, earlier this month.

Add New Jersey to the list. The Rutgers grease trucks have been an artery-hardening fixture on the College Avenue campus in New Brunswick for 20-plus years, but the new breed of food trucks aspires to more eclectic, if not healthier, fare.

You might be able to get a big, fat greasy burger or a pepper-and-onion-stuffed cheese steak at the newer trucks, but you?re more likely to find Korean barbecue, Cuban sandwiches, cupcakes, ceviche, chicken curry, dim sum, frijoles negros (black beans), even schnitzel.

"It?s convenient, it?s quick and it?s a better-quality product," says Chris Viola, director of operations for the Taco Truck, which shuttles between Jersey City and Hoboken.

Kimchidillas, anyone?

The Taco Truck was one of five lunch trucks visited on the Munchmobile?s inaugural run of 2010. We visited the Taj Mahal (the lunch truck, not the monument), and Chow Haul, run by Paul Fried, a former Marine who ditched his real estate development firm in Hoboken to open a lunch truck down the Shore.

We also hit three trucks in Jersey City, the gourmet/specialty lunch truck capital of New Jersey, getting our orders in minutes before policemen, acting on complaints from nearby restaurants, told the trucks owners to move.

Ordinances pertaining to lunch trucks are often vague or spottily enforced; it was the first time since November, according to Viola, that the Jersey City food trucks were evicted from their usual spot, at the corner of Hudson and York streets.

The truck owners seemed to take the lunchtime "bust" in stride; their regulars, however, were incensed.

"It?s always the same two restaurants who complain," fumed one Taco Truck regular, referring to a fast food restaurant and a cafe across the street.

It made for some lunchtime drama on the Munchmobile ? and on its first trip of the year, no less. Our theme this year is "The Real Munchers of New Jersey," and it doesn?t get any more "Jersey" than food trucks. They?ve long been fixtures on college campuses, in industrial areas and outside sports stadiums. But the food, well, "fills you up" is probably the best way to put it.

At Krave, a Korean barbecue truck in Jersey City, you can fill up instead on kimchidillas, a soft flour tortilla served with your choice of meat (short rib, sesame chicken or tangy pork), plus shredded kimchi and Monterey jack cheese. Or Korean tacos, with kimchi and onion-cilantro relish. The truck pays homage to the American slider with its Kravers, mini-burgers stuffed with meat and kimchi on a toasted brioche bun. I found them irresistible, although the Munchers preferred the BBQ rice platters, with sesame chicken in one and pork in the other.

As we waited for our order at Krave, we placed an order at the Taco Truck ? just as police arrived. I dispatched Muncher Frank Corrado, principal at Roosevelt Middle School in West Orange, to order whatever he could at QBA: A Cuban Kitchen before it closed.

Tacos and tortas

We set our folding table between the Taco Truck and QBA and enjoyed lunch ? times three. The Taco Truck?s tortas (a Mexican sandwich with white onions, picked jalape?os, avocado, crema and black beans) are especially good, and at $6 or $6.50 each, make for an inexpensive, filling lunch. The black beans are thick, rich and deeply satisfying, almost a meal onto themselves. The truck, a former cookie delivery truck last seen in Missouri, is owned by Viola and Jason Scott, who take turns getting up at 6 a.m. to claim a parking spot in Hoboken.

QBA: A Cuban Kitchen, next door, is run by Lynna Martinez, whose goal is to launch the first national chain of contemporary Cuban quick-service restaurants. Also on board, literally, is Marilyn Sanchez, QBA?s chief operating officer. QBA stands for Quick but Authentic.

"We were on Greene Street this morning, and a cop on a bike told us to move," Martinez said several days later. "So now we?re back on Hudson Street" She laughed. "It?s part of the little game we play.??

Policeman, in fact, are some of her best customers. On a good day, she?ll do $550 to $850 in business. Martinez opened QBA in February in Montclair, where the truck can be found one night each week for dinner. The rest of the week, it is in Jersey City.

The highlights at QBA are the lechon (Cuban pulled pork braised in its own juices) and the chicken marinated in a zesty garlic mojo or sauce. QBA?s specialty sauces, especially the guava-habanero BBQ and the citrus garlic mojo, are worth dipping a sandwich, or your fingers, into.

After Jersey City, the Taj Mahal came as a letdown. The truck is parked at the corner of Warren and Summit streets in Newark; students at Rutgers and NJIT are regulars. For sheer variety, this Taj is unmatched, with everything from bagels, bacon and egg sandwiches and pancakes to burgers, hot dogs, cheese steaks, vegetarian dishes, gyros, falafel, and such sandwiches as the Crazy Zoo (chicken cutlet, bacon, fries and cheddar cheese) and the Crazy You (grilled chicken, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese).

You don?t go to this Taj Mahal for the meatball parm; it?s regrettable, instantly forgettable. Best item: the chicken platter with "famous?? white sauce, which is heavy on the mayo but oddly appealing.

Chow haul

Fried is a former Marine, so what better name than Chow Haul to remind him of the chow halls he endured? He opened the truck in January, at first parking outside Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, later outside the office complexes along Route 36 in West Long Branch. He has now found a home outside Siperstein?s Paints on Route 36 in Long Branch.

The Chow Haul is a $100,000 truck from Miami-based Food Cart USA equipped with a deep fryer, grill, range top, Anvil convection oven, and a 23-cubic foot refrigerator.

West Long Branch and Long Branch (Fried parks a block from the beach on warm weekends) have welcomed the lunch truck man with open arms; Asbury Park, not so much.
Fried thinks much of the official resistance to lunch trucks is based on a misguided belief they will hurt local restaurants.
"The couples from Freehold who are going to Carmine?s or the Langosta Lounge are not going to pick up a box at a lunch truck,?? he said.

Report on the Chow Haul?s chow: The cheese steak featured good meat but not-so-good bread. But the S.O. Schnitzel, served with mixed greens and a light vinaigrette, is a lightly fried delight. A so-far-unnamed pork roll, egg, cheese, beef and sausage burger ? regulars want to call it the Heartstopper ? sounds all wrong but tastes just right. Best item: the picadillo empanada, a oh-so-crispy pastry shell stuffed with delicately seasoned, and delectable, ground beef.

This is one lunch truck that has really gone mobile; Fried has parked his truck at a local elementary school, at polo matches in Colts Neck and an open house for a $6 million residence in Rumson.

"Lunch trucks are here to stay,?? Fried said. "The days of the roach coach are over."

Hot Dog Showdown

Want to see the Big Dog up close and personal and meet its driver? Stop at Monmouth Park in Oceanport this Sunday for the Munchmobile Hot Dog Showdown, when we?ll judge and select Jersey?s real "Top Dog." Contestants include the Windmill, Charlie?s Famous Italian Hot Dogs of Kenilworth, Wally?s Hot Diggidy Dog in Bayonne and Jersey Johnny?s from Pequannock. It?s part of a weekend of hot dogs, burgers, beer, entertainment and, naturally, exciting thoroughbred racing at Monmnouth Park.

The theme for this summer?s Munchmobile season is ?The Real Munchers of New Jersey.?? Each week we?re going to introduce you to a new cast of characters and reveal things about them that would make those so-called ?reality shows?? green with envy. (Pictured above are some of those riding along this year, along with the Munchmobile driver.)Take Frank Corrado. Looks normal, right? Well, we have it on good authority that he once dressed like Michael Jackson and performed the Gloved One?s ?Thriller?? onstage ? at his school! With a bunch of zombies, no less! Shocking stuff, right? Don?t tell anyone, but you can find the video on YouTube: type in ?Thriller?? and ?Roosevelt Middle School.??

It gets better. You?ve never met Muncher Bernie Wagenblast (don?t you just love the name?), but you have heard his voice if you have taken a ride on the AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport. He?s the Voice of the AirTrain, telling you what airlines are in which terminals. Bernie seems to know every long-gone, torn-down building or landmark within 20 miles of the airport. He is always pointing out vacant lots or new buildings where such-and-such once stood.

In a category all her own is Danielle Stecky from Parsippany. It wasn?t enough she sent us a letter saying she was ?majorly?? (is that a word?) depressed that she hadn?t been picked to ride the Big Dog before. It wasn?t enough she told us she used to live on ?Planet 26,?? wherever the heck that is. She had the nerve to sic ?Uncle Vinnie?? on us. He basically said, pick my niece or else!

Funny Line of the Week: ?My parents were hippies.?? ? Krave truck customer Cayenne Stoakes, explaining his first name

Highlight of the Day: Managing to get in orders at all three Jersey City lunch trucks just as police told them to pack up and leave.

Lowlight of the Day: Not being able to find the ?green truck?? (that?s how a reader described it) in front of the Pathmark on Bergen Street in Newark. Hey, Green Truck operator, give us a call!

Strangest-Named Food Item of the Day: Crazy-R-US (steak, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo sandwich, Taj Mahal truck, Newark)

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@starledger.com.

The QBA Cuban Kitchen truck (www.qbakitchen.com ) was at the Village Festival yesterday and I had the pulled pork with black beans and rice and a very nice jalapeno/cilantro sauce for $8. Quite tasty!

Quote:

Food to Go From Places on the Move

By TAMMY LA GORCE
New York Times
Published: May 13, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/nyregion/16dinenj.html

SAYED GOMAH, owner of Ali?s Fast Cooking, a robin?s-egg-blue truck that has been selling breakfast and lunch along River Street here for close to 14 years, is from the old school.

With his diner fare, Mr. Gomah, 54, of East Brunswick, predates the gourmet lunch truck movement. And his popularity ? at 11:30 on a warm morning last month, the line for his hot dogs, cheese steaks, chicken sandwiches and other basics stretched half a block ? owes as much to his personality as to his way with a spatula, he said.

?What makes me different is I have a relationship with all these people,? said Mr. Gomah, who often chats with customers about baseball between orders.

But he is facing competition in Hoboken and Jersey City these days from trucks with more ambitious menus.

The new breed is represented by Adam Sobel, 28, who sells gourmet vegan food from the Cinnamon Snail in Hoboken. Since February, Mr. Sobel, of Red Bank, has been doing brisk business mostly along Sinatra Drive in a truck decorated with butterflies.

?Hoboken has a really good market for what I do ? there must be six yoga studios in the area where I park the truck,? said Mr. Sobel, who, like many vendors, posts his whereabouts on Twitter and Facebook; he is currently in Hoboken three days a week. ?Those people want healthy food.?

Mr. Sobel gets up at 3 a.m. to make organic apple-cider doughnuts ($2) and other bakery items. At lunch he serves entrees and sandwiches, including a maple mustard tempeh sandwich ($7).

He would eventually like to relocate Cinnamon Snail to Brooklyn, but ?it?s really difficult to obtain a permit in New York,? he said. Hoboken also has its share of difficulties. ?The vending ordinances here can be tricky ? you?re only supposed to stay in the same spot long enough to make a sale, but the officials don?t really want to enforce that. So it?s kind of a balancing act,? Mr. Sobel said.

Mr. Gomah, meanwhile, has been taken to court by a nearby restaurateur who thinks his proximity deflects customers.

?Things are calm now, after a lot of talk,? he said. ?There?s enough business here for everybody to make a living.?

That seems to be true at the corner of Hudson and York Streets, near the Exchange Place PATH station in Jersey City, where pedestrians in business attire line up for lunch from three trucks.

Because of a Jersey City investigation into whether a health officer issued more food vendor licenses than the city allows, lunch trucks may be operating in a legal gray zone; questions remain as to which permits are valid. The investigation is ?ongoing,? said Jennifer Morrill, a city spokeswoman.

That has not deterred customers like Emma Aggor, 26, of Jersey City, a human resources employee at Goldman Sachs, from sampling the food at Nick & Perry?s Place, a gyro and shish kebab truck. Her verdict: ?Fast and pretty good.?

At the Taco Truck, by far the most popular of the Exchange Place trio on this particular day, Joel Schafer, a 31-year-old management consultant from South Orange, was waiting for an order of braised short rib tacos ($5 for two).

?The trucks provide convenience and variety,? he said. ?There?s nothing else really around here except pizza places.?

It is ?logistically easier? to operate in Hoboken and Jersey City than in New York, said Jason Scott, 30, of Hoboken, one of the Taco Truck?s four owners; the truck splits its service between Hoboken and Jersey City. ?And this is the population I want to serve,? Mr. Scott said.

The truck has become so popular since its start in October, the partners are opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant called the Taco Truck in Hoboken in June.

Another recent entry in the lunch-truck smorgasbord is the Louisiana Spice Truck, which has been operating in Jersey City since September. Customers are willing to wait for the distinctive offerings of Jessie Dardar, 39; they change daily, and recently included pulled pork sliders ($5 for two).

?I spent the first 25 years of my life in Louisiana, and people associate Louisiana with good stuff,? Mr. Dardar said. ?But I didn?t want to do just Louisiana food, so the truck is kind of a brasserie that revolves around Louisiana ingredients.? He worked as a private chef in Paris for 15 years before moving to Brooklyn in 2008, then Hoboken in 2009.

Business has been so good that Mr. Dardar started up another truck this spring, Le Petit Temptation, selling only high-end desserts. ?I think it will really take off,? he said. ?People here know about food.?

Parked and Ready to Serve

Following is a sampling of lunch trucks; days of operation are subject to change.

HOBOKEN

ALI'S FAST COOKING (201) 647-8740. Monday through Friday.

THE CINNAMON SNAIL cinnamonsnail.com; twitter.com/VeganLunchTruck; (201) 675-3755. Thursday through Saturday in Hoboken, Sunday in Red Bank at the farmers' market.

JERSEY CITY

THE TACO TRUCK thetacotruck.com; twitter.com/thetacotruck; (201) 683-4047. Traveling between Jersey City and Hoboken. Monday through Saturday.

NICK & PERRY'S PLACE (201) 936-3904. Monday through Friday.

LOUISIANA SPICE TRUCK twitter.com/laspicetruck; louisianaspicetruck.com; (718) 938-1628. Monday through Friday.

THE KRAVE Specialties include galbi (Korean-style short ribs), pork tacos and sesame chicken. kravetruck.com; twitter.com/thekrave. Monday through Friday. Serving lunch near the Exchange Place PATH Station, dinner near the Grove Street PATH Station.

TASTE OF INDIA Kathi rolls, with chicken, fish or vegetarian fillings, as well as combination platters. Mostly around Exchange Place. Monday through Friday. (201) 792-2300.

I don't think we got a fair shake," the Manzoors' Jersey City-based attorney, Jack Miller, said last week about the Jan. 29 hearing.

"We have immigrants, an entire family, trying to make a living, they are standing on their own two feet," Miller said. "Were mistakes made? Certainly. But to revoke it (the license) permanently? I don't think that's just."
I would never hire this attorney. What is stated above in quotes does not justify the continued existence of said food truck. But I bet the truck owner will figure out a way to make a disgusting come back.

Quote:

Quote:

Mystery solved!

Jersey City puts street vendor of Indian food out of business; brothers mull court challenge

Monday, March 01, 2010
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A food truck vendor whose license was temporarily yanked last month after Jersey City officials traced its fixings to a three-story, mouse-infested firetrap has been permanently put out of business.

At a hearing on Jan. 29, Robert J. Vogt, the city's health officer at the time (he has since retired), permanently revoked the itinerant food vendor license issued to Shaik Manzoor, operator of the popular Banana Leaf truck that sold Indian food at Exchange Place and other Downtown locations.

The truck's food was prepared at 318 St. Paul's Ave., a residential building owned by Manzoor and his brother, Maheen Manzoor, city officials said.

When members of the Mayor's Quality of Life Task Force inspected the building on Jan. 12, they found three illegal stoves, grease-laden vents, rat droppings in rice and seasonings, and rotting eggs, among other violations.

On Feb. 18, Shaik Manzoor pleaded guilty to two health code violations in Jersey City Municipal Court and was fined $2,500 for those violations, the city's chief health inspector, H. James Boor, said.

The brothers also pleaded guilty to housing and fire code violations and were hit with another $600 fine.

They also agreed to pay an administrative penalty of $2,500 for operating a commercial business in a residential zone, Boor said.

"I don't think we got a fair shake," the Manzoors' Jersey City-based attorney, Jack Miller, said last week about the Jan. 29 hearing.

"We have immigrants, an entire family, trying to make a living, they are standing on their own two feet," Miller said. "Were mistakes made? Certainly. But to revoke it (the license) permanently? I don't think that's just."

Miller said his clients are considering a court challenge to the revocation, which they have until March 15 to file.

It seems The Krave is different in that they cook the food on the truck. I've only eaten the Krave's Korean tacos as they're really good, no experience with the other food trucks.

Quote:
That's what these vendors are banking on.

What bothers me most is the fact that i do realize the mysterys and dangers behind the preperation of this food yet my stomach still yearns for the Krave.

Quote:

What a story made me gag just reading it. It just goes to show ya you have to take things where they come from. Remember they are cooking and preparing their goods at home where you have no vision as to what the health conditions are. I wonder if there is a food license required. No wonder travelers are advised and must get their shots when visiting third world countries.

Dump the food trucks and carts - when siht hits the fan economically or of their own doing they do a runner and relocate, while the 'bricks and mortor' establishments go bankrupt and then we all complain about no decent places to eat.

food trucks and carts are only in play in 'good times' and do nothing to be competitive - they have no over-heads.

I say #OOPS# them off all together.

****UPDATE*****

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... fs_vendor_license_pe.html

on my bike ride home from Exchange Place on Tuesday, I noticed that the Korean BBQ and Louisiana Spice trucks were by the Grove St. PATH station (the exit closest to the water). Have yet to try the Louisiana Spice truck, but the Korean BBQ one is rather tasty!

Louisiana Spice Truck is still around at Exchange Place. Check their Twitter.

So, which food trucks ARE still around during lunchtime over near Exchange Place and Newport? I am working from home office tomorrow, and I might want to check out some trucks.

Food trucks provide variety and viable competition and can be a valuable asset to a community. Like brick and mortar establishments they should be made to operate in a safe and sanitary manner. Personally I would rather sit and enjoy my food, but that is just my tendency....Public space, parking spots, & areas near trucks all are maintained by the city and have value or the trucks wouldn't park there....Truck owners are taking advantage of this very valuable real estate at a very minimal cost...Seems to me that in a perfect world they should have to pay more for this space (above permit fees). However I do want them to be able to work hard and make a profit providing cost effective product.

My point exactly. Removing the trucks eliminates the competition. At lunch the Exchange Place workers may prefer a fast bite - available from a truck. If those trucks are not there, you either go to Subway/Cosi/etc. or settle for a sit-down meal. So no trucks = more people using brick & mortar restaurants. Bricks & mortar restaurants, therefore, benefit from the disappearance of trucks. Rather than just have a free market, they're messing with it.

Quote:

Quote:

Yeah - why are "Nick and Marias" still there and no one else?!?

It's very sad, I called Jose who owned the DMBJ Grill / the Mexican Food stand that set up with the trucks at Exchange Place (and sometimes up in the Heights) -- He told me he is now "out of business!"

The white truck told the spice truck that he has a deal with Subway and Cosi. I found that funny, because they don't own the street.

Why is the white truck called Nick and Marias I think allowed to stay at Exchange Place? Does he have a special deal with the city? Doesn't seem fair. Anybody know?

Quote:

The only time I ever got deathly ill from unsanitary food, it was at a restaurant. a stationary one. long live the food trucks!

Quote:

Thats disgusting. I wouldn't want some random schmoe just waltzing into a kitchen to check it out. I mean people carry all sorts of diseases and just letting anyone who wants in to the kitchen just spreads more.

Quote:

I believe in the state of New Jersey a restaurant patron is allowed to view the kitchen of any restaurant establishment they may want to eat at. Can anyone verify this information ??

I love these trucks and I love the street food. It is good quality food and a great way for a lot of people to try out their food and spread the word. Remember, the Taqueria was originally a truck. Rent here is hard, so why not try the trucks. Over in Red Hook, the taco stands at the soccer fields had to clean up their act and now they are all in trucks. So this should be sanitary for JC. If you are afraid of eating out of trucks, then don't eat there.... I like it, so don't ruin it for those of us that DO eat there! I ate at street carts all over the world (lived off of them in Moscow!), so if you are not adventurous then stay away. I have yet to be sick from any of them. And hell, I have seen enough "unsanitary" restaurants in both JC and NYC.....

Quote:

Never read Upton Sinclair's book, "The Jungle", in high school, heights? The US of A is able to sell meats, fish and poultry to us together with the USDA, FDA, corporate slaughterhouses, meat packers and corporate farming that winds up in any restaurant that continue to have filth, bacteria, anti-biotics, vermin droppings and more that are commonplace even among the so-called finest establishments. We hardly need look to "3rd World Asian foreign owned fly by nights" to aid us in what we already do consistently. I'm happy to eat from any of the food trucks I see too.

Where do all these xenophobes come from anyway?

Quote:

How about we let the consumers have as many choices as possible and let them vote with their dollars? Why is the freedom to chose wrong?

Unfair? It's an economic strategy.

Quote:

Speaking of which:
Filthy Conditions

'Filthy' conditions at Jersey City home kitchen take food truck off Downtown streets
Wednesday, January 13, 2010


Gotta wonder about when and if the kitchens are ever inspected after this story.

Quote:

honestly, I would need to know the exact legality of locating one of these things, once their vending licence is in place. I disagree in principle, but would have to see the fine print in order to carry the discussion any further.

regarding the pizza price comment, maybe I'm living in the past. 2 and a water tends to run $5 in my spots but that may be on the endangered list.

Quote:

not in my mind, but whatever. not important.

Quote:

First, You're ignoring the fact that many people who go to "pizza" joints are going for other things, including sandwiches. People who like that kind of food also tend to like cheesesteaks. (Isn't a meatball parm a cheesesteak in a different form?) Second, it's a hypothetical example, the point being that a cheesesteak vendor would be competing for a share of the same market. Third, two pepperoni slices and a drink runs me at least $7 over here on Fantasy Island.

My intuition says the profit margin of street vendors is higher, but I'm not averse to being wrong. Fast food restaurants reduce costs by purchasing lower quality ingredients in bulk, but also must deal with the combined expenses of franchising fees, staff compensation, rent, electricity (kitchen, dining room, and air conditioning), natural gas (kitchen and air conditioning), water, and insurance. Yes, mobile vendors also have expenses, but good luck finding the restroom.

My point has nothing to do with the merits of JC's fine mobile food vendors. My point is only that the trucks do not represent fair competition to the (admittedly lousy) fast-food places at Exchange Place. If you disagree, please explain why.