One of my first Twitterelationships was with the Schnitzel & Things Truck. I was just learning about hashtags and follow fridays when a blog that I follow, Midtown Lunch, did a feature on the fried flattened chicken (as well as other proteins) on wheels business. I was intrigued. I grabbed a friend and we stood in a 15-minute long line honestly not knowing what to expect. We saw large platters being carried away by people who looked like they had waited their entire lives for this moment and we were excited. We wait and wait and finally we're first in line and...the truck has to move. But then it sat there for a good while after we left.
Disappointed and with only 40 minutes left on lunch break, we grabbed a deli sandwich and I Tweeted.
"@Yaelleah: Sad 2b first turned away by @schnitzeltruck. But u sat in the same spot for @ least a half hr while u were "closing"? I wanted chik schnitz!"
An hour later, I learned the power of Twitter. I was offered a free lunch just for speaking up. About a week after, the truck was back in my work neighborhood and I grabbed another friend and we were off to get some schnitz. Surprisingly, both of us were offered free sandwiches and signature Tahitian vanilla pana cottas. We were in schnitz love.
The Schnitzel Truck parked downtown
One year later, I'm a devoted Schnitz fan. For those of you unfamiliar with this awesome food, it's basically flattened and fried chicken/pork/veal/cod/burger (yes, burger) on a sandwich with grilled bread, lettuce, tomato and a choice of gourmet condiments. My favorite menu items are the Chicken Schnitzel sandwich with pesto mayo ($8) and for sides the beet and feta salad and the Austrian potato salad ($10 with a schnitzel platter).
Chicken Schnitzel platter with beet and feta and Austrian potato salad
One of my other favorite things about Schnitzel & Things is its origins. The man behind the truck and Twitter account, Oleg Voss, was a former investment banker who decided that life looked better on the schnitz side, turned his life upside down and started this business. I say kudos to him and his business partner Jared Greenhouse for having an idea and sticking to it. Makes my lunch breaks that much more exciting. See you downtown next Monday!
