AWESOME ALERT: Free Froyo at Bloomingdales This Week

Labor Day may have marked the unofficial end of summer, but this crazy hot weather begs to differ! Good thing Bloomingdales wants to help you beat the heat this week with some free froyo from the forty carrots truck!

Here are the deets for where and when you can catch some complimentary confections with a topping of your choice:

• Bloomingdales SoHo: Thursday September 10 from 12-4 pm
• Bloomingdales 59th Street: Friday September 11 from 12-4 pm

All you have to do is show up! Now that's a treat.

AWESOME ALERT: Free Food Tomorrow 8/6 from the Stonefire Food Truck tour

There is not a single person on this planet that does not like free food. And Awesome's got your back with this hook up tomorrow at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza (right outside Eataly).

Join celebrity Chef Marcel Vigneron of Top Chef and the Stonefire Food Truck tour for some gratis samples of delicious, easy-to-make, plant-based recipes featuring Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads and Naan Crisps. The event will run tomorrow, Thursday 8/6 from noon to 6 pm and will also feature live entertainment. For updates on what is happening throughout the day, you can follow Stonefire on Facebook or Twitter.

Get Your Tickets for Choice Streets on May 5th

Missing Choice Eats this year has already been arguably one of my biggest regrets of 2015. So it goes without saying that attending The Village Voice's 4th Annual Choice Streets event is on the must-do list.

The event, which takes place on Tuesday May 5th at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, will feature at least 12 food trucks including Big D's Grub, Korilla BBQ, The Treats Truck and Valducci's Pizza and Cinco de Mayo entertainment from Mariachi Flor de Toloache. General admission tickets are $55 and will let attendees in at 8pm. If you want early admission, you can pay $65 to enter at 7:30pm or spring $85 for a VIP ticket that will let you in at 7pm and send you home with a gift bag. All tickets can be purchased here.

You can also apply to volunteer at the event and in turn receive free admission to The Village Voice's 5th Annual Brooklyn Pour Craft Beer Festival on September 26th.

To read a recap of the 2013 event, click here.

Free Food from the Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads Truck Today!

There's no better news to kick off a weekend than free food right? Well if you're looking for something to do today, head to opening weekend of Smorgasburg to welcome NYC's newest food truck: Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads.

Stonefire is launching a nationwide food truck tour featuring some of their tasty looking dishes like Indian Pizza on naan, Gameday Naanchos, and a Chicken Naanwich with Pesto. They will be giving free samples from 11am-4pm starting at Kent Ave and N. 8th St. in Williamsburg followed by 14th St. Union Square and then 42nd St and 6th Ave near Bryant Park. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook for their exact location.

Food Trucks Take Flight

I think I'm still full from Choice Eats. Seriously. But New York is a city that revolves around it's wide array of cuisine and various means of distributing food, so inevitably the blog must go on. The Village Voice recently held their outdoor food truck event, Choice Streets, at the Intrepid and I was invited to go check it out. This event is arranged differently than Choice Eats in that there aren't as many food vendors and the lines are super long, but we still made a night of it, and ate some delicious tidbits from NYC's best mobile vendors.

With our tasting glasses in tow, we started the night at Shock Top where I tried their Honeycrisp Ale, a super refreshing summer beer. If you wanted Lemon Shandy, they were serving it directly from a tap in the trunk of a car!

Because of the staggering lines building at most of the trucks when I arrived, I opted for dessert first, and started at my beloved Cool Haus ice cream sandwiches where I only found about 5 people in line. I tried the snickerdoodle cookie with sea salt caramel ice cream. Yum! And I was very appreciative that they weren't serving full-sized ice cream sandwiches for that would have been a mess.

Snickerdoodle cookie and sea salt caramel ice cream (Cool Haus)

Next Up was Mexico Blvd, one of my favorites of the night with their Adobo Taco--pork loin marinated in adobo served with cilantro, onion and salsa. Next door was Mausam Curry 'n Bites, which served a fairly typical chicken tikka, not bad, but fairly generic in my opinion.

Adobo Taco (Mexico Blvd)

Chicken Tikke (Mausam Curry 'n Bites)

I tried two different mini empanadas from Nuchas and some "Authentic Indian Street Food" from Desi Food Truck (not quite sure what was in it, but there was definitely rice, potatoes and curry involved).

Mini Empanadas (Nuchas)

"Authentic Indian Street Food" (Desi Food Truck)

Tacos (or taco-like foods) were definitely a theme of the night. Big D's Grub served up some spicy pork tacos that definitely had a kick, whereas Mike n' Willies served up their take on a flauta, stuffing falafel into a fried corn tortilla and covering it in tahini. I really enjoyed the latter.

Spicy Pork Taco (Big D's Grub)

Falafel Flauta (Mike n' Willies)

Souvlaki GR was a hit among my friends, but to be honest it didn't do it for me. The charcoal grilled chicken had a funny taste, but maybe I just had a bad batch. The Greek fries were pretty awesome though.

Charcoal Grilled Chicken and Greek Fries (Souvlaki GR)

Wafels & Dinges was one truck I was highly anticipating and it did not disappoint. They were serving up full sized wafels with candied bacon, caramel and whipped cream. Deeee-lish!

Wafels & Dinges

Wafel with candied bacon, caramel and whipped cream (Wafels & Dinges)

At this point unfortunately my camera started to go wonky, and the following pictures are either blurry and/or borrowed (thanks Laura!). Regardless, the burger at Rhong Tiam was amazing and I felt equally excited about the pupusas at Solber pupusas (glad I finally know what that is!) and the arepas at Palenque Homemade Colombian Food.

Burger (Rhong Tiam)

Meat Pupusa (Solber Pupusas)

Corn Arepa with Chicken and Portobello Mushrooms (Palenque Homemade Colombian Food)

We topped everything off with an Arnold Palmer Kelvin Slush and called it a night. Unfortunately Mac Truck sported lines 50-people deep all night and ran out before I gave them a try. I was equally disappointed that Gorilla Cheese NYC didn't even show up. Next idea for an event...an all mac 'n' cheese/grilled cheese food extravaganza!! Who'd be up for that?

Take it to the Street [Eats]

Remember that tried and true annual food event put on by the Village Voice that I rave about year after year? Well awesome folks, the weather has warmed and a food truck only event by the same people who brought you Choice Eats is only weeks away. I give you Choice Streets!

Unfortunately the May 7th event is sold-out, but I'm sure you can find some tickets on Craigslist if you're really excited (and you should be). Choice Streets, which takes place on the Intrepid (HOW COOL!?), will feature more than 25 of NYC's best food trucks including some of my favorites like Coolhaus, Wafels & Dinges and Kelvin Natural Slush Co. (can you tell I have a thing for dessert?). Since switching jobs almost 2 years ago and relocating to an office outside of the standard food truck territory  I haven't been able to keep up with the latest in street eating, but I'm very excited to get reacquainted.

Here's a video recap of the 2012 event:



Who's going to Choice Streets this year? If you miss it, be sure to stay tuned for my post-even recap right back here :)

Awesome Wafel

I still have no idea why I waited so long to try the Wafels & Dinges truck. That was some not so awesome decision making. If you're in the same waffle-less boat that I was at the beginning of last week, run, don't walk, to the truck when it's in your neighborhood next! Better yet, follow them on Twitter, and go to the truck.

In celebration of Belgian Restaurant Week (yes, I'm pretty sure every week is another nationality's shot at culinary publicity), I visited the truck when it was parked on Wall St. near my office. I was having a craving for chili and low and behold Wafels & Dinges' special of the day was chili on a corn waffle. Can it get much better?

Nope.

The waffle tasted like fluffy cornbread, but of course waffle form. And the chili was heart-warming and flavorful. This was definitely worth the walk outside in the rain.

In addition to my meal, and since I mentioned Belgian Restaurant Week, I received a free "playground waffle." What's that might you ask? Well, in the words of the guy who helped me, "it's individually wrapped so that you can take it to the playground and eat it there." Cute. 

This waffle was in the traditional liege style, slightly sweet, but definitely fluffy. It made for a great snack the next day. Too bad I wasn't at a playground. I could have gone for some swing-set action.

I've heard wonderful things about their several varieties of sweet waffles, which you can load up with toppings (the dinges) from nutella to ice cream to their special spekuloos sauce. Every day they have a different password which you can mention for a free dinges. Once you visit, come back and tell us about your awesome creations. Happy waffle-ing!

Not Your Average Roach Coach

'Tis the week for free food in Manhattan, especially from trucks. 

On Monday, I caught up with the Air France Taste the Journey truck for a sampling of their new menu designed by acclaimed chef Joel Robuchon. It was fairly cold out and none of my coworkers wanted to join me fearing a huge line, so I ventured out by myself and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the line short but by the time I finished filling out a form to enter to win a trip to Paris, I was at the front.

I was lucky enough to drop by for lunch on their last day of service, and was surprised by how pretty a plateful of food from a food truck could look! On the menu was Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Brochette, Grilled Beef Filet with Wine Truffle Sauce, Potatoes au Grain and a Carrot Cake Petit Fours.

I tried dropping by for dinner service, which included Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Rondelle, French Shepard's Pie with Duck Confit and French Macarons, but they were out by the time I got to the truck. Our friends over at I8NYC made it though, and has awesome pictures to show for it. This truck promotion is done for now, but several more are making their way through the city this week.

Though I missed the Air France truck for dinner, I wanted to make sure that I got to the Game of Thrones truck in Union Square - a promotion for the new HBO show featuring "medieval food" cooked up by star-chef Tom Colicchio. Duped again. The line was more than halfway down the block by the time I got there and they hadn't even begun serving yet. There's a lot of things I would do for free food, but waiting in the cold for an infinite amount of time isn't one of them. 

However, I saw that The NYC Menu Girl was successful with this truck and hopefully you can be too! Follow them on Twitter @GameofThrones and they will tweet their location every day this week. Today they will be near Lincoln Center at 6 p.m. and tomorrow who knows where they will end up.

Courtesy of Living Free NYC, I saw that the History Channel show Swamp People is also sending a promotional food truck around Manhattan, through tomorrow. The menu sounds, um, interesting, (swamp rabbit anyone?), but if you're open minded and want free food, track them down and then report back. Tomorrow they will be in Union Square at noon and 14th and 9th at 5 p.m. Happy hunting!

Just in: HBO will have another truck roaming the streets tomorrow serving up New Orleans-style food to showcase the show Treme. Grub Street has the deets.

An Awesome Choice

Sometimes I wonder, does any other city in the world have as many amazing food tastings as we do? And then I stop wondering...NO, OF COURSE NOT! I'm super exciting for one of the kings of food tastings coming up on Tuesday March 29 at the Park Avenue Armory - Choice Eats! Put on yearly by the Village Voice, this festival of the palate will feature more than 50 Gotham restaurants serving food representing more than 35 nations!

Scrolling through the list of restaurants, I'm flabbergasted as to how I'm supposed to fit that much deliciousness into my digestive system in only one night. At this point, I'm most excited about sampling food from the following vendors I've never had the pleasure of eating before: The Taim Mobile, Del Posto, Cascabel Taqueria, Dirt Candy, Northern Spy Food Co, Porchetta. And of course some of my already-faves will be there as well: Luke's Lobster, The Meatball Shop and This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef. Libation specialists will also be on hand with custom beer, wine and spirits pairings.

Tickets are on sale through the Choice Eats website. General admission are currently priced at $35 but it's a special price, so I'm sure it will go up to $45 soon. If you'd like to partake in the VIP hour from 5:30-6:30, tickets are currently $70, and in addition to receiving early entrance, you'll get complimentary beverages, a VIP gift bag ($100 value), entertainment and access to the VIP room. The organizers are pulling out the stops for those waiting outside to get in this year as well. Calling it "Choice Streets," a food truck will be parked outside the entrance of the event sampling the top truck food from across the city.

Holler if you'll be there. You definitely won't want to miss this night!

Let's Get Schnitzified!

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!

To check with the truck will be in your neck of the woods next, follow their blog and twitter account and let me know how much you love the food :)