Crisp on Wheels

NYC is a city famous for, among many things, food trucks. They're especially popular in midtown (where I work) and the financial district, where large clusters of people work. The Crisp on Wheels truck stops outside our offices a lot, and I'd heard good buzz. When sunny weather, no line, and my arrival all worked together perfectly, I popped over for a bite.

The ordering happens near the driver's door. I was surprised to see they take credit cards--very rare for a mobile food spot! I decided to keep it simple and order the Crisp falafel sandwich--a few falafel in a whole wheat pita with cubed salad. YUM! I received my order slip and stepped to the right to wait for the deliciousness.

People LOOOVE to complain about lines at food trucks, but let me offer you some perspective--it's almost always still faster than going to a restaurant and sitting down. Fine, it's not as fast as a "fast food" spot, but you're usually getting tastier food. I just have to roll my eyes at the impatient, whiny people stomping their feet and complaining about the 5, 10, or 15 minute wait. If the line is stretching to the corner and you're in a hurry, don't stop there, then!! Rant over.

It took all of about 5 minutes to get my order. While waiting, I saw that checking in on FourSquare for the first time got me a free iced tea or lemonade. Done! I showed the woman who got me the food and she breezily got me a passion fruit iced tea. I was delighted to find it was not sweetened. The passionfruit was clear and clean and just the right flavor for a sunny summer day.

Upstairs I eagerly unpacked my lunch. The pita sandwich comes in a ziptop box--with clear instructions. I zipped it open in no time and surveyed the bright colors. I couldn't just leave it in the box though....

Look at those colors! A fresh, perfectly diced salad topping of tomatoes, onions, parsley and more, spilling out from the fresh, soft pita. I took a first bite and was happy with the burst of vibrant flavors. I still thought, though, hmmm..is this going to be worth it?

The more I ate, however, the better it got. It wasn't until I was 1/3 though the sandwich that I got to the shmear of hummus on the inside of the pita. It was not an overly garlickly or citrusy hummus, it was smooth, damn near velvety, and so delicious. Wow.

There were three falafel inside, and they were pretty good. Not the best I've had, but darn good. And it all worked together so well. The layers of flavors in this sandwich really impressed me. Worth every penny. I didn't mean to finish it--this is a big sammich--but I just didn't want to STOP eating.

It's not an everyday meal for me, but I'm definitely adding Crisp on Wheels to my lunch routine! If you live in NYC, you can follow them on Twitter or Facebook, and if you're a tourist traveling through, definitely try them out for an affordable, fresh, delicious bite!

Visit Crisp on Wheels on the web here
or Twitter @CrisponWheels

Tweet