On a very overcast Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, New York the trucks arrived. Food trucks that is! It’s the first annual, ‘Prospect Park Food Truck Rally.’ America’s food truck craze is at an all time high. From the east to west coast many of us have a truck that we hold dear for creating some of the tastiest bites we’re ever had. The popularity of these mobile kitchens have created stars from its owners, like California’s own, “Grill ‘Em All‘ the makers of fine crafted heavy metal burgers.

The Prospect Park Alliance have highlighted the trucks that dock all around town providing a new wave of street food beyond the dirty water dog. Most of the time, one must feverishly follow tweets or be lucky enough to stumble upon these trucks. But on Sunday we were spoiled as they all lined the perimeter of Grand Army Plaza.

Yes it is true that the weather was quite iffy that day, with gray clouds hanging over head. Yet this did nothing to stop the droves of both local and visiting NYC residents. In fact this rally was so well attended that many lines snaked almost endlessly. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the Red Hook Lobster Pound truck. The ‘Pound’ is the maker of one of the most sought after lobster rolls in the city, likely a result of their meticulous selection of only the finest lobsters, with huge chunks of fresh meat present in each sandwich. The spice and sauce mixture helps to compliment the sandwich, but does not overwhelm the taste of the main attraction.

While the lines were quite long on this day, with some stretching throughout the entire plaza, some things are worth waiting for. A few years ago I traveled to Israel, where I enjoyed falafel on a daily basis. The combination of fried chickpeas, and salads really does it for me. That’s why I was so pleased to see the Taïm Mobile at the rally. Taïm emerged from the collaboration of husband and wife team Einat Admony and Stefan Nafziger, and former Wall Street broker David Shapiro. The inspiration for Taïm came from the streets of Tel Aviv, so it’s only fitting that it’s now going to be serving the streets of New York City.

All of their Falafel dishes are gluten free and always fried to order in 0% trans-fat vegetable oil. The menu is strictly vegetarian, which is important with so many people embracing that lifestyle. I went with the Falafel sandwich ($5.75). It includes green falafel, hummus, israeli salad, pickled cabbage, and tahini sauce, with optional additions of pickles, s’rug, (traditional Yemeni cilantro-garlic-chili spicy sauce) and amba sauce ( pickled mango-fenugreek chutney). This Falafel was a flavor explosion, with very different and distinct spices working brilliantly in concert together.

The great people at the Prospect Park Alliance put on a deliciously fantastic mobile event. Hopefully the rally will encourage some of these infamous California food trucks to head east and feed us and help to showcase Brooklyn’s answer to Central Park.

Participating Trucks:

Coolhaus
Cupcake Shop
Joyride
Kelvin Natural Slush Co.
Kimchi Taco
Milk Truck
Mud truck
The Red Hook Lobster Pound
Rickshaw Dumpling Truck
Souvlaki GR
Taïm Mobile
The Eddie’s Pizza Truck
The Frying Dutchmen
The Treats Truck
Vanleeuwen Ice Cream

- Alan Smithee