The show is called “The Great Food Truck Race.” Seven specialty food trucks — home-style Cajun, fine-dining French, pressed sandwiches, Vietnamese banh mis, crepes, hamburgers and banana pudding — will set off on a six-week road trip from Los Angeles to New York, stopping along the way to peddle their grub. The teams who sell the most food advance to the next town; the losers pack up their fryers and head home. As the celebrity chef Tyler Florence, who hosts the show, put it recently, “It’s like ‘Cannonball Run’ with food trucks.”
Not to burst your bubble, but if you read the rest of the article you find out it’s really not a whole lot like Cannonball Run with food trucks. I generally prefer the food shows that just display awesome food and tell you where to get it or how to make it over ones that involve reality-TV challenges. Plus it really seems like the banana-pudding truck faces an uphill battle against the hamburger truck.
But all that said, this sounds like a decent show. Because hey, food trucks.
I’m never much one for trends, but the food-truck one is something I can get behind. After all, I ate food from food trucks long before they came into vogue and I don’t plan on stopping after the wave breaks. There’s a big difference between a food-truck fad and a Silly-Bandz fad. One of them provides me delicious food for reasonable prices. I’m not entirely clear on what the other one does.
I have a lengthy history of eating food from mobile distributors.
Back when I worked in a soulcrushing temp position at Macys.com, there was a pizza truck that used to park outside and sell grandma-style slices. They were amazing, and it made that job ever so slightly more bearable.
Near the MLB.com offices in Chelsea, there was (probably still is) a taco truck that came at night to the corner of 14th and 8th. Real good, fresh Mexican food — an awesome treat during a late-night editing shift. Plus the truck had a big sign that said “Bienvenidos a tacos,” which translates to: “Welcome to Tacos.” Thanks buddy, but I’ve been here for years.
The best food truck near my current office is almost certainly the Jamaican Grand Duchy cart, which I don’t visit nearly enough.
The grease trucks at Rutgers prompted this site’s first sandwich writeup.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the stellar Mr. Softee, pretty much the O.G. food truck.
Finally, I enjoyed a chili dog at the Haven Brothers food truck in Providence last week. It’s basically an 18-wheeler that parks outside City Hall from dusk ’til dawn every night, and the trailer part of the truck is a tiny little diner with a kitchen, seats and everything. Cool place.
Any recommendations for food trucks? I’m all ears. Also, teeth and mouth and stomach. I’m all ears and appetite.
Tedquarters 
Thank god someone else knows about the truck on 14th and 8th. I used to work at the high school on 17th between 8th and 9th, and must’ve sent them half their business at 11:45a.
Tangentially, it’s not a food truck, but I hit up the Calmex cart in Brooklyn Bridge Park last night. Better than waiting on line at Grimaldi’s. Prices unreasonable if you’re a Taco Bell aficionado.
Which begs the question: how much is too much to spend on a good taco?
If, by any chance, you ever find yourself in Ithaca, NY, you have to make a stop at the Hot Truck:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hot-truck-ithaca
Perhaps not what it used to be since its original proprietor retired, but still delicious.
The “Because, hey, ______” construction never gets old.
Because hey, ‘because hey.’
I heard from a friend in Chicago that they’re having a whole city council (or whatever) debate about whether to allow food trucks. Which is incomprehensible to me. Food trucks add so, so much to one’s quality of life. How do they not see this?
Here in Portland we have tons of food trucks. Pizza, Indian, Mexican (taco trucks everywhere, thank god), Vietnamese, Italian, Czech, deli, Belgian frites, crepes, waffles, vegetarian. It’s really hard to imagine life without food trucks.
Ted, if you ever get to Austin, TX (maybe check out a Round Rock Express game?) We’re having a food truck explosion so big that Anthony Bourdain is doing a show on them. There’s literally hundreds. I went to one recently that is nothing but donuts. You can get a donut with Bacon and Maple frosting. Or maybe fried chicken and honey! It’s called Gourdoughs, and if you google it you’ll see the menu.
I grew up in Ithaca, and Hot Truck is pretty cool. Also Louie’s Lunch is pretty much the same thing.
Louie’s Lunch is NOT the same thing. (The vehemence of my opinion has nothing to do with the fact that I used to work at Hot Truck. Really.)
I saw that episode of No Reservations where Bourdain ate at those food trucks in Austin and the food he got there looked phenomenal. (Way better than the lunch I got today from a food truck, after being somewhat inspired by this post.)
Katonah ave and 237th in Woodlawn is an amazing place to be past 2 am on the weekends. You have to hit up the Rambling House first, which is on Katonah and 236th. They pour an amazing Guiness in what truly is the last Irish holdout in the Bronx. Then, stumble down the street to “the chipper” and order an amazing breakfast sandwich. I’ve stopped at the chipper as late (or early) as 5 am. It’s legit.
53rd and 6th. That is all.
53rd and 6th is so overrated. 32nd and Park is where it’s really at. If you’re ever in queens, the late night truck on 108 has churrascos.
Any comment about the Mexican food this truck sells??? Thanks.