Sure I love to indulge in some of New York's mobile treats, and we have a whole food truck lot right outside of my building at work, but why should it be only for Manhattanites? For those of you who love the food truck scene (and Astoria/LIC of course) will know that since last year, we've set up a food truck lot on Crescent Street, near 44th Road. Just like a lot of the lots in the city, the Long Island City Food Truck Lot operates in a similar fashion, where they get a steady rotation of the NYC's most famous gourmet food trucks. Taking place each Thursday and Friday from 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. you can catch anything there, from Asian Fusion, Mexican, good ol' American comfort food and of course desserts.
I wanted to shout-out one dessert truck in particular that's a favorite of mine that'll be at the lot tomorrow. The one, the only Treats Truck will be present in full-on sweet glory serving up their signature treats such their sandwich cookies, brownies and crispy squares. My personal favorites are their oatmeal jammy cookies, stuffed with raspberry jam, as well as their crunchy and slightly crumbly peanut butter sandwich cookies.
Don't forget to bring a bottle of water (or milk) with you to wash down all that goodness.
The Treats Truck will be at the lot tomorrow from 11:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.
LIC Food Truck Lot - 43-29 Crescent Street, LIC NY 11101
N/Q Train to Queensboro Plaza
www.nycfoodtrucks.org
I've been dying to try the famous CupcakeStop truck for so long, but I never caught it at the right time. The other night after work, and after what was a very long, exhausting day, I spotted the CupcakeStop truck just a block away. The opportunity to get a little treat before going home was so tempting that I had to seize it. And was I glad that I did!Background:
A little history behind the CupcakeStop: it's an adorably cute mobile truck serving cupcakes and cupcakes only. The company prides itself in using fresh, high quality ingredients and everything is made from scratch. What I really admire about them is that all unsold products are donated to City Harvest to feed the less fortunate. Now that's what I like - a cupcake with a cause!
The Cupcakes:
The CupcakeStop varies up their daily menu and cupcakes range in flavor and creativity, from traditional vanilla to funky brownie cheesecake. What I found really great and conducive to trying different flavors were the sizes. You can either get a standard size cupcake, which is on the bigger size or you can try a mini, which is perfect. It actually reminds me of a Crumbs mini, which is just right and so poppable.
I tried two flavors from the truck including German chocolate cake and pineapple. The German chocolate cake was a no brainer, as I'm a sucker for chocolate, but I had to really ponder about getting the pineapple. In the end, both were great choices.
The German chocolate cake was my favorite, as the chocolate flavor was really intense but not too sweet. I loved that it was stuffed with caramel custard--a nice little surprise that made the mini size feel more substantial, reminding me of a Baked by Melissa cupcake. The dough was super moist and the frosting was delightful - topped with crunchy almonds and flaked coconut, it was the perfect indulgence.
While the former was a clear favorite, the pineapple cupcake shouldn't be forgotten. The overall taste was zingy and refreshing with more great buttercream frosting enhanced with pineapple flavoring. I liked that the pineapple essence was felt but that it wasn't overpowering. It tasted very natural, not artificially flavored at all.
Service and Cost:
Service was good and prompt. I didn't have to wait on line, and my cupcakes were placed in a neat little plastic container to prevent smearing and breaking. It was all good and very well thought out.
Costs are a bit pricey but for a specialty such as these cupcakes, I thought they were OK. The regular sized cupcakes are usually $2.50 with the exception of the German chocolate cake, which was $3. The minis were $1, which seems cheap on the surface but for a teeny tiny thing, I think it's a bit much.
3 Mmmms
