Yes, before you say it, I am nuts, but good food is good food, no matter where you find it.
Two years ago, I was in NYC on business in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district. The company I worked for was located on Broad Street, just about 2 blocks from the New York Stock Exchange. While there, my dining experiences ranged from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, to an upscale sushi palace, to room service at the Millennium Hilton Hotel, to a vegetarian “all you can eat” restaurant, to street vendors in food trucks serving breakfast items, hot dogs, and my very favorite of them all, Mediterranean food.
For ten dollars, I carried to my hotel enough food for my dinner and breakfast, and any snacking I was drawn to in between. I had work to do once I got to the Millennium Hilton, but I have no memory of what I was working on. I can say that I remember every succulent bite of lamb, the freshly roasted vegetables, and the softest, most delicious flat bread and creamy baba ghanoush I’d ever had. I instantly became envious of anyone with an ethnic identity that made what I was having on one evening, their standard fare. I think my eye rolling began at the first smell of lamb as I lined up with the food truck’s other patrons. Once settled into my hotel room, I nearly passed out from the pleasure of my first bite.
New York street vendors serve up just about any kind of food imaginable. And, if you’re watching your budget, they are an economical way to have the finest food at affordable prices. My favorite vendor was across the street from the corner of Broadway and Pine. I hope they’re still there. Check them out!
