Dining Al Fresco

Eating outside has taken on a whole new meaning now that I’m trying to be more frugal (thanks to a diminished income) and that food trucks and stands have taken on the city by storm.  Of course, my love for the Schnitzel & Things truck continues, but I also recently tried the Cravings truck and the Fatty Crab and Cabrito stand in Madison Square Park.  I’ve also visited the Shake Shack a couple of times in recent weeks. Now that my office is nearby and I can go during the day rather than at dusk or at night, I can put aside my disgust for the high rodent count of that park, since the rats tend to stay away during daylight hours.

I thought the Cravings truck was just ok.  I tried a combination of the chicken and the fish cake (fish cake is one of my favorite foods of all time), both of which were deep fried and served over a bed of rice covered partially by a pork sauce. My knowledge of Chinese food is limited and of Taiwanese food is non-existent, so I can’t vouch for the food’s authenticity. The flavors were great, but it was all a bit greasy.  Plus, standing in the long line (an only-Asian line, I might add) on a windy day, downwind from the truck, I walked away smelling like I’d been standing over the fryers myself all day.  Not good.  I also ordered the dumpling combo (pork and veg), just to try them.  I didn’t love these (though they were NOT fried, which was a relief).  Here are a couple of photos:

This past week, I walked over to the Fatty Crab/Cabrito stand over in the temporary stalls in Madison Square Park.  Just a couple of weeks ago, some retail and food stands popped up on the west side of the park (Hill Country, the BBQ place, has a stand there as well).  I was excited about Fatty Crab, since I have a hard time tolerating waiting for a table to eat at the restaurant and I don’t go as often as I would like.  I didn’t realize that it was a combination stand of both Fatty Crab and Cabrito (both are owned by Zac Pelaccio), but this was even better.  I got a Fatty Crab Slider (made with beef and pork) and a chorizo taco from Cabrito.  Here’s the photo:

The slider was rich, perfectly cooked with a nice char on the outside, and has some sort of semi-spicy seasoning.  The taco was fiery, even with the crumble of cheese and sprig of cilantro on top, and it left my mouth with a pleasant burn for a good 20 minutes afterwards.  This is a stand worth visiting or returning to.  Another thing that I loved about it was that they were cooking the food right there on the street, in what is essentially a median between Fifth Avenue and Broadway.  Can you get any more New York than this?