What summer Saturdays should taste like:

Shortcake at the Goods Food Truck

Saturday turned out to be a great day to wander around the neighborhood semi-aimlessly.  It wasn't then as hot as yesterday became (that's a clunky turn of phrase, eh?), and there was a lot going on near our house.



The Goods food truck opened recently, and on Saturday around noon they declared their yard ready for seating. We took advantage of the special on strawberry shortcakes ($4 each) and sat in the back corner, with some construction still taking place and a crew of scurrying people going about their business



The truck was (on Saturday) only serving breakfast until 11am, so they were unable to serve us a biscuit and a breakfast sausage, but soon they will be serving breakfast items until 2pm.  They also had not received their iced coffee machine, but promised that would soon be available as well.

The lunch/dinner menu focuses mainly on burgers and fries.  I do wish they had a turkey burger or a veggie corn dog on there, but I'd take fish and chips or a fried green tomato sandwich.



The yard is a good size and pleasantly appointed.







The shortcake itself was just the thing. I didn't know how badly I wanted it until I took a bite. The thick, filling biscuit was still warm, but the whipped cream and strawberries were cooler.  I felt there was just the right amount of strawberry juice soaking into the base of the biscuit as I ate.  The last few bites of the "cake" were soaked with strawberry flavor.  Even better, the biscuit was slightly salty, in a way that might have seemed extreme if it were served alone, but was perfect for serving with a sweet fruit mixture.



This is summer.  I want another.

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Big Gay Ice Cream; Small Gay Let-Down.

I stopped by the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck for the first time this week. The BGICT is one of the popular mobile food and treat trucks in New York City. It has its own website, as well as a Twitter Feed that lets fans know where it's roaming.

I was surprised that the truck itself was not more festive. Not because gay people have to live up to that stereotype, but because the name is a bit sparkly and the website is covered in sprinkles. I didn't expect to "see the Gay" on the truck, as I don't subscribe to the idea that there are limited "ways to be gay" in the world, but I did think I'd see something "Big." Yet there was just one small sign (on only one side of the truck; earlier, friends had walked right by) and a hand-lettered list of toppings declaring the vehicle's difference from any other ice cream truck in the city.

My "small gay" disappointment was more related to the ice cream. Though the toppings are intriguing (they change every day and have included pickle, olive oil, Trix cereal, Nutella, etc.), the ice cream is just fine -- nothing special. I had not realized that my only ice cream option would be regular, fast-melting soft-serve (chocolate, vanilla, or twist). It's a small truck, so Paul guessed that there isn't room for a freezer that would allow transportation of homemade or premium ice cream flavors.





I wish the ice cream offered could match the cleverness behind the toppings, but there's nothing wrong with taking what you can get. I had a twist cone rolled in Grape Nuts and really enjoyed it. And the man in the truck (the Big Gay Ice Cream Man?) was friendly and funny. Soft-serve or not, he's providing a great service in selling his nontraditional, delicious, and oddball toppings.

I'll be back! I'd even buy the t-shirt.

Right Where We Belong

Here we are, at the ferry terminal on our way to Governors Island last weekend.

Here we are, on the tree-lined sidewalks of this former military base.

Here we are, one of us participating in and one of us spectating at a big ol' badminton tournament.

Here we are, spotting a nearby purveyor of food, Le Gamin.




Here we are, standing in a long, slooooow line [shoes by Manimal].




Here we are, edging closer to our snack...(eventually, this truck would completely sell out of food, so we were lucky).




Here we are, finally, on what might be the cleanest grass in NYC, about to enjoy a Nutella crepe and (as it turns out, slightly oversalted) fries with mayo and ketchup.

"Here we go! Let's start the show!"