The Vendy Awards (The Vendys)

The Vendley Brothers (Jesse, Brian, Dave) and Peter Oleyer from “Calexico Carne Asada”

www.calexicocart.com

Wooster & Prince Streets, Manhattan

New locations since winning Vendy Award:

Broome Street & Broadway, Manhattan

California-Mexican style tacos, burritos, etc.

“Calexico produces the freshest, most flavorful, highest-quality food I have ever eaten from a New York street cart. Their carne asada – marinated grilled hanger steak – is the best I’ve ever had. I am completely addicted to it. I actually find myself sitting at my desk daydreaming about it. They are also cool people – friendly and genuinely passionate about what they do.”

Meru Sikder from “Biriyani Cart”

www.biryanicart.com
46th Street & Sixth Avenue, Manhattan

Indian/Mediterranean

“Meru provides excellent quick service with a smile. Also, he has the most variety of halal carts in Midtown, his food is consistently of high quality and very delicious and unique. The biryani served with an egg, and pickle for $5, is perhaps the best lunch deal in midtown. He also uses special sauces that no one else uses, like teryaki sauce.”

Fauzia Abdur-Rahman from “Heavenly Delights”

161st Street and Sheridan Avenue, Bronx
Jamaican

“Fauzia is a vendor you can go to every day because her menu is always changing. Jerk chicken and collard greens one day, spicy tofu the next. And her cakes are sinfully good. But apart from her food she is a wonderful, cheerful person who knows everyone in the neighborhood and takes care of them like family. She deserves the Vendy award.”

Mohammed Rahman from “Kwik Meal”

45th Street & Sixth Avenue, Manhattan

Bangladeshi-spiced Middle Eastern fare (felafel, chicken, marinated lamb, shrimp)

“The only reason I survived six months in the worst job I’ve ever had was that Kwik Meal was on that corner. I would go there at least three times a week. Hands down, it’s the best falafel I’ve had, and the yogurt sauce is really spectacular. The owner and his team are deadly serious about the quality of the food, and it shows. I love that they wear chefs hats when they are cooking in the cart.”

Rafael Soler from “Soler Dominican”

Clinton Street & Bay Street (Red Hook), Brooklyn (weekends only)

Salvadoran-Dominican fusion

“Papusas are the ultimate street food, and Rafael is the ultimate purveyor of them. I usually get the pork and cheese papusa, which bursts with spicy ground pork and melted mozzerella. A sprinkle of pickled cabbage he throws in cuts perfectly through the grease. And Rafael is the salt of the earth.”

Kim Ima, Treats Truck

www.treatstruck.com
Various locations

Ben Leeuwen, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

www.vanleeuwenicecream.com
Various locations

Chris Chen and Jerome Chang, Dessert Truck

www.desserttruck.com
Various locations

Thiru “Dosa Man” Kumar from NY Dosas

Washington Square South and Sullivan Street

“Thiru makes super fresh Indian food– mixed in with his own influences from Sri Lanka. All under the constraints and philosophy of veganism. He’s always exceptionally nice and professional. Everyone knows that if money is scarce, you can get a meal from him and pay later. He’s a great guy, humanitarian and environmentalist all while being one of the most legit chefs in the city. And his food is cheap. I essentially survive because of Thiru.”

Mohammed Rahman from Kwik Meal

45th Street and Sixth Avenue

Bangladeshi-spiced Middle Eastern fare
(felafel, chicken, marinated lamb, shrimp)

“I walk a mile in every kind of weather to get my daily helping of Kwik Meal’s delicious food. The owner used to work in the kitchen at the Russian Tea Room and the quality and presentation of the food shows it. The lamb is the best – it’s tender, flavorful and utterly delicious! The yogurt sauce goes above and beyond the usual and has a spicy tang to it – I wish I knew what they put in it to make it so good. When they’re offering salmon, you’re also in for a treat.”

Veronica Julien from Veronica’s Kitchen

Front Street and Pine Street

Trinidadian/Jamaican cuisine (jerk chicken, oxtail stew, etc.)

“It was an unexpected treat to find such yummy food hidden in lower Manhattan. I think it’s a mother and son who are frying up the fresh cod fish cakes, delectable jerk chicken, sumptuous macaroni and cheese and perfectly flavored rice and peas. I’ll be heading back for more as soon as I’ve worked off my first indulgence!”

Super Taco, aka “Sobre Ruedas”

96th Street and Broadway

Tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas, etc.

“I’m from California, so I grew up around taquerias. Hands down, Super Taco can match up to anything I grew up with. I close my eyes and I am 10 years old again. Try the al pastor – diced pork with pineapple. Even better is watching all those Super Taco taco-makers crammed into that truck, all working together in unison to serve up tasty goodness. They even have a bicycle delivery fleet! Excellente!”

Farez (Freddy) Zeideia, the King of Falafel and Shawarma

www.thekingfalafel.com
30th Street and Broadway, Astoria

Middle-eastern style street food (falafel, shawarma, chicken)

“The best and cheapest meal in Astoria. Always consistently good food prepared with care. These guys are such characters that it adds just as much flavor to your meal as their secret hot sauce. They will feed you for a little cash and make you smile for free. During the big blackout they were the only place open because they had their own generator. They could have easily doubled their prices and made a killing, but they didn’t. Their lines reached well around the block and they served food well into the early morning. They were just happy to serve and help so many people.”

Samiul Haque Noor from “Sammy’s Halal”

73rd Street and Broadway, Queens

New locations since winning Vendy Award:

W. 4th and Broadway, Manhattan

Sixth Ave. and Washington Place, Manhattan

Halal chicken, lamb & beef over rice

“Sammy’s is the gold standard for halal food in Jackson Heights — if he is not on the corner, something is wrong. The cart is like a community center for the neighborhood’s Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani residents. Taxi drivers double park in front, youngsters drop by for a chat. Sammy oversees it all, with his calming presence. But the food is what they come for. The spices on the chicken explode in your mouth and leave you coming back for more. The red sauce will clear your sinuses – go easy on it.”

Thiru “Dosa Man” Kumar

Washington Square South and Sullivan Street

Sri-Lankan style vegan fare

“Thiru’s food is some of the most exceptional vegan fare in the city and he serves it up with a friendly, quirky, conversational attitude toward each customer. If you haven’t tried them, dosas are lentil crepes, filled with potatoes (the Masala variety, my favorite) or other things. I enjoy getting mine with one of his excellent mock meat drumsticks and a Ginger Beer. Thiru for president!”

Piedad “the Arepa Lady” Cano

www.myspace.com/arepalady
Roosevelt Avenue between 78 & 79th St, Queens

Colombian-style arepas

“The arepa lady is the sweet little grandmother of the food vendor scene. Finding her is half the fun. Take the 7 train to 82nd Street — but only late on a Friday or Saturday night. She will be down underneath the subway tracks tending a grill of corn arepas. If you speak Spanish, you will be rewarded. She is the sweetest woman you have ever met. And her arepas are succulent — crunchy on top, buttery, and oozing with cheese. A classic NYC experience!”

“Calexico,” from the Vendley brothers

www.casadecalexico.com
Wooster and Prince Streets, Soho

California-Mexican style tacos, burritos, etc.

“Where to begin? Their signature dish, carne asada, is the best I’ve ever had. Period. Skirt steak marinated in a citrus-y, spicy sauce and grilled over an open flame – my mouth’s watering just thinking about it. The smoky and sweet pulled pork tacos are better than any pork BBQ you’ll get in North Carolina. And the shrimp tacos – yes, seafood from a street cart! – are excellent. Homemade salsas, cool music, nice people, and I appreciate that they keep the prices down. 3 bucks for a delicious, authentic taco – can’t beat that. Calexico is the total package. The neighborhood is lucky to have them.”

Rolf “Hallo Berlin” Babiel

www.halloberlinrestaurant.com
54th Street and Fifth Avenue

“Rolf Babiel’s cart is extraordinary. There is a reason that every day he’s there, a line of people at least 10 deep forms. New York is well known for it’s hotdog carts — but Rolf’s German sausages are to ordinary hotdogs what Rembrandt’s paintings are to Dogs Playing Poker. In one tiny cart, he offers a huge variety of sausages (pork, beef, veal, chicken) as well as generous helpings of german potato salad and fried potatoes, spaetzel, soup, red cabbage, sauerkraut and other delicacies. Add in a terrific wurst-slicing device that turns service into street theater and a playful attitude toward his customers and you have an outstanding dining experience. And all for just a few dollars! Rolf’s wurst is one of the best things about New York.”

UPDATE: Rolf passed away in October 2009, and he is greatly missed. You can read Midtown Lunch’s lovely memorial to Rolf here.

Thiru “Dosa Man” Kumar

Washington Square South at Sullivan Street

“The food is the best damn street food in town. The fresh made dosas are healthy, still relatively cheap, delicious, and just filling enough for a good sized lunch or light dinner. Thanks to this man, I have given up on cooking altogether during the school year (when I take classes around Washington Square Park). The vendor, himself, is a friendly, good human being. I heart him.”

Tony “the Dragon” Dragonas

62nd Street and Madison Avenue

“There are many chicken men, but only this chicken man has a line running the whole block – practically all the way to Central Park. The smoke from his grill draws crowds, and if you’ve never been before, and if you’re smart, you’ll ask the person in front of you in line what to order. I’m that person. Chicken Salad is my personal order of choice. Fresh crunchy greens with tangy vinagrette, tomatoes, and, on top, a clean, crispy, perfectly flame-grilled breast of chicken, sliced to a generous bite size, and shaken over with addictive secret spices. $5.”

“The Best Halal” Team (Mustafa, Mohammed, Islam, Sam)

53rd Street and 6th Avenue

“The tastiest food in the city! The line always borders on epic, and people are fanatical about the food. Five dollars for the choice of chicken and rice or lamb and rice. The white sauce has an almost cult following. I’ve talked to people in line there who had driven from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Only food stand I’ve been to with such a loyal and intense fanbase. The stand is open from 8pm to 5am every night.”