Manhattan Lunch, the Morris Truck

Since I work in midtown, I'm used to packing a lunch in order to avoid $25 meals or the standard deli fare that is available. Sometimes, though, I get to catch one of the dozen or so gourmet food trucks that park in the loading zones on Park or on one of the 50s for a few hours, and this time I tried the Morris Truck.

I walking up Madison when I saw several people carrying the small brown paper sleeves of grilled cheese sandwiches, and I knew there must be something good nearby. Round a corner, and the line of people waiting in front of the utility-gray truck was a dead giveaway.

For my first time at the Morris, I tried two different sandwiches and a drink special. The Cucumber Lemon Basil iced tea was incredibly refreshing on a hot August day in Manhattan. Mostly cucumber and basil and sweet, the lemon and tea flavors weren't in focus. There aren't many herb and vegetable combinations I'd actually enjoy drinking on the regular, though, and this is one of them.

Grilled cheese sandwiches here start at $4.50, but jump up to $8-11 as soon as you want something fancy. Chewy sourdough seems to be the bread of choice here, and it's toasted darker than golden in a panini press.

I tried the Ale Cheddar, which had meatloaf, pickled daikon, and house-made ketchup. The cheddar cheese was blended with something milder and meltier, and held together well without separating. The meatloaf had an almost pâté flavor to it. Meaty and delicious, it was sliced very thin and totally encased in melted cheese. The daikon was a nice counterpoint, and had a firm but not too hard texture.

The Aussie Frites sandwich had delicious slices of duck fat fried potatoes, fungal raclette, and house-made (truck-made?) sweet chili mayo.

The sandwiches here are hearty enough that one would suffice for lunch, and they offer several soups in cup and bowl sizes if you want a little extra something something. They have a twitter, and if you find yourself near their parking spot of the day, it's worth a stop.

-SdJ