Keep on truckin': New York City's growing fleet of restaurants on wheels

Schnitzel & Things is a major player in the New York City food truck scene.

Photo: Donny Tsang/Schnitzel & Things

It's a scene that has been repeated on New York street corners dating back to the Great Depression: the street vendor (aka, food cart) hawking his edible wares to the legions of the hungry and the at-lunch.

Recently, the vehicles evolved—they are no longer manually operated—and so have their menus. Sure, you can still buy Sabrett hot dogs from the pushcart. But you can also get cod schnitzel with alfonzo olive sauce and a side of chickpea salad. Or perhaps you're more in the mood for a chipotle pork burrito with beans, pickled red onions, and Mexican crema. You can even conclude your midday repast with a professionally crafted dessert, such as warm chocolate bread pudding—with bacon custard no less.

These and other delicacies come to you by way of the food truck, the gastronomic answer to the mobile phone. Why be saddled with some land-locked restaurant at lunchtime when you can feast on salad niçoise from the Bistro Truck or Hudson Valley Peking duck dumplings from the Rickshaw Truck?

Some mobile ventures are stationary—the Bistro Truck operates exclusively from Union Square. The majority, however, are nomadic. Which is part of the fun. You never know what you'll be eating on a given day till you head out to curb at lunchtime to see who's parked there. Actually, you can hedge your bets by tracking the whereabouts of your favorite food truck via Twitter.

The following are among the city's hottest meals on wheels, along with details on how to keep them on your personal radar (meaning your BlackBerry).

• Bistro Truck. Twitter handle: BistroTruck. Type of food: Mediterranean. Recommended dishes: Marrakech lamb, Dijon chicken
• Calexico Cart. Twitter handle: CalexicoCart. Type of food: Mexican. Recommended dishes: chipotle pork burrito, pollo asada
• La Cense Beef. Twitter handle:  LCBBurgerTruck. Type of food: burgers. Recommended dishes: grass-fed beefburgers
• NYC Cravings. Twitter handle: nyccravings. Type of food: Taiwanese. Recommended dishes: Taiwanese style fried pork chop
• Picnick. Twitter handle: [None]. Type of food: sandwiches and salads. Recommended dishes: seared tuna, turkey club
• Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. Twitter handle: RickshawTruck. Type of food: Asian dumplings. Recommended dishes: shrimp dumpling with sweet jicama, Hudson Valley Peking duck dumpling
• Schnitzel & Things. Twitter handle: schnitzeltruck. Type of food: Austrian. Recommended dishes: pork schnitzel, bratwurst, potato salad
• Wafels and Dinges. Twitter handle: waffletruck. Type of food: Belgian waffles. Recommended dishes: waffles with chocolate fudge topping
• Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. Twitter handle: VLAIC. Type of food: ice cream. Recommended dishes: ice cream, toppings
• Dessert Truck. Twitter handle: desserttruck. Type of food: gourmet desserts. Recommended dishes: warm chocolate bread pudding with vanilla custard sauce, warm brioche donut holes