It's not just soggy hot dogs anymore.
In Pictures:
America's
Best Street
Food
As the unofficial street food capital of the country, options in
the Big Apple range from fresh tamales to exotic gelatos.
New York ’s streets are a serving platter for all
ranges of ethnic food. The city’s Street Vendor Project estimates
that more than 80 percent of the street vendors in Lower Manhattan
are immigrants hailing from more than 20 countries on four
continents. The purpose of the Street Vendor Project is to ensure
that street vendors have fair representation in court and to
advocate on their behalf, making sure there are enough permits
available, for instance.
With about 6,500 vendors, street food is such a large part of New
York ’s culture that there is even an award ceremony organized by
SVP to name the best of the best, the Vendy Awards. “The
competition is to honor and celebrate street vendors in New York
City ,” explains spokesperson Jaclyn Kessel, “And to recognize the
fact that some of the best food in the city is on the street.” Last
year’s Vendy winner was a cart called Calexico Carne Asada,
stationed on the corner of Wooster and Prince Streets in Manhattan
’s Soho neighborhood. The cart is owned by three brothers who cook
Mexican food California-style.
On the West Coast, street food is just as celebrated, if
not quite as prevalent. Fish tacos, usually bought from street-side
stands, have long been a source of rivalry between San
Diego and Los Angeles.
Farther north, Seattle has
traditionally lagged behind in the street food department. However,
a gourmet food cart on wheels, Skillet, is helping to change the
city’s mediocre rep. Skillet serves up what co-owner Josh Henderson
describes as bistro-style food. Choices include dishes like
handmade gnocchi or a fennel and rosemary roasted pork sandwich.
Henderson decided to get into street food after years of working in
the restaurant business, where he got tired of the monotony.
“There’s more flexibility in street food,” Henderson says. “If
sales aren’t going the way you want, you can pick up and move.”
Although moving Skillet’s aluminum trailer isn’t always that easy.
Henderson says one challenge of selling street food is dealing with
restaurant owners who may not like the sudden competition on their
street—some even call the police or the health department. Seattle
’s restaurant owners may be fighting a losing battle since the city
is planning to loosen its regulations. “In the next year or two I
think there will be a pretty strong explosion of street vendors,”
predicts Henderson .
In Miami , street food has a different
flavor—Cuban that is. There, the most popular street food is
actually a drink. Across the city, people order Cuban coffee, or
cafecito, at walk-up windows. The practice is very much a
social affair with people standing at the counters talking and
sipping the strong, concentrated brew.
“They say if you want to find someone in Miami,” says Glenn
Lindgren, one of the authors of Three Guys from Miami Cook
Cuban, “all you need to do is hang out at the walk-up window
at La Carreta, because eventually everyone goes there—it’s one of
the busiest coffee windows in town.”
Another city with a storied street food tradition is Philadelphia . Choices are diverse in the City of Brotherly Love , but the city’s ultimate street food is the one that carries its namesake: the Philly cheesesteak. The hearty sandwich is overloaded with grilled chipped steak, caramelized onions and gooey cheese on a thick, crusty Italian sub roll—a true testament to the idea that the most delicious foods are also the messiest.
Cheesesteak-serving stands are all over Philadelphia but are especially concentrated in the area of University City . One favorite of students and tourists alike is Abner’s at 38th and Chestnut Streets. “Cheesesteaks are as much of an institution in that part of town as the Liberty Bell,” says Philly-based restaurant critic David Snyder. Snyder believes that street food is such a large part of the city’s eating culture that it’s not viewed in a special way, rather it is just accepted. “People don’t look down on carts here as they might in other cities,” he says.
Next time you’re strolling city streets and are tempted by aromas coming from a curbside cart, go ahead and indulge in the simplest form of al fresco dining. Rediscover the simple joys of a bag of roasted peanuts or treat your taste buds to something new and regional like a reindeer sausage. You might take a bite of something that will keep you coming back to the city—and that stand—for years.
In Pictures: America's Best Street Food
More From ForbesTraveler:
America's Best Ice Creams
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
World's Most Expensive Fast Food
