Dining Out, Lunch, Manhattan, Midtown West, Street Truck, Various LocationsKerry Alaric CheeseboroJune 10, 2010baked, calorie, calories, crust, deep-fried, dough, Eddie's Pizza, Eddie's Pizza Truck, fried, gnocchi, healthy, homemade, light, line, low, Lud, midtown, oven, pepperoni, plain, potato, scratch, street, Street Truck, sweet, thin, truck, westComment

Fast and Steady Eddie

SOMETIMES IT JUST THAT QUICK. I was on my Twitter this morning when I saw a retweet alerting fellow followers that the Eddie's Pizza Truck was not only making its debut in Manhattan on 40th and 6th Avenue (their brick and mortar" home is located in New Hyde Park, Long Island), but, to celebrate, were also offering free half "bar pies".

So I zip downtown in a cab to make it by noon, when the free 'za would start being served. I made it to what was already a sizable line by a little after 12 o'clock, meeting a whole bunch of hungry lunchers who had likewise, just hours previous, had found out about Eddie's Pizza Truck's promotion via "ReTweet".

I wasn't on the long line long (?!), when someone "truck-affiliated" walked towards the back of the line and declared that the free bar pizza would be honored up to three people before me; everyone else after that would pay full price. Having only five dollars left from my fifteen dollar cab ride (yes, I know, for free pizza...), and would have to make a trip to the nearest ATM since an individual bar pie starts at 7 bucks.

Once I returned from the ATM, to the end of a much longer line, and made quick friends with a lovely young lady named Lud(milla) [ScoopsTweet on Twitter], another truck-affiliated fellow walked to the back of the line and newly declared that the free pizza would end with the persondirectly before me! I attempted to plea my case, alerting the gentleman as to exactly how stupid I was to spend 15 dollars for a free half pizza that would only cost 7 bucks for a full pie. Understandably, he had no sympathy.

A few minutes later, however, he let us know that anyone who was willing to pay for their pizza could cut the line.... Done! Once I walked right up to the truck, I could take a quick look at their full menu and watch the order-taking and pizza prep in action, staffers epitomizing "service with a smile"

I ordered an individual bar pie—whose raison d'etre is "to be high in taste and low in—half plain and half topped with pepperoni. Comfortingly, each pie is oven-baked to order, and with its very thin crust, is done in only minutes.

I was scheduled to have lunch with "Trixie" less than an hour later, so I knew I couldn't (read, shouldn't) finish a whole pie. Again, I rewarded others within proximity to help themselves to a slice, saving me a slice of each plain and pepperoni. (I don't know how I didn't see you, Lud, but I did look for you!) The Eddie's truck folks were so moved by my generosity, I guess, that they also threw me some free fried sweet potato gnocchi—which did help allay the sting of realize I had spent $25 (including tip) for two thin slices of pizza.... I took my slices to Bryant Park, across the street, to enjoy.

I enjoyed these (two) slices very much, it turned out. The crust, from dough they make in-house themselves—was properly thin and firm, if not fully crispy, though it holds a great fold. I personally might have preferred a bit more flavor to the crust, but any lack of it was more than made up for in the rich, tangy, aromatic, well-seasoned and nicely balanced sauce. The cheese, as well, had a nice, mellow taste, and was pliable to the teeth without sliding off the slice. A quick survey of the folks who enjoyed my pizza charity found that they all were very impressed and pleased with the pizza, one even claiming "Awesome!"

(The sweet potato gnocchi were a nice little novelty as well, though are best eaten quickly, while they're hot.)

Then I was reminded of the true miracle, which was that an entire bar pie has only 290 calories. Over half of Subway's 6" sandwiches have a higher calorie count! And in office building mecca that is Midtown New York, having a street truck quickly serving oven-baked, tasty, low calorie, thin-crust pizza pies for under ten dollars is a charm I think many will find hard to ignore.

I expect Eddie's Pizza Truck to do fast business....

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro