I eat on St. Mark's a lot, it's right near my apartment and it feels like a whole different world. There are lots of great places on St. Marks but I'll save those for another post. This one is all about the cookie and Dessert Truck, which rests at the end of St. Marks, on 3rd Avenue, makes the best cookie I have ever had.

Dessert Truck was the brainchild of three pastry chefs who met while working at Le Cirque. They decided to get out of the sit-down game and hit the streets. Just three respected chefs, on top of their game, serving everything out of Costco cups. At first sight, Dessert Truck looks like the hole in the wall of food trucks. Although it's covered in their friendly logo, the inside looks more like a meth lab. It has a couple of warming ovens (housing their options for the night), a prep area and four gas burners with some beat up pans. On the window facing in, there are tattered posters noting the trucks accomplishments. Their bread pudding beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown, the Truck is a staple at the prestigious Vendy Awards, and its hot chocolate is top five in the city according to New York Magazine.

Me waiting behind two individuals closer to the prize than me.

But for me, it's cookie day. I think they use a shortbread hybrid, it's thick and crunchy and soft and chewy. They also use the best chocolate ever served out of a vehicle, and best of all there's a lot of it. Whenever I share the cookies with someone it's always the first thing they notice. In the name chocolate chip cookie, chocolate and chip account for 66.6 percent of the words and 68.4 percent of the characters. Along with the chocolate you get the crunch, followed by the rich sweetness. It's a clumpy, chocolaty mess that could only be so perfect in the hands of world-class pastry chefs.

The famous cookie next to their Nutella filled donuts.

Even though I live for their cookie, every one of their portable perfections is just as potent. They recently ushered in a goat cheesecake that reminds you of the existence of real cheese in this generally Phili Cheese diluted dessert. My favorite thing about Dessert Truck is that they sell out of everything every night. If you get there past 10:30pm, they typically have only odds and ends. It’s reminiscent of the times when chefs made only what they could keep fresh and treats didn’t come in factory-sealed packaging.

Photo credit: Photos taken by my art teacher (www.saulchernick.com). If your reading this small print you might as well check him out.

I have mixed feelings about Eataly, Mario Batali and Oscar Farinetti's giant Italian food emporium...

On the one hand: Eataly’s motto is “Life is too short not to eat well," and when faced with the decision between eating good food and not, I'll always take good food. Luckily, this place is filled to the rafters with good food--even great food! Not only is Eataly geographically perfect (it is situated right next to Madison Square Park in the heart of the flatiron district) their grocery selection offers a range of produce superior to any that I have found. Notably, I was taken aback by the 10 obscure varieties of lemons and limes. They have mushrooms that even Eminem hasn’t come across. Eataly is the place to go for food products you can’t find at the local grocery store.

On the other hand: Eataly’s motto is, “Life is too short not to eat well,” but it should be, “Eataly is too crowded and expensive to eat well.” If you like to shop for food amidst an Apple store attitude than Eataly is your heaven. It allows anyone willing to drop the coin to be a foodie within its walls. Not to mention, the bags have now become a fashion statement. You’re not a fashionable New Yorker unless you have a pricey handbag on one shoulder and a reusable Eataly shopping bag on the other. For reasons of neurosis I have problems enjoying Eataly especially when surrounded by people happily paying hundreds of dollars for white truffles thinking that they are chocolate.

The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was their produce. You get the exact impression you’re intended to: that of a rustic, earthy, Tuscan market with a (well-hidden) facelift. To the left of the produce isa vegetable butcher. The butcher has lots of different salads and fried veggies to sample and buy. My first purchase was at the cured meats butcher, where I ordered a half-pound of their top prosciutto and a half-pound of a hot sopresseta salami. The salami was cured in Seattle by Mario Batali’s father, not sure how I feel about that, like an earmark on an elephant. The salami tastes like Maggi seasoning. The lady slicing it for me cut her finger. The manager called over another employee and he filled in smoothly.  

There are small seating areas at each food station as well as a handful of places to sit and stand to eat all over Eataly. In the back, they have sections for coffee, gelato, treats and even a secret pizza window. The vegetable butcher is first but then I saw the antipasto standing area, where apparently the “coolest people in New York” hang out. Herds of après work-peacoats flock to these high top tables to stand, drink wine and eat cheese. I might have to buy a peacoat because the selection of charcuterie is amazing. Beyond that they have two full sit down restaurants of scaling formality. One restaurant is more casual and located amidst the madness; the other is a darker more private haven from the commotion.

 I went to the more casual restaurant and sat at the bar. I started with a mediocre fennel and apple salad then went on to pizza and pasta. Angiolotti with a veal ragu and a classic marinara pizza with hot sausage. The pasta was simple, creamy and al dente. They say they serve their pasta al dente because it has more flavour. Christian Bale would say: “Oh good for you.” The pizza was good, but the truth is better pizza exists. Mine had too much liquid in the middle to allow for a nice crust. And what’s with putting token basil on pizza? Put basil on or don’t, it’s not a garnish in my mind.

Eataly has enough good food to be satisfied and although a mob scene, it is a “cool” place to say the least. I have a hard time calling it a grocery store though; I think it’s more of a “food experience.” Experiences can feed you, experiences can frustrate you and sometimes experiences can have you putting on your best clothes just to buy ground chuck. And while the Union Square greenmarket is another place where the image and popularity battle the authenticity, if I’m just buying meats and vegetables I find it to be a less anxious endeavor. Either way, Eataly is worth the visit, if only just to see the Matrix.

I feel like every food conversation in New York involves food trucks. A lot of very talented chefs and home cooks with classic family recipes have turned to four wheels as a simpler and cheaper way to make their food available. The demand for this new gourmet street food, especially those taking advantage of the Twitter phenomenon, have made for some pretty popular trucks.

I spotted the infamous Souvlaki Truck (also known as @Souvlakitruck on Twitter) on a warm Sunday afternoon in Soho, while combing the streets in my Vendy Awards shirt. On some weekend days I will graze from one food point to the next. I can knock off 4 or 5 square blocks on one stomach, hunting for authentic specialty dishes. My real motivation is to bring someone there someday and receive praise for area and food knowledge. On most weekends Souvlaki Truck sets up shop in Soho and I was next in line.

Photo Credit: Kathy YL Chan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyylchan/5156438371/)

I first discovered Souvlaki Truck at the Vendy Awards, which is held annually on Governer's Island. What can be called the Super Bowl of street food is becoming a can't-miss event, especially for someone who has not been in the city long enough to try many of the famous trucks. I did not have the chance to eat their food that day because the line was astronomical. It was their first year at the Vendy Awards competition and the truck took home the prestigious Rookie of the Year award. "You know how the Yankees feel when they win the Series?" Kostas Plagos, one of the two owners asked me. "That's how we felt."

They construct their chicken souvlaki with four or five perfect pieces of skewered chicken, followed by two hand cut French fries, lettuce, red onion and home made tzatziki all on a fresh grilled pita. They make everything to order, so you have to wait for a minute, but they are so friendly that I don't mind, even in the winter.

Photo Credit: Kathy YL Chan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyylchan/5157045980/)

I felt like such an idiot wearing the Vendy Awards shirt that afternoon in Soho. I was sure they thought I was a food truck groupie. With a smile on his face Kostas said something like "Uh-oh, another stalker." And there's no doubt they have a huge following-physically as well as on Twitter. So of course I got out my phone and conjured up a silly tweet to them to say thank you for the meal and within minutes they posted it to their page.

And yes, I'll admit, after I crunched a couple souvies I went right back on my phone and followed them too.