Reader report: the sloppy Joe from the Slopey Joe truck on 14th Street

If you want to relive a favorite middle/high school lunch, we have a food truck for you. 

An EVG reader reviewed a favorite item from the Slopey Joe's truck stationed this summer on 14th Street just east of Avenue A. 

"I love a good sloppy Joe sandwich — it was my favorite school lunch meal. But you rarely see them on menus," said Julie Manis, who shared the above photo. "And this is far and away the best I've ever had. Sauce with just a slight kick. A slice of melty cheese. Kind of a barbecue flavor. They make other things, too, but why have anything else when you can get a sloppy Joe?" 

Slopey Joe also offers several burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. (There are vegetarian options too.) You can find a menu here. And you can follow them on Instagram.

Food truck steakout on Avenue A

Dave on 7th notes the (rare) appearance of a Phil's Steak food truck tonight on Avenue A near East Sixth Street...

Food trucks at Astor Place, Tompkins Square Park until 4 today

Via the New York City Food Truck Association... Food trucks will be out today in the city ... including:

Astor Place

- Rickshaw Truck

- Toum

- Wafels & Dinges

Tompkins Square Park

- Sweetery Truck

- Mexico Blvd.

Ben & Jerry's back in the East Village, for one night only

The Ben & Jerry's store closed on Third Avenue and NYU back in September 2010, as Jeremiah first noted... (And the space is still for lease...)

Anyway, EVG regular peter radley notes the arrival of a Ben & Jerry's truck on East Fifth Street at Second Avenue...

Turns out to be a one-night-only thing... Free Greek Yogurt, per @kikaeats ...

The Bean Truck debuts

...earlier today... in front of their old storefront on First Avenue and Third Street. Via jdx.

[Updated] The Bean debuts 'fully stocked' food truck tomorrow on First Avenue

Starting tomorrow, the Bean won't be open at their flagship First Avenue and Third Street location. Instead, the Bean will have "a fully stocked food truck" parked in front of the location at 49 1/2 First Avenue.

The Bean is closing — presumably tonight right now — here to make way for a Starbucks.

The Bean will open new locations on Third Street and Second Avenue and Ninth Street and First Avenue ... as well as First Avenue and Second Street. Until then, they'll have the truck.

Updated:

Dave on 7th passes along this photo of the Bean right now from around 2:45 ... they are packing it in... workers have removed the Bean awning...

Updated:

jdx sends along photos of workers dismantling the cafe...

DNAinfo was on the scene today and spoke with some regulars who are upset the place is closing...

Is this the beginning of an Avenue A food-truck invasion this summer?

We were having an email conversation with Dave on 7th last evening. He asked if we saw the Go Burger food truck on Avenue A near Ninth Street. Why, yes — we even took a photo...

Per Dave, "With all this talk about these new-fangled food trucks everywhere ... this is the first one I've seen east of Second Avenue except for the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck a couple of times. Could just be the beginning."

True. We can only really recall seeing Mister Softee on Avenues A-D.

Meanwhile, Bobby Williams took shots of the DessertTruck on A near Seventh Street on Tuesday evening...

In any event, I kind of thought that the food truck revolution had somehow bypassed this part of the East Village. But there doesn't seem to be any stopping the food truckers. Maybe just $5-a-gallon gas?

Bonus!
Photo of Luke's Lobster truck refilling on Seventh Street...

When food trucks break down

Houston and the Bowery.

Food cart vs. food truck at Union Square

As EV Grieve reader Blue Glass details in the photos below.... the new Souvlaki GR truck took up a spot on the west side of Union Square just above 14th Street yesterday...




This did not go over well with the hot dog vendors. They moved their carts to partially block the truck... and the carts were positioned in such a way that the hot dog/pretzel smoke would flow into the truck...



Regardless, people were still ordering food from the Souvlaki truck, which angered the hot dog vendor with the red shirt....

Eventually he exchanged angry words with the Souvlaki truck owner...



...and made faces at our photographer....




...despite the circumstances (like the hot dog guy yelling and making noise so people couldn't hear the orders at the Souvlaki truck), Blue Glass says the Souvlaki workers kept their cool....


As Blue Glass notes, "There is room for everybody."

The problems with selling stuff out of converted bread trucks

The Daily News today has a piece on NY artist Marco who is now selling his wares from a refurbished bread truck:

"[T]hings don't always go smoothly.

On a recent night, Marco parked his truck on the lower East Side, drawing quite a bit of unwanted attention.

Hordes of drunken revelers stopped by, expecting to order food.

"They wanted shawarma, falafel," Marco said. "They want meat patties and pizzas."

As food truck wars heat up, vendors start offering more options

"Yes, I'll have a falafel and something in 42L." Somewhere on Park Avenue South.