Parked Food Festival Governor's Island 9/5/10

Of course, this was MY idea. I've never been to Governor's Island and I'm into the DIY spirit of those who put their hopes and dreams on wheels and start a unique food truck. I'm also a cooking and reality show addict and am rooting for the demise of the Nom Nom truck in Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race. Plus, The Week magazine had just named Red Hook Lobster Pound as the best Lobster Roll in New York but as mayonnaise is the one food that Joe absolutely detests, I thought it a long shot to get him down to van Brunt street for a lobster roll. So Parked seemed the optimal outing for me to get my New England standard while Joe the ice cream expert would get to sample some of Van Leeuwen's gourmet Artisan ice cream, plus I thought it would be a great way to get some great photos and reviews for this blog.

So Joe and I got ourselves motivated and the crack of 2 PM to head to the Parked Food Festival.

The line for the ferry probably should have indicated the crowds we'd find on the island, but there were other events on the island today and the organizers had promised a plethora of food trucks, "Jamaican Dutchy Truck, Rickshaw Dumpling, Green Pirate juice, Joyride Truck, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Van Leeuwan Artisan Ice Cream, Halo Berlin, The Cinnamon Snail, Kelvin Natural Slush Co, Hermelinda Mexicana and more!"

They did attract thousands of attendees but there was no And More. There were those few trucks each with a line of hundreds and hundreds of people long. The lines snaked through and around the event, and so many of us New Yorkers who foolishly arrived at a food festival ready to eat found ourselves hours away from any kind of sustenance and starving. I had thought we'd arrive, have a snack, walk around some, eat some more, and come home. There was no chance of getting food from any of the vendors. The organizers were handing out over 21 bracelets and I saw a few people with glasses of Sangria, so I guess someone was selling booze, but we didn't get near anyone selling anything and we ended up eating at the Water Taxi beach, which was also completely overwhelmed with the runoff from the completely underserviced mob scene.

Governor's Island was lovely, and after Joe and I got one of the last few orders of food left at the Water Taxi Beach cafe we made orange soda and vodka from my purse cocktails and explored the Island's leafy avenues lined with beautiful and empty mansions, plotting how we would live on the Island as squatters if we ever came to financial ruin.

But the event was so crowded and poorly managed that it left us with a sour taste in our mouths for the whole Food Truck concept. The organizers would do better by the attendees if they would charge the trucks less and attract more of them so that people can actually buy something. From now on we'll check the Twitter feed of the trucks we want to go to and find them on our own.