Operations upgrade, report 1

If you've been with this blog from the beginning you know that in the beginning we were truly "winging it." I started off without the slightest clue how to do any of this stuff. Somehow we managed to get through our first summer, and on the way we learned quite a bit.

Our main goal for this summer is to take what we've learned and do everything with the same spirit but do it better. One thing that needed a drastic upgrade is our inventory and shopping. Last summer I'd hit a lousy grocery story in Greenpoint every morning on my way to the truck, and I would forage for that day's toppings. Nilla Wafers, Nutella... I was buying it all one piece at a time. 

Today we set out early and went to a huge food wholesaler in Red Hook. Jetro Cash and Carry is no secret spot; it's where most of the small restaurants and grocery stores in New York City go to stock up. Our minds were blown by the place- think of Home Depot, but with Pop Tarts and 5 gallon buckets of chicken fat. I *think* we now have most of our toppings for April- quite a change from shopping day to day.

Here is Bryan in the bulk dessert stuff.

Some of our favorite finds:

A 7.5 lb can of "Apricoating." What the hell?

An entire pallet of fondant! Ack!

Cases of Gravy Master. Wow. 

Self-explanatory

The check-out area at crazy land...

Shake Chat

Please read and weigh in!

I'm interested in expanding my shake repertoire this summer, and I've been thinking of the various regional delights that we had in New England as well as those I've picked up here in NYC. Please let me know if these sound like what YOU expect them to be, and then tell me about the dairy treats that I missed out on.

• Our shakes were usually sort of crumby; not thick enough to be much more than chocolate milk.
• We had frappes, the New England equivalent of a milk shake, at our Tastee Freez. This should be nice and thick. My current milkshake is what, as a kid, I would have called a frappe.
• The Black and White is something that I had for the first time last summer. Vanilla ice cream, some chocolate syrup, and milk. I've learned that you must not overdo the amount of syrup; it's crucial that the vanilla taste isn't buried.
• A Boston Shake is a sort of "shake float." Start with a standard shake. After dispensing it into the cup you'll add more ice cream to the cup, then top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

These are the shakes that I have under my belt (for real, because they've given me a gut) and I'm interested to know more variations. I have never made a malted- and I also intend to fix that this summer. I am going to be a SHAKE MEISTER, DAMN IT!

A new menu item

At the Vendy Awards we featured a new treat... a home-brewed Mexican hot chocolate over vanilla ice cream, with a bit of whipped cream on top. We called it the "Affogayto Mexicano." It really turned out great, with one small hitch; we couldn't keep it as warm as we wanted. Well, the hitch is solved- we bought a nice big coffee urn for the truck. Bryan brewed up a big batch of chocolate tonight, so if all goes as planned I'll be selling it on the truck tomorrow.

We're really pleased to offer this. The hot chocolate has a blend of spices and a bit of honey; it's really delicious. Even though there is only a week left in the season we really wanted to launch a new treat, and this one is really going to make you happy. Watch for a Tweet about it... tomorrow will be the first time I try the heater out, so I need to test things before I let you know all is ready.

Topping

Posted by BRYAN

First, get your mind out of the gutter (at least for now). Tonight, Doug & I were brainstorming over margaritas ideas to help our truck stand out from the crowd sure to be illegally parked with us this summer. High on our list of ideas is an ever-changing medley of “premium” or in-season toppings that keep you coming back for more. Now we know others could take the ideas & run, but these aren’t really original anyway.

Here are a few ideas that we came up with right away. Let us know your thoughts on them or any of your own ideas you’d like to see when you stop by this summer.

• Grape Nuts: seems a be a classic combo with vanilla & both D & I are fans.
• Bacon Bits: Bac-Os just seem wrong & too chemically (sorry Betty Crocker) but if anyone has ideas for more natural bacon bits let us know. This idea is inspired by the amazing Mo's Bacon Bar by Vosges.
• Olive Oil & Sea Salt: Mario Batali has his (very excellent) gelato at Otto, but this soft serve creation I first had at the great Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur, California (Marin County).
• Blueberries: Doug needs to use his roots & bring back some fresh Maine blueberries from his trips home. Or, maybe some Cape Cod varieties (Nathan, are you reading this?)
• Chili Powders: ancho, chili pepper, chipotle, nothing spices up & intensifies chocolate like some heat.
• Crushed Pretzels: I’m a huge sweet & salty combo fan. This would do the trick.
• Malt: For those that love soda joint classics.
• Toasted Coconut: Surprised this isn’t already an option.
• Sno-Caps: good size candy, perfect as a topping.