Word of a new food truck doesn’t really impress me anymore. Back in the day (about two years ago), the news would have me tracking the truck in hopes of snagging a great organic hand-churned ice cream cone, or a perfectly grilled sandwich stuffed with cheddar from the Hudson Valley, spicy pickles from Brooklyn, and roasted pork raised by Bev Eggleston. These days, I am still a fan of the genre, but the novelty has somewhat worn off; I am less excitable. That is until I met the Lunch Truck.

Now, you may not be familiar with the Lunch Truck as it is located in the North Fork of Long Island, tucked under the shady elms in backyard of the North Fork Table & Inn, the wonderful seasonal American restaurant and B&B operated by Gramercy Tavern and Aureole alumni Claudia Fleming and Gerry Hayden, along with front of the house partners Mary and Mike Mraz (also of GT and Hearth).

I should mention at the get-go that while the Lunch Truck is a food truck, it is not mobile. You come to the truck, it doesn’t come to you. But that’s just fine as there is really all of no traffic in the North Fork and it’s located on the Main Road that takes you out to all the vineyards and back home via the LIE. It’s convenient to beaches, too, for a picnic lunch with the gulls. Or you can grab an Adirondack chair in their garden and just eat there.

The other thing that makes the Lunch Truck a little quirky (and really even more fabulous), is its façade. You see the truck is actually an old Ford Camper, and it’s not all that attractive. Claudia wanted something like an old Ford Truck from the 50s, something with style and a sense of Americana. She thought about painting it, and getting it fixed up, but that was too costly. Instead, she approached the local high school theater kids and asked them to paint a set for her. The idea was brilliant. And these kids are talented. From a distance the truck looks like it’s rambling down an old dusty dirt road, with a little Ella Fitzgerald or even early Elvis playing in the breeze.

The best part of the Lunch Truck is the food. Let me shout out a huge "Thank You!!" to Claudia and Gerry for opening. Finally, we have a great place to get a sandwich in the North Fork! I mean, I have always had a soft spot for Bruce’s, but you can’t eat turkey and Swiss on rye every day (well, I suppose you technically can, but why would you want to?) And Salamander’s is all well and good, but that’s more of a fried chicken spot.

Want a lobster roll? Before the Lunch Truck you were out of luck. Now you can get yours (all lusciously sweet wild caught meat) with ice-cold ginger lemonade (pictured below).

Want a pulled pork roll? They've got that too, made from Berkshire pork, stewed and sauced so its meaty juices drip down your chin. This pulled pork is impossibly good, a tangle of meat thick with sweet spice that’s hoisted into a buttered brioche bun and served with a lightning bright smoky chipotle tomatillo sauce ($8.75).

The menu also includes a fantastic all beef artisan hot dog from Hartman’s served on a Blue Duck Bakery brioche roll for all of four bucks that you can fix up with your choice of chorizo chili, homemade sauerkraut, bread and butter pickle relish, or apple cider vinegar glazed onions. The sandwich of the day changes often, but it was a thinly sliced steak sandwich with chili and lime on the weekend we were up. There’s also soup (organic spicy chicken posole) and a daily seasonal veg sandwich on griddled ciabatta. Claudia’s cookies are for dessert, naturally.

Friends, I hate to tell you to drive 100 miles for a Lunch Truck, but I am going to suggest it. Really. You will agree that it is worth the LIE. I just love this truck! There is a nice alley behind my apartment in Brooklyn, and I’d love it if they’d park there in the off-season, but apparently they are busy year-round out there. Boo Hoo.

Obviously, there’s more to do in the North Fork than eat at the Lunch Truck. While you’re there, you can hit one of the little beaches, check out the cute shops in Greenport and Mattituck, and definitely have dinner at the North Fork Table and Inn, and Luce & Hawkins, too. Why not! And, of course, spend some time drinking wine. Croteaux is a new favorite, for their stunning Provencal garden for tasting and all-afternoon drinking, but my old favorites, Lieb, Paumanok, Bedell, Corey Creek, and Shinn are all still doing their thing, making great wine that you really just want to drink a lot of.

Enjoy!

The Lunch Truck is located at the North Fork Table & Inn, 57225 Main Road, Southold, New York. It is open 11:30-3:30 seven days a week.

Andrea Strong