By now, Rochester food enthusiasts know that food trucks serve up tasty fare at festivals, farmers markets, private events and more. But a variation on the concept is popping up in Rochester: permanent food trailers that don’t move from place to place.
Drive through the always-busy intersection at the corner of West Ridge and Long Pond Roads in Greece and you’ll find a good example. Gotham Halal, a black food stand with Batman vibes tucked behind a Sunoco station, is cooking up a delicious menu of smash burgers, fries and dirty sodas.
(While some people associate “halal” with Middle Eastern cuisine, it generally describes food and drinks that are allowed under Islamic dietary law. That’s why, for example, you’ll find beef bacon on the Gotham Halal menu, as Muslims are forbidden from consuming pork.)
“The goal was always to be different,” said co-owner Talha Shahid. “From the beginning we wanted to keep it very simple. Space is limited. We didn’t want too many complex variations or too many menu items.”
Uber thin burgers, smashed on the grill and grilled until brown and crusty, can be ordered with one, two or three patties. When the truck initially opened in December, burgers came on a bun with its own Gotham Sauce and American cheese. Now the topping options have expanded to include tomatoes, lettuce, sautéed onions, pickles, beef bacon and fresh sliced jalapeños.
“The sauce is kind of like our crown jewel,” Shahid said. They make it in house and are working to get it packaged to sell commercially.
The menu also has a couple of creative spicy options. The Gotham Heatwave is a double smash burger topped with pepper Jack cheese, fresh jalapeños and Gotham Sauce. The Gotham Red Moon has crunchy Hot Cheetos and fresh jalapeños inside, and the bun is coated with crunchy Hot Cheetos.
In addition, a falafel smash burger is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, sautéed onions and Gotham sauce.
Fries are seasoned and served smothered with Gotham sauce (which can be ordered on the side). Loaded fries add ground beef, bacon, sautéed onions and jalapeños to the equation.
Dirty sodas are based on lemon-line soda mixed with fruity syrups and topped with a vanilla cold foam. The flavors include strawberry, watermelon, mango, peach, pineapple, green apple and blue nightfall (blue raspberry and coconut).
Most customers order online, either ahead of time or by scanning a code at the trailer, and get a text message to pick up when it’s ready. The staff is also happy to deliver orders to cars.
The story behind Gotham Halal
Rami Ali moved to Rochester from New York City, where he owned a gourmet deli. He was cooking burgers on a grill in the backyard and people loved them, which became a business idea. He teamed up with Talha Shahid, who graduated with RIT with a degree in mechanical engineering and is now working in real estate, which gives him connections and a keen sense of properties in the area.
They decided to test the concept with a food trailer, which has a lower cost of entry than a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“With anything new, you don’t know how it’s going to go,” Shahid said.
While the idea is rare in the Rochester area, it’s more common in other states, and the partners traveled to check out menus and setups in other cities.
Launching a new concept presented challenges for getting approval for the business in Greece, because regulations were designed for food trucks that moved around. But finally, Gotham Halal opened in December, a challenging time for launching such a business. “You can just imagine,” Shahid said. “This was the harshest winter. In the dead of winter, we were bringing food out to all the cars.”
The partners have been encouraged enough by the first location that they are already at work at a second. At 900 Jefferson Road in Henrietta, it will be in the parking lot behind Taco Bell. They are hoping for a late June opening.
“It’s a very small concept still but we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished with hard work and community support,” Shahid said.
Gotham Halal is at 2534 West Ridge Road, behind the Sunoco Station and Elite Vape & Smoke. It is open 11 a.m. to midnight every day except Friday, when it is open 4 p.m. to midnight.
Order online at https://ordergothamhalal.com/.
Tracy Schuhmacher has been the D&C’s food and drink reporter for the past 11 years. Notice a cool food operation open or close near you? Email her at tracys@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Gotham Halal brings smash burgers to Greece. Henrietta location next
Reporting by Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
