The hamburgers and hot dogs at Forrest's Sidestreet Cafe, the food truck that offers picnic tables and umbrellas on a patch of grassy land straddling the border between Patterson and Pawling, draw a steady lunchtime crowd all year long.
But the folks who pop in for a bite to eat aren't always local, husband-and-wife owners Ken and Lynne Forrest say. They've seen customers from other states, like Florida and Pennsylvania, as well as travelers heading down the East Coast.
The customers who come from faraway have sometimes heard of the cafe by word of mouth.
"We were like, 'Wait a minute, you heard about us on Long Island?'" Lynne Forrest said of one customer who drove for miles and miles to try a burger and hot dog.
Choosing between the two could be tough, as the Forrests say they are tied for popularity. The owners, who live in Pawling and opened shop here 23 years ago, couldn't provide a number for how many they sold of each during a given day or week, beyond "a lot."
They did talk best sellers.
Hot dogs with chili, cheese and mustard, and burgers with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, move the quickest.
The homemade lemonade is a favorite, too, the couple said.
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Forrest's Sidestreet Cafe (845-878-6571) is located on Route 22, on the Patterson-Pawling border. It's open all year from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The truck is closed Mondays and Tuesdays from April through November, and closed Sundays and Mondays from December through March. It's open Friday evenings in June, July and August.
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