Where Cultures Meld in the Mouth

By [Nancy J. Brandwein] The lone sandwich eaters of Union Square looked goofily happy as they soaked up weak rays of autumnal sunshine. Their hamburgers, subs or wraps emerged from crumpled foil or grease-stained brown paper, and they sopped up the sauces, ketchup or mayonnaise dripping down their hands. I was glad to be among them, but I told myself I was having an even more elevated sandwich experience, having gotten mine from the Bistro Truck, owned by Moroccan-born Yassir Zraouli. It features cross-cultural items like Merguez Tacos ($7) or my Tangier Bocadillos ($6). The latter is an Iberian-Italian-American idea of a Niçoise salad sandwich: tuna and hardboiled egg, and black olives meet shredded carrots, tomato chunks and mortadella-and, strangely enough, a handful of terrific French fries wedged outside, like an afterthought. Copious amounts of flavored cilantro mayo make this meeting of unlikely ingredients an all-out success. I only wish that, midway through munching, the bread didn't get so soggy. I have the same complaint with their famed Chicken Brochette ($5); I plucked tender cubes of perfectly cooked chicken kebab out of my soaked baguette, licking the spicy marinade off my fingers. In the background, I could see the tents of Manhattan's version of a Moroccan bazaar, the Union Square holiday market. - The Bistro Truck 5th Avenue betw.16th & 17th streets [Twitter.com/bistrotruck](http://twitter.com/bistrotruck) 800-290-4924 - Got a snack attack to share?Contact NBrand@aol.com