DC Fusion Cafe Brings Back Manhattan Mall Bourbon Chicken
Like a heroin addict who can’t stay away from the methadone, my addiction to cheap Chinese food often manifests itself in my inability to eat at a mall food court without getting bourbon chicken. Sure, “technically” it’s not Chinese food- but who are they kidding? We all know bourbon chicken (and its many permutations) was invented so all the non-Chinese food spots could lure those with the same affliction as me away from the one Chinese food option in the food court. (Plus, it works as the perfect free sample.)
So you can imagine how excited I was to discover that the people who ran the “Cajun Cafe” in the now closed Manhattan Mall Food Court, have reopened their food court stand as a brick and mortar shop- replacing Pow Wok on 7th Ave. btw. 36+37th.
The front of the place looks like your generic Midtown deli, but the back is where all the magic happens. I had never tried Pow Wok so I don’t know if this is an improvement, so something to be bummed about. One meat, a starch, and a vegetable for $6.19. Not bad. I had already eaten a 3 slice of pizza lunch, so I didn’t get anything. (Believe me, I considered it.) But if you ever ate at the Cajun Cafe in the Manhattan Mall (and I had, obviously) you know what you’re getting.
The cajun rice and noodles are pretty terrible, and the veggies don’t look too appetizing… but the bourbon chicken.
Oh the sweet sweet bourbon chicken. It’s just too bad they don’t do a two meat combo. They had some nice looking roast pork on that steam table. I will definitely be back to house some of that. Bourbon chicken… you’ve been warned.
DC Fusion Cafe, 499 7th Ave (btw. 36+37th), 212-868-3883
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:30 am, April 23rd, 2009 under *7th Ave. btw. 36+37th, Chinese, DC Fusion Cafe.
21 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
21 Comments
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I don’t know if appetizing is the word I would use to describe that photo of bourbon chicken. I am a sucker for nasty chinese food, but that looks like dog meat—or cat meat—or sparrow meat—not chicken. Perhaps if it had a colorful sauce to coat it…so you can’t see the “meat” so clearly.
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That is no fitting replacement for Pow Wok. I can only eat Bourbon Chicken when it’s on a toothpick..
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What happened to my Pow Wok? They had some of the best Garlic Shrimp and Lo Mein there. Not only that, but they were a lot cheaper.
I had, originally, thought that they were just doing renovations, but to find out that they’ve been replaced has made it really hard for me to go there. Except, for the time I got that Bourbon chicken sample from over there…
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had the roast pork for lunch yesterday it was not too bad. It came with noodles and vegetables and for $6.19 with tax, it was not bad.
I also had breakfast the day prior and this may be a good cheap option with Pax no longer near the corner of 37th and 7th and the Zaro’s is the worst customer service on the planet
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@Picked Herring :
I prefer the New Star Cafe. Can’t go wrong w/breakfast by the lb. Pancakes, sausages, bacon, and whatever else you want for under $3.00. -
@hungryAnon: Tried them once and had to refrain from doing a whole container full of bacon on a repeat trip.
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If you tell them you work at 498 7th ave, they give you 10% off.
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I’m with Dubbinbklyn. Foods that are enjoyable when eaten from toothpicks (or uncooked spaghetti) and less so when eaten from plates:
Orange chicken from Panda Express
Teriyaki chicken from Sarku Japan
Bourbon chicken from indistinguishable “Cajun” mall food court stallsAnything else?
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Zach, with your unrequited love of Panda Express and Bourbon Chicken, were you raised in a mall food court?
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I love there bourbon chicken I go there almost everyday, I work at 489 7 ave and they give me 10% off. The staffs are some Chinese but who cares as long as their food fills me up and good, I’ll be happy with that.
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Will they have people out on the street offering toothpick BC samples shouting “Bourbon Chicken!!!” at every passer-by… just like the good old days?
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I like their Chipotle chicken wraps and ORANGE walls! ;D
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That last pic looks like Jeffrey Dahmer’s Fridge.
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Awesome! Me want bourbon chicken now! *drools*
I use to like Cajun Cafe over Sarku in the manny mall. lol. -
Does anyone know where to get the food-court-style SPICY bourbon chicken rather than the original? Don’t get me wrong, food-court bourbon chicken is wonderful, but I love the spicy version that makes your mouth tingle. I can’t remember the name of the place where I got it in the food court. Pretty sure it was Cajun Cafe.
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had this chicken today. it was not chewable.
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Went here twice, service sucks, radio too loud which explains why they can’t hear the customer, food is ok nothing to write about and the chicken was rubbery today. Bring back the group that was in the Manhattan Mall Food Court.
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Contrary to what everyone has said, I love doing take out from this place. It’s not a 5 start restaurant. For $7 in midtown this is a really good deal and everything is fresh. They keep everything warm to order and the staff is really friendly – You can ask for a sample at any time.
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On a scale from one to five, how many starts would you give it?
Oh sweet bourbon chicken, I will be eating you today! This is dangerously close to my office!