Midtown Lunch

One year ago this month 20 Midtown Lunch’ers converged in Bryant Park to taste 13 plates of street meat and rate them in an event that became known as Street Meat Palooza.  The Famous Halal Cart on 53rd & 6th was crowned the winner, and we vowed to return one year later to give another set of carts a chance at unseating the champ.  Last week a new group of lunchers once again converged in Bryant Park to blind taste test and rate 15 different street meat carts, many of them nominated by you.  Food was consumed, scores were given, and a new winner has been crowned.  Ladies and gentleman, Midtown Lunch’ers, and street food enthusiasts from around the world, I’m excited to give you STREET MEAT PALOOZA 2.

Some of you may be asking, “What exactly is street meat?”  Well, for the purposes of this contest it is an order of chicken and lamb, served over rice, with “white sauce” and hot sauce.  In Midtown it is often referred to as “Halal Food” (the Muslim equivalent of Kosher), but in this case the method of preparation (or its degree of holiness) is not important.  As long as you serve something called chicken and lamb over rice (with white sauce and hot sauce) it could be Palooza’d.  7 carts from last year were granted automatic entry, while the other 8 were culled from your nominations.  Carts received separate scores for chicken, lamb, rice, white sauce, hot sauce, and value, plus received an overall score (the most important.)  Every judge was also asked to choose a top 5 at the very end.

Keep in mind there are no losers in Street Meat Palooza, just different degrees of winning (I see the good in all street meat).  Just getting picked to participate meant that somebody likes the cart, and every single entry showed up in at least one judge’s top 5.  In other words, this isn’t a contest as much as a celebration- and just because a new champion has been crowned doesn’t meat that last year’s winner is no longer great.  It just means that on any given day, any number of amazing Midtown street food vendors might be putting out “The Best” plate of street meat.

Here are the results…

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Go Go Curry (on 38th btw. 7+8th) has a brand new deal through the end of July that appeals to both my cheapness, as well as my early onset hunger (I still can’t understand how people wait until after 1pm to eat lunch!)  Every day from 11am to Noon you’ll be able to get any medium size curry from Go Go Curry for just $5 (eat in or take out only, no additional toppings.)  The deal is limited to the first 30 orders each day, so what are you waiting for!?!

Related:
Go Go Curry Hits a Japanese Curry Grand Slam
Opening Day Means The Return of Free Toppings at Go Go Curry

I don’t know if this is a coincidence or not, but two days ago we were having a conversation in the ML forums about where to find good khao soi (a noodle dish that is popular in Chiang Mai, Thailand), and then yesterday I got an email about Talent Thai Kitchen- a newish Thai place on 34th btw. 2+3rd that specializes in “Northern Thai Noodle Soups… like khao soi.”  It’s technically outside the Midtown Lunch boundaries, but their lunch specials are only $7.95 and I will go an extra 1/2 an avenue to get my khao soi on. If it looks anything like the photo of khao soi after the jump, you will see a very happy Zach.

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Despite my original warnings, and the “hot dog cart incident” two weeks ago, it looks like the Street Sweets Truck has worked out the issues with their spot on 53rd btw. 5+6th.  After some negotiating (and a little help from the cops) they have been “cleared” to park in that spot every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now on.  As for the other two days a week, they’ve had a problem free day today parking between the 100% Halal & Healthy Cart and the Papa Perrone Truck, on 55th btw. Mad+Park.  The owner says that barring any other problems, they hope to make that their permanent spot on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Papa Perrone welcomed them with open arms, telling me that “if they bring people to this block, it just means more business for me.”  If only all street vendors saw it that way… right?

But what about the actual sweets!? (They’ve pretty much taken a backseat in all the Street Sweets coverage thus far.)  I figured today was as good a day as any for a little Street Sweets vs. Treats Truck chocolate chip cookie battle to the death!

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Considering its track record, I don’t know if you would want your first White Castle experience to be at the Midtown location on 8th Ave. btw. 36+37th… but that’s exactly where Robyn Lee from A Hamburger Today enjoyed her very first White Castle slider (and order of chicken rings!) last week. In true Serious Eats fashion the post includes cross sections of everything they tried, and the photos are pretty amazing looking (a testament to her photography, considering how gross White Castle looks in person.)  In other words, if you’ve never been to White Castle and are considering the Midtown location as your first forray- don’t be fooled by the photos.  You might want to read what she wrote instead. [A Hamburger Today]

Related:
What Happens When Things Get Rowdy at White Castle
Office Lunch Club: Fantastic Fast Food Friday at the Midtown White Castle

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Adam, an IT Manager who loves to eat spicy Indian food (when he’s not commenting on Midtown Lunch.)

Name: Adam

Age: 35

Occupation: IT Manager (who doesn’t have a food blog!)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: A French Investment Bank (on 57th St.)

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything spicy, particularly Indian. My favorite “Americanized” Indian restaurant is India Passage in Bay Ridge but my overall favorite is Dakshin in Stamford because of the more interesting menu (I heard they have NYC restaurants, but I’ve only been to their other restaurant in
White Plains, Coromandel). The Midtown Indian restaurants are quite fine: Bay Leaf, Utsav, Jewel of India, Baluchi, and especially Minar (on 46th btw. 6+7th) for a cheap lunch. I’m just as fond of Middle Eastern Kebabs, Shawarma, Falafel, etc (Turkish, Persian, Afghani, and Israeli are what I’ve tried and liked). On the home front, American BBQ (dry rub, not sauced), a grilled rib-eye or roast prime rib with creamed spinach, good pub food (burgers, wings, shepherd’s pie (turnip topped), fish-n-chips), any slow roasted meats, and seafood (shellfish, mollusks, white flesh fish (salmon is the fishiest I can tolerate, and that’s a recent phenomenon). Americanized Chinese food is a staple at home. Growing up in an Italian-American home, I’m partial to home-cooked Italian food and almost never enjoy eating at Italian restaurants (save for osso bucco, sometimes). In general I like most European cuisine (though I could take or leave French food). If I’m going out to dinner, my go-to restaurant is Ipanema (on Brasil Row, 46th Street) and I’m either having the Bife Portugesa (Steak in garlic-wine sauce topped with a fried egg), Vatapa (Bahian Fish Stew), or Carne de Porco Alentejana (Pork and Clam Stew).

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t like Japanese food. I’ve tried it many times and I’m never happy with it. (Let the flames begin!).

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The famous cart on 53rd & 6th (my go-to now that they have kofta), Carnegie John’s on 56th & 7th (the idea of rib-eye from a cart was scary at first but I’m hooked), El Rey del Sabor (two locations), Bay Leaf for the buffet, the sombrero cart (on 50th btw. 6+7th) , Biryani Cart for Kati Rolls (on 46th & 6th), Certe on 55th btw. 5+6th (the only upscale lunch shop I’ll ever eat from), the cuban place on 56th (Tina’s?) is a new favorite (though it doesn’t top Manhattan Heroes on 26th and 7th if that’s still there).

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Do you hate Twitter, but still want to know where the Treats Truck is every day?  Are you on Twitter, but don’t want your feed sullied by what the Wafels & Dinges Truck is doing at 7pm every night- once you’re already left work?  Well, we’ve got the solution.  By popular demand, we’re proud to unveil the “Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker”.  (And yes, I will be happy to pay royalties to the Tonight Show. Call me, Conan!”)

Essentially the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker is a new page on the site that collects all the twitter messages sent by your favorite Midtown Lunch spots, and puts them in one place for your viewing pleasure.  It’s the perfect solution for all you twitter haters that secretly wish you had an account for the sole purpose of stalking the NYC Cravings truck, or finding out about the next Goodburger milkshake deal. You can find the link to the ML Twitter Tracker on both the left hand, and right hand columns of the site.  And the page updates in real time.

Check out the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker>>

Photos courtesy of Food in Mouth

I’ve always wanted to try that Bento Nouveau place (on 39th and Broadway), but after reading this review on Food in Mouth I might pass.  They have inexpensive pre-made sushi and udon noodle soups, but Danny went for the beef sukiyaki, which doesn’t look too appetizing- and that’s saying a lot because his photography usually makes the ugliest food look great. Overriding theme of the post: you’re better off going to Woorijip (on 32nd btw. 5+B’way.)

Anybody else eaten at this place?  If there is anything worth trying, post about it in the comments.