Midtown Lunch

From the looks of things 55th and Madison has become one of the most interesting street cart corners in Midtown.  On the NW corner you’ve got the liver sandwich from Charcoal Grill.  On the NE corner, there is a cart that serves grilled hot dogs, chili, and chicken sausages.  And on the SW corner there is the “Fried Chicken Cart”, which Lunch’er Bossman reported on back in October.  I finally made it over there to check out their fried chicken… and it was good.  Although I’m not sure styrofoam containers are the best vehicle for fresh-out-of-the-fryer fried chicken.

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Man these massage people are going nuts with the free ice cream. For the third time in 9 days, they’ll be hiring a Mister Softee truck to hand out free ice cream on the NE Corner of 52nd and Park today from 12:30 to 2pm.

Typos on carts is a pretty common occurance, but there is something about this one I just love.  Maybe because of how big it is?  I don’t know.  It’s just awesome.  (I think the cart is on Park Ave. somewhere, but can’t remember the exact location.)

“Midtown Snapshots” continues after the jump, with roast pig, kati rolls, KFC, and your first look at the “Colonel’s Heart Attack”

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Taking a branding page from the 53rd & 6th Street Halal Guys, the Biryani Cart (on 46th & 6th) has gotten t-shirts of their own.  The question is… how long before the other vendors on the same block start wearing red shirts to confuse customers!  More carts should have shirts… and sell them to the public.  I’d totally buy a shirt from a cart.  You?

Related:
More Cart Shenanigans: Beware of the Yellow Sweaters

Found out via Eater today that Rudy’s, home of Midtown Lunch’s favorite free hot dog, might shut down. Our Happy Hour correspondent Mamacita waxed poetic about Rudy’s back in October, when things  were still ok.  But according to Living Liberally, things went downhill in December when the Department of Buildings shut down Rudy’s ultra popular backyard due to a fire escape issue.  Rudy’s tried to fix the problem, and obtained the proper permits, but a short time later the DOB intervened once again issuing a stop work order to conduct a “routine audit”.  Long story short, this pile of red tape has kept the incredibly popular Rudy’s backyard closed for almost 7 months now- putting the bar into a pretty bad place financially.  Living Liberally has put together a petition for the Department of Buildings that everybody should go sign now. The future of free hot dogs depends on it!  [Living Liberally via Eater]

Related:
Midtown Happy Hour: Cheap Beer and Free Porcine Pleasures at Rudy’s

You know how much I love the Asian sandwiches (I can’t get enough!) so there was no question I was going to travel the extra avenue outside the Midtown Lunch boundaries to check out Xie Xie– the newly opened sandwich shop from Angelo Sosa (formerly a chef at Jean Georges.)  You’ve already seen the menu, and heard the reports from the ML early adopters.  But the question still remains… for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes, are these freakin’ sandwiches worth the $8+ price tag.

In short, yes…. if you love Asian sandwiches as much as I do.  And provided that the chef makes one small change.

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Since their opening two weeks ago the Schnitzel & Things Truck has been moving around daily, with stops in Williamsburg, Dumbo, Downtown Manhattan, and Union Square, using twitter to let their 1000+ followers know where they are going to be.  Eventually they hope to make it to Midtown, and yesterday they got pretty close- parking in Madison Square Park.  As is usually the case for a new vendor parking in a new spot, things didn’t go so smoothly.  I checked in with the owner to find out exactly what happened.

“We got harassed by 4 different dudes as soon as we showed up.. But we weren’t having it man.. Whatever, it was the usual, you know the “I’ve been on this block for 15 years” routine:) and??? You want us to move because??? Take a walk.. They wouldn’t leave us alone, I called the cops on them for harassment:) then they brought their own cops, it was a freaking mess but funny, cuz they couldn’t do anything.. We reasoned with the cops and they didn’t do anything but leave and the guys were left in bewilderment ..

And then came the real threats…

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