Midtown Lunch

Just got this email from Ali Issa, one of the organizers from the Street Vendor Project: “I thought I would inform you that Ms. Jaramillo, the hot dog vendor at 43rd and 6th, has gotten her cart back and will be returning to her spot today at noon (accompanied by one of our intern Josh, because she fears intimidation by building management.)” This could be the perfect day for a $1 hot dog…

Related:
BREAKING: Cops Seize Two Carts on 43rd… El Rey Del Sabor is Next
The Sad State of 43rd Street Between 6th and Broadway
Street Vendor Project Going to Court Today to Fight For The 43rd St. Hot Dog Lady

On Saturday almost 1000 people converged on the Queens Museum of Art for one of my favorite food events of the year… the Vendy Awards.  Put on by the Street Vendor Project, a non profit dedicated to advocating for street vendors, this year’s “Oscars of Street Food” featured a whopping 11 vendors, in three different categories, spread out in front of the Queens Museum of Art- which I think is the best venue they’ve ever held the event in.  With few exceptions, the lines were completely manageable, and if you got there at the beginning, and managed your day right, it wasn’t hard to try stuff from every single vendor.  This year I got to fulfill my lifelong (the past 3 1/2 years of doing Midtown Lunch feel like a lifetime!) dream of being a Vendy Judge.  Here’s how my day went…

2:35pm – The Queens Museum of Art isn’t exactly the easiest place in New York City to get to, but once you’re there it’s completely worth it.  The site of two World’s Fairs, the giant globe is one of the cooler things I’ve ever seen in NYC- and the large paved area in front of the museum was the perfect place to park 11 food trucks, that needed to serve lots of people.

2:45pm – Right after I arrived I was told that official “judging” (which to me translated into “eating”) didn’t start until 4:15 (!!!)  Stomach immediately informs me that there is no way in hell we were waiting 90 minutes to start stuffing ourselves silly.

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September is almost over… which means there is only a few days left to enjoy the “Colonel’s Heart Attack”, this month’s special sandwich at Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th). Just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget… (and my apologies to those who were purposefully attempting to forget, you know- for their own health.)

Related:
Check Out All 5 of Cer Te’s Crazy August Sandwiches
“New and Improved” Colonel’s Heart Attack Debuts Tomorrow at Cer Te

My Pre-Vendy Award Lunch at Kwik Meal

• “Vendrification” is the perfect word to sum up the current street food scene [Blackbook Mag]
• Erin Zimmer calls the Schnitzel Burger “the juiciest burger of all time” [AHT]
• At Cafe Edison a cup of soup is more like a bowl of soup [Chronicles of Stomach Grumble]
• Cafe Zaiya’s chocolate cake looks delicious [SENY]
• The custard brioche from Street Sweets Truck is expensive but worth it [Ramen and Friends]
• Go Go Curry is a far better deal than the new Katsuhama [A Tiger in the Kitchen]
• Look who’s a fan of Cer Te… [Food Party]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” posts about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap. This week she visits Xie Xie, the great new Angelo Sosa owned sandwich shop on 9th Ave.

Zach did a full review of Xie Xie when it first opened, but it was only recently that they added a happy hour special to their menu. For $5 dollars, from 3 to 7pm, you get a bottle of “33” Export Vietnamese beer with a choice of one bun: Shredded Braised Chicken, BBQ Beef, or Sweet Glazed Pork. I’ve wanted to check out Xie and this was the perfect opportunity to try the food without having to committing to ordering a full sandwich. Plus it’s right next to Rudy’s, our favorite dive bar, so if one hot bun doesn’t do it for you, you can always wrap your lips around a free wiener later.

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What’s a good lunch spot to prepare myself for tomorrow’s Vendy Awards madness? Kwik Meal (on 45th an 6th) of course! The 2007 People’s Choice Vendy winner should provide just the base my stomach needs for the massive amounts of street food I will be consuming tomorrow from 2-7pm. (Naturally it will have to be followed up by something from The Treats Truck, last year’s dessert winner!)