Midtown Lunch

Here’s an interesting development… it’s been months since the Wu Liang Ye on Lex btw. 39+40th closed, amidst a legal battle in which they were accused of being owned by the Chinese govt. and mistreating their employees. Well, the restaurant has reopened as “Mapo Tofu” and claim to have completely different owners and better food (natch) than the original.  The lunch menu actually looks amazing, and kind of supports their claim.  It’s filled with far more authentic Sichuan specialties than the Wu Liang Ye menu, and is already receiving good reviews on Yelp.

Check out the lunch menu after the jump…

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Last week we reported that Kwik Meal owner Muhammad Rahman’s brother had returned to 45th and 6th, parking his Fahima Halal cart next to Kwik Meal in an attempt to siphon off some of his brother’s business. The prices are slightly cheaper, but it doesn’t seem like many of Kwik Meal’s fans are taking the bait… although one Lunch’er said they tried the cart when it was parked on 42nd, and found it to be “nothing special”. But by the looks of things, Fahima Halal is trying to change all that by adding stuff that Kwik Meal doesn’t serve- like Bombay Biriyani, and stir fried noodles. Of course with the Biriyani Cart and Trini Paki Cart just one and two blocks away respectively, (and Utsav serving a delicious Biriyani from their take out counter on 46th) it will be tough for Fahima to make inroads into the already awesome 6th Ave. biriyani game. But I’m willing to give it a try… early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.

Related:
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Kwik Meal Kin Stirs Up Weekend Vendor War

Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot of new Japanese spots popping up in Koreatown?  Haru Hana opened a month ago on 32nd btw. B’way+5th serving ramen, udon, sushi, and katsu- and now Izakaya Moku has opened on the same block.  Fork in the Road filed an early look at this new place, praising the yakitori and okonomiyaki– but the exciting news is that unlike most Izakaya (which are after work places that don’t tend to open until after 5pm) this place is open for lunch.  Plus they’re offering 20% off their lunch menu through the end of Feburary.

Check out the lunch menu after the jump…

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45th Street’s loss is Midtown North’s gain today! The Treats Truck was forced out of its normal Wednesday spot this morning by a movie production, so instead Kim decided to park on 55th btw. Park+Madison. (Thankfully it didn’t effect the Kiwk Meal cart, so I got my farewell lunch!)  You can find the Treats Truck right next to the Papa Perrone Truck until 3:15 this afternoon, and if all goes well it might end up being a regular spot for the Treats Truck… so get out there and support!

So as painful as it is to say, this is my last week of full time Midtown Lunching. Don’t worry… the site isn’t going anywhere, but I’m moving to L.A. so this week I’m making sure to hit all the places I’ll miss the most. A “Farewell Lunch Tour” if you will. Here’s where I’ll be today…

How could I leave Midtown without hitting up the winners of Street Meat Palooza and Street Meat Palooza 2. I had a platter from the Famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th recently, so I feel pretty satiated on that front… but it’s been awhile since I hit up Kwik Meal (on 45th and 6th.) And how could I leave Midtown without saying goodbye to the legend that is Muhammed Rahman.

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Last week, Eater reported that today could be the day that K! Pizzacone graced Midtown with the almighty pizza in cone form (on 5th Ave. btw. 32+33rd.) Sadly it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen today. Lunch’er “Jenn” passed by this morning and sent in this photo and report: “There was no one inside and I didn’t see anything on the shelves behind the counter either, so I’d say it’s unlikely they’ll be opening today. Still a bunch of boxes inside on the floor too. The space is tiny… its going to be nuts! I’ll go back around noon and take another look though.” Nice! Keep us updated…