Midtown Lunch

This is great…  the NY Post did an article about the longest food lines in New York City and the daytime halal cart on 53rd and 6th made the list. If you think the line at 1pm is long, you should see the line after 8pm once the real cart shows up!  As longtime ML readers know, the cart on the SW corner during the day is different than the the “famous” cart that parks on that corner at night.  To get the “famous” halal food during lunchtime, you have to go to the SE Corner of 53rd and 6th, the SW corner of 53rd and 7th, or the NW corner of 52nd and 7th. The food on the SW corner during the day isn’t bad (they came in 6th at Street Meat Palooza 2), it’s just obvious that a lot of those people in line think they’re eating at the famous night time cart.

The line on the SE corner has gotten a lot bigger over the past year, and we thought that word was finally getting out… but clearly not everybody has gotten the memo!

Related:
Are Lunchers Finally Getting the Message About the Halal Carts on 53rd & 6th?
Debunking the Myths of 53rd & 6th, the Most Famous Halal Intersection in New York City

Every once in a while twitter presents some interesting lunching options. The other day, Urban Lobster Shack (in the basement food court on 3rd btw. 49+50th) was shouting out some of their daily specials and a couple things caught my eye: the Chef’s Special, a lobster roll served on garlic bread (!?) drizzled w/scampi sauce with a side salad and cole slaw and the personal deep dish shrimp pizza served w/small soup and side salad. Only problem was both lunches were $11. Could they be worth the extra buck?

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It may be a week late, but Market in the Grand Hyatt is finally open. I stopped by yesterday, and while it feels a bit like a high-end airport convenience spot, it did come through on the promise of a few quality goods: Manhattan Special soda, Ronnybrook Chocolate Milk, and fresh pastries from Tisserie, Macaron Cafe, and CHIKALICIOUS (seriously, seriously fantastic cupcakes). All of the savory food is under $10, but I passed in favor of a delicious house-made peanut butter cookie sandwich for $2 (a little pricey, but not unheard of.)

Check it out after the jump…

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Thanks to Lunch’er Jennie for this great tip… Bann, the pricey Korean restaurant on 50th St. btw. 8th+9th (in Worldwide Plaza), has blocked off a corner of their existing space, packed in four tables, and called it “Bann Next Door” (even though it’s technically not next door, but inside the restaurant.)  Confusion over location aside, Bann has always been out of the Midtown Lunch price range (save for Korean Restaurant Week 2008), but Bann Next Door’s under $10 menu, complete w/ pork spare ribs and Korean fried chicken, sounds right up our alley. (Yes, I said Korean fried chicken.)

Check out the menu after the jump… Read more »

• Going to Boston this week, any recommendations? [Miscellaneous]
• First time at the Biriyani Cart and not impressed? Maybe you should have tried the kati rolls [Midtown Eating]
• Torino on 56th btw 6th & 5th has closed? [Midtown Eating]
• Stuck working in midtown over the weekend? Here are some dependable street meat options [Midtown Eating]

This place is already incredibly well known in L.A., but I’m new here so I didn’t know about it (and thought you guys would get a huge kick out it.)  After reading Mamacita’s post yesterday about the double down, I was completely drawn in by the top of this (what I thought was a) KFC in the Palms section of L.A.  yesterday. Sadly, when I pulled up to score my double down I discovered it had been converted into a weed dispensary!!  Yes, this is the spot that was the inspiration for the recent KFC South Park episode.  Yes, I completely felt like Cartman (complete with yelling and cursing.) And yes, I was foiled in my attempt to eat the new double down.  (Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask.)

Speaking of which…

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Got a number of reports about the little “clash” this morning on 55th btw. Park+Mad that was briefly mentioned in the ML twitter tracker post this morning.   From Lunch’er “K”:

“FYI, went to get a waffles at the wafels and dinges truck on 55th street (madison and park) and they look like they are closed down.  Papa Perrones is on the phone yelling at someone and the wafels guy is with him.  Papa Perrones seems to be really upset that they are on his turf.  Hopefully they can work it out and the wafels and dinges truck won’t have to move.”

Thomas from Wafels and Dinges jumped in to explain what happened in the comments…

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