Schnitzified Eggplant is Better Than I Expected

Veal, pork, chicken, cod. These are the proteins that people think about when they think of the thinly pounded, breaded and fried lunches at Schintzel & Things. And if you’re a true fan, you also know about the infamous Schnitz Burger. But on my latest visit to the truck (which is still doing major business even with the recent opening of the storefront), I was intrigued and seduced by the idea of an eggplant schnitzel.

It’s been mentioned on Midtown Lunch in the past and I’ve seen it on the truck as a regularly featured special, so I figured I should forego my usual veal and give the eggplant schnitzel a try. And while I know Oleg Voss and his crew do a fantastic job with all the vegetable side dishes, like roasted beets with feta and cucumber salad, I was a bit less confident when it comes to frying up a piece of eggplant. I had visions of greasy and mushy aubergine segments.

What I got were two very thin slices of eggplant with a beautiful breaded crust. It was far less greasy than I expected and still had the usual crisp salty light coating all the schnitzels enjoy. My only complaint was that there wasn’t a whole lot of eggplant here. Even with the two vegetable sides, this schnitzel didn’t fill me up like the heavier meat platters do. I generally think of Schnitzel & Things as being overly generous when it comes to portion size, yet here I was craving more.

The flavors were slightly similar to an eggplant parmesan, of course, but instead of gutbomby cheese and tomato sauce, they substitute clean and light flavors like lemon and Sriracha mayo. The exterior was perfectly crispy and the flesh tore away super easily to reveal tender meaty eggplant.

Schnitzel & Things permanently offers eggplant in the store as well and while it’s not the same monster meal as their carnivorous meat schnitzels, it still has lots of flavor and lively textures. And because I got so much flack from readers re: the last thing I wrote about, I did some in-depth research and I’m pleased to report that eggplant is not on any endangered species list.  So everybody can enjoy it!

Schnitzel and Things Truck usually parks in Midtown on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays but be sure to check @schnitznthings or the ML Twitter Tracker to confirm. And their storefront at 723 Third Ave (btw. 45th & 46th) is open every day except Sunday.

2 Comments

  • This is exactly what I said here several months ago, Brian, when I tried their eggplant schnitzel with unmasked excitement. It tastes ok, but there is practically no eggplant to speak of and certainly not enough to provide any kind of full flavor. I said it in the comments and felt as though I had blasphemed.

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    Sounds like we might both be struck down by the Schnitzel gods! I thought it tasted great but left me hungry and craving more. Maybe the problem is eggplant is just not as filling as veal or pork.

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