Archive for October 2011

Another Look at the New Palenque Colombian Truck

After reading Brownie’s recent preview of Palenque, the new Colombian truck that just started parking in Midtown, I knew I had to try it immediately. I braved the wind and the rain last week to get a hold of some delicious arepa goodness.  In addition to the traditional corn, Palenque offers some unconventional varieties of arepa: quinoa, brown rice with flax seeds, and brown rice with sesame seeds. They have a variety of meat and vegetarian toppings, so everyone should be able to find an arepa combination that pleases them. Since Brownie already went the conventional route, I decided to branch out and try the quinoa arepa with beef ($8). They offered to add hogao for $1 extra, and who was I to argue? With that addition and my $2 sugar cane and ginger lemonade I ended up slightly over the ML limit, but for the sake of science I let it slide.

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Bacon Now Available in Liege Form at Wafels & Dinges: Wafels & Dinges has been offering a crispy Brussels waffle with bacon and syrup for the last few years now, but it's only been available on the truck. However, this week they added bacon to the denser, chewier liege waffle- so now you can get your bacon fix at any of the Wafels & Dinges locations, including their four carts. The even better news is that they'll be in Midtown for the rest of the week. Check the ML Twitter Tracker for exact locations.

El Rey Del Sabor’s Grasshopper Quesadilla is a Unique and Crunchy Experience

I’m never scared about eating from a food cart. We’ve touted their cleanliness and deliciousness for years, but when I found out that El Rey del Sabor would be serving actual grasshoppers (chapulines) from their three carts this week, I knew I would have to face my first insect lunch. And my heart slowly made its way to my throat.

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Momofuku Midtown (aka Ma Peche) Gets a New Chef

Ma PecheSo bummed to read yesterday on Eater that Tien Ho has left as chef of Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th).  We’ve always been huge fans of his, and not just because he brought Momofuku to Midtown, installed a Midtown Lunch menu, and made sandwiches for our 5th Birthday Party. (Wait… that’s actually exactly why we love him!)  Anyway, Tien will be sorely missed but he let us know that his replacement, Paul Carmichael, is awesome and will do the restaurant proud.  I think I speak for everyone when I say, as long he doesn’t do away with the Midtown Lunch menu, we’ll all get along just fine!

Related:
Tien Ho is Our Vote For Best New Chef

ML Forums: Dutchy, Fried Udon, Sabich

Holiday Shops at Bryant Park are Back Thursday

Shops at Bryant Park

In case you haven’t noticed, preparations are under way for the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park which open this Wednesday Thursday. I was prepared to snark about it not even being Halloween yet, but then I saw the ladies setting up the Turkish pastry booth that I so enjoyed last year. Grinch be gone. Can’t wait for some spinach gözleme! The shops are opened Monday–Friday: 11am–8pm (as well as 10am–9pm on Saturday and 10am–6pm on Sunday). The official website doesn’t have much info yet. We’ll keep you posted on the other food options once the place is up and running.

PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Andrew Steinthal”

Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week we’re excited to welcome Andrew Steinthal, a Midtown Lunch’er I can completely relate to. Not only is he a publicist at Warner Bros. Records, but Andrew is also co founder of Immaculate Infatuation- one of my favorite NYC restaurant blogs.  And they just released a great new iphone app to help you find recommended dinner spots all over New York City.  Of course we’re more interested in hearing where he eats lunch!

Name: Andrew

Age: 31

Occupation: Publicist at Warner Bros. Records and Co-Founder of Immaculate Infatuation

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 6th Ave between 51st & 52nd St.

Favorite Kind of Food: Lobster rolls, burgers, oysters, sushi, steak, seafood, salad, pizza, ramen. I like it all.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t like cheese. I know, that’s not normal. I also hate mushrooms and am scared of Indian food.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for burger and fries. Bouchon Bakery (on 48th btw. 5+6th) for hearts of romaine salad with chicken. Kodama Sushi (on 45th btw. 8+9th) for spicy crunch tuna roll/Eel Cucumber roll (they deliver). Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th) for rice noodles. Bella Napoli (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for their buffalo chicken pizza slice. Blue Dog Cafe (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for their Laguna Beach smoothie. Prime Burger (on 51st btw. Mad+5th) for their turkey club. Hale & Hearty for their chicken & corn chowder.

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Who Wants Afternoon Treats?: On the ML Twitter Tracker today... Coolhaus is on 44th & Lex and you can get $1 off by whispering "Trick or Treat", Bob & Jo are on 46th btw. 5+6th, Crisp on Wheels is on 49th btw. 6+7th, Comme Ci Comme Ca is on 36th & B'way, Wafels & Dinges is on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd w/ bacon liege waffles, Schnitzel & Things is on Park btw. 51+52nd, and the Treats Truck will be on 60th and B'way this afternoon at 4pm.

Are Salume Kiosk’s Cheese Sandwiches Worth Ordering?

Part of what we do at Midtown Lunch is try the stuff you don’t want to and let you know if it’s worth your time. Enter the non-meat sandwiches at the Salume kiosk in Times Square. While checking whether Snack Box had opened (it had not), I passed by Salume this afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world anyone would order off the vegetarian menu at a store that clearly prides itself on its authentic sliced and cured Italian meats.

So, I ordered two.

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Fahima Halal’s Latest Stunt Involves Bobby Flay And Photoshop

Anybody who’s been to the Kwik Meal cart lately has most likely noticed the photo of owner Muhammed Rahman with celebrity chef Bobby Flay taken from the Throwdown episode where Bobby beat Taim with Kwik Meal’s falafel recipe. And anybody who reads this site on a regular basis knows about the family feud between Muhammed and his brother, who operates the neighboring Fahima Halal Cart. Over the last few years, Fahima has done everything to lure customers away from Kwik Meal- including serving practically the same food. But their latest shenanigans might be the most ridiculous stunt of all…

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