Midtown Lunch

Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

Hey there lunchers, Sarah’s out of town this week, so I took a trip down to my old stomping grounds to see what’s new in the old Flatiron bounds. Sarah had mentioned a new truck, Comida Mexicana that she hadn’t checked out yet, so I decided to see what it’s all about.

When I came across it on 28th street, I realized it was just around the corner from the delicious options at both the no name cart on 6th Avenue and the hidden Korean/Mexican gem that is New York Bakery. I got excited. If this truck was nearly as tasty and I testing as those two places, I was in for a great meal.

The menu includes tortas and tamales and chicharrones as well as plenty of other tempting options, but as a rule, I always go with three assorted tacos ($2.50 each) for my first visit. It usually serves as a good baseline to whether a place is worth further investigation. That system may not have worked out so well this time.

Filling options aren’t listed anywhere – neither are prices – but the ones I recall are steak, chicken, chorizo and ground beef. There was no lengua or any other particularly exotic toppings available and they were out of the pork, so I went with steak, chicken and chorizo.

The steak had a good, slightly salty flavor to it. I liked it, but, it was dry. I didn’t know what was missing until I heard someone ask for salsa verde. I guess if you don’t ask for a sauce, they give it to you plain. Weak.

It’s a good things ate at the makeshift counter hanging off the side of the truck. Halfway through my first taco, I asked for some salsa verde. It wasn’t super spicy, but it did add some much needed flavor to the tacos.

Next up was the chicken. I doused it in salsa ahead of time, but found the meat a little bland and rubbery. I have to say, this wasn’t impressing me.

The saving grace of the meal was the chorizo taco. It was juicy and full of flavor and didn’t need the salsa – although I gave it a dab anyway.

Clearly my lunch at Comida Mexicana wasn’t great. That said, there is so much more on the menu, perhaps this is where the taco test fails. I’m still really curious about the tamales and so many other interesting options that I saw on the menu. Still, if I’m back near 28th and 6th avenue, I can’t say I would return to explore the menu here instead of going back to the amazing options within a block from there.