Midtown Lunch

Rachel has been loving the empanadas from the Nuchas kiosk in Times Square for the last few months. And with the news that their food truck is now roaming the streets, it was only a matter of time before I devoured a few of these hot pockets.

I spotted the monster truck (it’s one of the biggest I’ve seen in NYC) on 40th and 6th after work on Friday. They said they were closing down around 5:00. I don’t know if this will be their permanent hours, but I was excited to get a snack later in the day. Aside from the halal carts and a handful of dessert trucks, most mobile food vendors are out of the neighborhood by 3. This was a rare treat.

They were still offering their lunch special of 3 empanadas and a drink for $10, but I sadly didn’t see any 2 for $5 deal as the kiosk has previously offered. The truck’s menu seems identical to the one at the kiosk and since I hadn’t been to that location, I was a bit overwhelmed with the options. But as is usually the case, when short ribs are on the menu, short ribs are what I will be eating.

Rachel loved the meaty pie and I have to whole heartedly agree. The short rib filling reminded me of a beef bourguignon – it was bursting with meaty succulence and bright flavors in a hearty red wine stew. The pastry dough holding it together was tender and buttery. Really delicious.

The other pie I tried was the shiitake curry, with a similarly perfect dough (although this one was dyed yellow from turmeric). This one was full of aromatic curry spices sweetened up by some creamy coconut milk. And if I hadn’t read the menu, I would have thought the plump mushrooms were actually meat. With the potatoes, peppers, and onions this one was also quite filling.

There have been many comments on this blog regarding the size of Nuchas’ empanadas. And I agree that they are small. But the package is stuffed with ingredients and the flavors are as good as we can expect. These are a perfect street food – easy to walk with, relatively cheap, and inventively delicious. I’ll be back for the Jambalaya and Spicy Cheese and some more Short Rib.

While the Nuchas kiosk in Times Square remains put, the truck will switch up locations dedicating at least one day a week to Midtown (today they’re back on 40th & 6th). You can follow them on Twitter to see where they’ll be or use our nifty Twitter Tracker before you head out.