Midtown Lunch

Men Kui Tei. It’s gotta be.  Just as we suspected last week when we posted about the secret Japanese restaurant he had alluded to in a New York Times article.  Some commenters pointed out that Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th) had too many white customers, was too well known, and didn’t have a good enough bowl of ramen to be the place.  But the actual evidence is just too overwhelming.  The formica tables and the word for word menu items he mentioned in the article were enough for us to suspect, but once we spotted this in the back we knew we had our place.  Sure it’s not a “cash register”, but it’s close enough.  Case closed.

On a beautiful early autumn day last week, I went looking for something I hadn’t tried before. In the mood for something street meat-ish, I headed for Rice the Great on 50th and 6th, and surprisingly, I almost couldn’t find it. That corner has become such a lunch hotspot that the cart seemed engulfed by the throngs of people standing around the many lunch options packed in a very small area. Flanked by Big D’s Grub and Crisp on Wheels, not to mention the other trucks/carts that flanked those trucks, I almost missed Rice the Great’s cart altogether. Luckily for me, I waded through the crowds to order a lunch I would definitely return for again and again.
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Thanks to Wined and Dined for pointing this one out to us via twitter… the “Mac Truck” is parked on 55th btw. Park+Madison today. Nothing on their website yet, so early adopters let us know how it is in the comments.  Also on the Twitter Tracker today, Okadaman is on 47th btw Mad+Park, Toum is on 47th btw. Park+Vanderbilt, Hibachi Heaven is on 46th & 6th, Phil’s Steaks is on 45th & Madison, Cinnamon Snail is on 55th & Broadway, Crisp on Wheels is on 53rd btw. Park+Madison, Domo Taco is on 47th & Park, Kimchi Truck is on 55th btw. 6+7th, Mexicue is on 47th & Lex, and Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck is on 40th & 5th next to the NYPL.  UPDATE: Of course the Mac Truck got kicked out of their spot on 55th. We’ve added them to the ML Twitter Tracker so use that to keep tabs on their new location.

Last week, LT Burger (40th btw. 5th and 6th) opened just outside of Bryant Park last week just two days later than expected. The original LT Burger is in Long Island’s Sag Harbor, and was getting some compliments from Lunch’ers who had tried their burgers there. Although I knew there were only a few choices on the menu under $10, I wanted to see what this place was all about. I thought hell, if Guy Fieri is getting so much attention with a $25 chicken parm, LT Burger deserves a shot too.

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In their newest “Chefs Give Back” sandwich, Num Pang has added Indian flavors to its repertoire. We told you last week that they’ve teamed with Top Chef Master Floyd Cardoz (formerly of Tabla) to concoct the Cardoz Pang. And let me tell you, it’s a mighty tasty collaboration.

I have very strong memories of a game changing sandwich at Tabla’s Bread Bar many years ago. It was a pulled lamb sandwich with mustard mashed potatoes on a thick piece of grilled naan. So I was very eager to see what else Chef Floyd could do with lamb and bread.
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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 it’s Allen, a packaging design wizard who loves General Tsao but can’t seem to find a decent slice in Midtown.

Name: Allen

Age: 28

Occupation: Packaging design wizard

Where in Midtown do you work? Right around 38th & 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: In Midtown, the less English spoken, the better. There is definitely an inverse relationship here. Outside of NYC I’ll just eat any kind of comfort foods. But seriously, Asian and Latino foods of all kinds, green sauce of all kinds, stuffed things, burgers. Not sure if this qualifies as Chinese food, but occasionally I’m still a sucker for General Tsao chicken/tofu/whatever. Chinese people make it. I never heard of the great general in the history books, but the man had a sweet tooth. Candied meats are awesome.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: “Just a salad” is not a meal. Stuffed grape leaves are the crabapples of stuffed foods. Cricket quesadillas (yes, I really tried it, and it tastes like how the back of a Petland discount smells). Dollar pizza has ruined the pizza landscape of NYC. Sometimes tourists on the street with their families in tow politely ask me where to get “a good slice of pizza.” I look across the street at the 2 Bros next door to the Indian chaat/pizza deli and politely laugh in their face and walk away. Then I cry once I’m at my desk. I will SO pay up to $10 for 2 good slices of pizza at this point. I’m getting really desperate.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Picnic Basket on 37th+6th has great Mediterranean-ish food. The sandwiches there are really well made, and the owner is a bit of a chatterbox but cool. It’s good to still see someone try to make a connection at their store instead of just grabbing your money and throwing food at you. It’s still kinda new, so we’ll see. I like Szechuan Gourmet for a good, spicy lunch, but stay away from the boring dishes like chicken with broccoli and general Tsao. I like Ming Du, despite whatever the DOH throws at them. Cafe Zaiya is good for all their baked goods — it is totally possible to have a lunch made completely out of desserts. Secretly, Yagura puts out some kind of after-lunch buffet. Not a huge selection, but really simple great stuff. Lunch is whenever my gut says it is. 4:30 can still be lunch. Dig Inn is a godsend for when I try to have a complete healthy meal. Woorijip over in K-town rules … even at 3 a.m., same great stuff. Homeboy runs a tight ship at that one cart over by 45th. Green sauce, word up. Comme Ci Comme Ca truck. All the sandwiches are good, but merguez is best. That secret Mexican place, Riconcito Mexicano, where everyone complains that nobody there speaks English. They are definitely right, but how hard is it to order tacos? Quit trying to describe your food allergy situation to these people. The place isn’t for you if you need Rosetta Stone to order enchiladas. It’s just a nice grimy quiet lunch spot.

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Trini Paki Boys have been with us since the early days. They were with us back in 2006 on the street corner of 43rd and 6th, where they remain today. The menu has evolved over the years and still draws in many loyal customers. I checked back and noticed they haven’t gotten any love from Midtown Lunch in a while.

But we’ve got a long history, we and the boys. They’ve participated in the Street Meat Palooza. Chris reported the Shark and Bake last year (a dish with a solid fan base in my office). The doubles have been covered by both Zach and Clay. (If you’re not familiar, doubles are a Trinidadian treat with chickpeas between two slices of roti, and at $2 a double from Trini Paki Boys, perhaps one of the best deals in midtown for cheap eats.) But besides the doubles, the veg menu has been largely unexplored.

Now I know Midtown Lunch is all about the meat, but I’m out to prove you can be just as fat when you eat your veggies. If you haven’t read any other posts about the vegetarian world of midtown, I’ll explain again my main reasoning for going meatless one day a week: variety. Just by going vegetarian one day a week, I’ve been able to try many new dishes I’ve never tried before.
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Koreatown, the buzzing stretch of bars and restaurants on 32nd between 5th & 6th, packs a lot of venues into one street. With such limited space, competition is fierce, especially among restaurants that serve similar food. For quite some time, Mandoo Bar, has served as the sole Korean dumpling specialists in K-town, but not for long. As we reported earlier, Daheen Wang Mandoo, a dumpling chain from South Korea, is scheduled to open in October. But we didn’t realize that they would be opening right next to Mandoo Bar. Sure, it could be a coincidence, but I like to think that this is a ballsy move to steal some of Mandoo Bar’s fire. Although their product isn’t perfectly fungible – Mandoo bar focuses on boiled and fried dumplings while Daheen focuses solely on steamed mandoo – given how cheap and awesome Daheen’s dumplings are, my money’s with them.