Midtown Lunch

As I approached 53rd and Park, on my way to check out the new Steel Cart, I saw a line halfway down the street. I was concerned because I didn’t have time to wait in a long line. And then I realized it belonged to King of Falafel and not the Steel Cart that’s started setting up two days a week next door…

Perhaps people still think this strangely named cart sells speciality blades, but the truth is their menu focuses on breakfast cereals and toasts, Greek yogurt, and grilled sandwiches all with cheese.

I ordered the Bourgeois Pig and while waiting for it, I smelled these delicious aromas of melting cheese, so I added A Welsh Rarebit to my order. This is way out of a normal lunch budget, but was for the good of ML research.

The two people on the cart noticed me taking photos and maybe that’s why they also decided to throw in a complimentary cup of their split pea soup. I was trying so hard to be incognito and then I went and got something for free!!

Each box had a stacked grilled cheese sandwich. I wasn’t sure at first if these were just double decker sandwiches or they got creative with the presentation the make these look bigger than they actually are.

The latter was true, but each sandwich was still a decent size for what it was. The Bourgeois Pig was spilling over with honey baked ham. The additional ingredients gave the sandwich some interesting contrast – sharp and tangy melted Brie (this acted more like a cheese sauce), sweet poached pears (there should have been more of those), and some healthy arugula for good measure.

I really loved the flavors of the Welsh Rarebit. At $7, it’s a great grilled cheese but probably not likely to fill you up without any additions. This had a beautiful buttery browned exterior on the distinct rye bread, while the gooey melted cheeses inside were nice and sharp – jarlsberg, muenster, and cheddar. There was a little schmear of stone ground mustard on the sandwich and a bit more of that would have made this tastiness even better.

The split pea soup was also pretty good. That’s not usually my thing, but this was perfectly seasoned and featured huge chunks of ham. The Steel Cart seems to love its ham. I can get behind that.

They’re planning to be in Midtown (on 53rd and Park) at least two days a week – Mondays and Fridays. But be sure to check the ML Twitter Tracker or their own Twitter feed to be sure.