Midtown Lunch

Speaking of street meat… underneath the scaffolding at the southwest corner of 47th St. at Park is the Kwik Gourmet cart, which you may remember as the winner of Street Meat Palooza 3 in 2010. That win was four years ago, and the cart has never had a proper review on this site. I wanted to correct that wrong (OK, and really wanted an excuse to eat street meat), and any street cart that regularly draws a line of suits from the nearby banks and offices on Park must be earning their business. A look at their lamb + chicken over rice, and some bonus shrimp action, straight ahead. 

The Kwik Gourmet cart has strong roots as it’s an offshoot of the Kwik Meal cart at 45th & 6th from Muhammed Rahman. In 2009, he also launched a cart called Quick Delight at 45th & 3rd, which to my knowledge is no longer operational.

Probably the biggest change in the street meat combo at Kwik Gourmet since their win is the price: $7.50 then (left above), $10 now (right above). Yes, that’s a steep increase, likely due to the climbing cost of lamb because they use the real deal here. It wasn’t all gristly, chewy nubs, but nice chunks that were seasoned well. The dark meat chicken was seasoned with a nice amount of salt and pepper and I liked that they didn’t go overboard with marinades or red-hued seasonings like many carts do. They still put the potent green hot sauce over your meat unless you ask them not to, and the “white sauce” is still made of thick yogurt and not mayo. In other words, this cart is still winning with its lamb and chicken. I also enjoyed the bonus falafel thrown in but don’t remember them being mind blowing.

The shrimp over rice, on the other hand, can likely be skipped. The dish took longer to be cooked up, and the shrimp were nicely seasoned but overcooked (crispy should not be a word used to describe non-fried shrimp). With this platter, you get some sautéed mixed vegetables

My common complaint with both of these plates was the rice. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, per se, but it was bland and not all that plentiful. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I think the next time I may go with a kati roll or sandwich that will give me more bang for my buck.

The Kwik Meal cart may have gotten more press and glory, but if you work on the east side and want a good plate of street meat, Kwik Gourmet is an excellent option.

Kwik Gourmet Cart, SW corner of 47th St. + Park Ave.