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REWARD for info leading to Disappearing Korean Bulgogi Sandwich Cart!!! (Please help me…)
People, I need your help. And you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Last Friday I received my favorite kind of email… a tip from a Midtown Lunch’er named Johanna:
“Noticed a new-looking Korean food cart on the south side of 49th west of 6th this morning on my way to work — thought you might want to know. They seem to offer traditional food (bulgogi) along with more regular-sounding sandwiches……odd.”
Sounded amazing. And four of my favorite words… “Korean”, “cart”, “bulgogi” and “odd”. Needless to say, I was pretty excited for lunch that day. When 1pm rolled around, I went outside, and the cart was nowhere to be found! I was sure that Johanna had gotten the street wrong, so I walked up to 50th and down to 48th looking for the cart… but it was useless. Same crappy soup carts and halal trucks that always line 49th.
When I got back to work, I emailed Tipster Johanna and confirmed the exact location of the cart (which was definitely not there at lunch time). I was very disheartened, and wondered why a reader would play such a dirty trick on me. It’s not right to lie about Korean food from a cart, and get me all worked up into a frenzy. But, later on that night my wife confirmed Johanna’s story. She too had seen the cart setting up that morning! And the story gets worse. My wife said it had a sign saying “Bulgogi Sandwich $1″ and it even had pictures of these little pork bun looking things. Now I was in total shock. Not only did this magical disappearing cart have bulgogi, but it had it in sandwich form. Ridiculous. I have to find this cart.
Monday was a holiday, so Tuesday I went out to 49th St. (knowing the cart wouldn’t be there) and asked one of the halal guys if they had seen the cart. He confirmed the existence of the cart and said that it had set up on Friday only to leave a few hours later when there was no business. If you have seen this cart- or know of it’s whereabouts, please contact me immediately by posting a comment to this piece or emailing me at zach@midtownlunch.com I don’t think I have to stress how important this is to me. Odd Korean Cart shows up selling $1 “Bulgogi Sandwiches” (whatever the hell that is) in front of my office building only to disappear two hours later. It’s like the Kaiser Soze of lunch carts. This cart must be found.
Also, don’t confuse this missing cart with Kim’s Aunt Kitchen cart on 46th, which just started serving Bul Go Gi (but not in sandwich form). Pictures of that cart (and the bulgogi I settled for on Friday, after I couldn’t find the new korean cart) after the jump…
If I’ve put you in the mood for bul go gi from a cart, you can check out the Kim’s Aunt Kitchen cart on 46th St. just East of 6th Ave. This weird cart that serves fish and french fries (but also has Lo Mein), just started serving Bul Go Gi recently. $6 gets you some freshly sauteed Korean Beef with scallions and broccoli served over rice, accompanied by a salad. The rice is a little soggy, and the salad is a weird side dish (it should be kimchee), but the bulgogi is pretty good- and for $6 it’s not a bad lunch.
Anyway, enough about Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart. You have your mission. Please find this mysterious $1 Korean Bulgogi Sandwich cart for me. Fat man’s gotta eat!!!
Posted: January 18th, 2007 under 46th btw. 5+6th, Cart, Korean.
Comments: 15
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Comments
Comment from Yvo
Time: January 18, 2007, 1:00 pm
lol, they closed bc there was no business? did they not realize it wasn’t lunch time yet? bulgogi sandwich sounds pretty yummy, if a bit empty (I’m guessing, for $1 anyway). or maybe it’s likkkkke ssam - with a lil kimchi - but not quite! omg, that’s so mean of them to disappear on you like that! ok i’m just delirious from lack of food. it’s lunch time.
ps how odd, my coworker was JUST asking me about usual suspects.
Comment from Mike
Time: January 18, 2007, 1:58 pm
While I don’t have any information about your mystery (keep us posted), I have just tried the “chicken over rice” dish at Kim’s Aunt Kitchen cart on 46th and got to say I was disappointed… The chicken was not grilled/cooked enough, the dish lacked taste and spice (despite a good curry sauce and crappy ‘hot sauce’), and compared with the other food carts, I can’t say it’s a good option. The very small salad was actually the best and freshest part of the dish.
Comment from Teen Wolf
Time: January 18, 2007, 2:47 pm
The bulgogi cart wasn’t there today (Thurs) at 1:30.
However, I did find another interesting street vendor. Parked at the SE corner of 54th St and Broadway is a large truck selling French food for cheap! $4 gets you a croque monsieur and a soda. You get your choice of turkey or ham pressed with melted cheese. For a dollar more you can get it with a fried egg on top (croque madame). I didn’t get a chance to try it myself, but the guy in the truck said this was his 3rd day and he plans on staying there. He mentioned that the parking laws were a little problematic though.
Comment from Johanna
Time: January 18, 2007, 3:36 pm
Hey, I wouldn’t lead you astray =) (Though I’m glad your wife spotted it too, otherwise I might have thought I’d been hallucinating.) It was a pretty new-looking cart so perhaps they haven’t settled on a location yet? I haven’t seen it since that morning either, but if I see it again you’ll be the first to know….
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » A Weird Week for Midtown Carts, Chowhound Edition of Midtown Links and the end of the week wrap up…
Time: January 19, 2007, 8:09 am
[...] Well, I know it’s only been a day- but I’m really disappointed no one has found my mysterious disappearing $1 Bulgogi Sandwich cart. Please keep a look out for it. I really do need to find this cart. One thing yesterday’s post did do is get everyone into reporting about carts. Here was one comment about a new French Cart from “Teen Wolf”: “Parked at the SE corner of 54th St and Broadway is a large truck selling French food for cheap! $4 gets you a croque monsieur and a soda. You get your choice of turkey or ham pressed with melted cheese. For a dollar more you can get it with a fried egg on top (croque madame). I didn’t get a chance to try it myself, but the guy in the truck said this was his 3rd day and he plans on staying there. He mentioned that the parking laws were a little problematic though.” [...]
Comment from Anonymous
Time: January 19, 2007, 12:10 pm
I love your blog, but could you please learn the difference between “its” and “it’s”? If you can substitute “it is”, then use “its” without the apostrophe.
Signed, a grammar freak
Comment from Anonymous
Time: January 19, 2007, 12:11 pm
Oops, typed too fast. I meant to say, unless you can substitute “it is”, then use “its”. As in, It’s a shame that restaurant can’t keep its floors clean.
Comment from Zach@MidtownLunch
Time: January 19, 2007, 12:26 pm
Haha! That was hilarious. I actually know the difference between it’s and its… as in, “It’s a shame I type all my postings as fast as you typed your original comment.”
Comment from Dorothy
Time: January 21, 2007, 3:30 pm
Of course he’s not in midtown, but there’s that guy (Sam?) who sells bulgogi burgers and kimchi hotdogs off his cart in the LES… wonder if he was giving the midtown location a try?
Comment from Anonymous
Time: January 22, 2007, 9:00 am
I gotta go and check this one if this is the one that I knew before when I was working near 49th St. I used to go there every lunch time and made a friend with her and I suggested maybe she should make name for the cart and said how about Aunt Kim’s Kitchen then few days later she came out with the sign Kim’s Aunt Kitchen…
There must be more than one cart now.
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » FOUND! The $1 Bulgogi Cart Resurfaces
Time: January 22, 2007, 2:25 pm
[...] That’s right. The $1 Bulgogi Cart that I was tipped off about a week and a half ago, that then disappeared, has resurfaced on 49th btw. 6th & 7th (in front of Del Friscos). Apparently they had to fix the cart, and now it’s back for good. Thanks to Gothamist & Eater for helping in the search, and tipsters Johanna & Lisa for emailing me this morning. [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » The Bulgogi Cart on 49th St. (Finally, a proper review…)
Time: January 29, 2007, 10:22 am
[...] All in all, for $5 it’s a great deal (especially with the free soda)- but I can’t help but thinking Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart on 46th St. had better Bulgogi. Sure you don’t get a free soda or kimchi, and it’s an extra $1- but sometimes that extra buck is worth it (you get white rice, and there are scallions in the bulgogi). I haven’t given up yet though… it’s only their first week, and I’m sure it will get better. PLUS I have high hopes for the $1 Bulgogi Sandwiches. I’m sure they don’t fill you up, but from the looks of the picture, I’m thinking it may end up being the greatest snack of all time. [...]
Comment from Michael
Time: July 19, 2007, 1:40 pm
I just had the Bulgogi samwich for $3.50, I guess the jacked up the price from the increased business. It was decent and better than a big mac. The husband takes the orders outside the tin box where the wife prepares the food.
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart Gets a Proper Look See
Time: August 15, 2007, 12:20 pm
[...] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t know who Kim is, or his Aunt, but they have a pretty awesome cart. I first wrote about this place months ago, when the Bulgogi Cart first appeared on 49th St. Brand new, and so full of promise, I was excited for Bulgogi Sandwich, and cheap Korean food from a cart. And then, it disappeared. Frantic, I found myself wandering the streets in search of something… and by coincidence, Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart had just hung a handmade sign, touting their very own bulgogi. [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Bulgogi Cart on 49th Finally Comes into It’s Own
Time: January 14, 2008, 8:14 am
[...] was almost a year ago this week that the infamous “$1 Bulgogi Sandwich Cart” popped up on 49th St. btw. 6+7th. It [...]
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