If you’re looking for something to do tonight, Mamacita filled you in on all the St. Paddy’s Day sweets and drinks specials but what celebrating St Paddy’s day at lunch? On a recent Rock Center concourse jaunt, I noticed that Pret a Manger is now stocking new Corned Beef and Pickle Sandwiches made from Niman Ranch Corned Beef. Could be a good choice if you are looking for your corned beef fix without the pub crowds, though the price tag seems a bit steep at $6.89. If you’re willing to brave the hoards of drunken revelers, Blarney Stone on 3rd Ave has a lovely looking corned beef sandwich that Zach calls his “favorite St. Paddy’s Day lunch.”

Pret a Manger (various locations)
Blarney Stone , 710 3rd Ave (btw 44+45th St)

Apparently Monday at 1:30pm is the time to hit up the new Baja Fresh on Lexington btw. 45+46th.  5 people in line.  Nobody at the salsa bar.  Got my food in five minutes. (A stark contrast with… I don’t know… say… opening day.) Finally, the chance to enjoy one of the things I really miss about living in Los Angeles: the Baja Chicken Burrito.  Since this chain opened up their first Manhattan location last Monday I’ve heard a lot of words thrown around.  Overrated, overhyped, meh.  To those people I say… you may be right.

Expecting Mexican food greatness from Baja Fresh is like hoping for rare roast beef on your Arby’s Sandwich. And complaining that it’s not real Mexican food is like wishing that In N Out Burger served thicker patties. You don’t compare In N Out to JG Melon; you compare it to McDonalds.  In other words, in the world of fast food pseudo-Mexican corporate chains (Chipotle, Qdoba, Taco Bell), Baja Fresh is the king. And in a terrible Mexican food city like New York, any decent addition is welcomed with open arms.

Of course I base that opinion entirely on the Baja Chicken Burrito, which is pretty much the only thing I order at Baja Fresh. But after hearing negative things about the New Jersey locations of Baja Fresh, I was concerned that this NYC franchise wasn’t going to be able to pull it off.

I could be crazy, but I think the burritos are slightly smaller here than in L.A.  It’s also ridiculous to pay over $8 for a burrito.  But those are pretty much my only complaints.  The flavor was spot in, down to the grill flavor on the chicken.  Chicken, cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo.  Simple.  Clean.  A great lunch.  You still get free chips (praise jeebus!) and the salsa bar is in full effect. Their salsa verde is actually green (take notes Chipotle), but not that fake neon green that plagues so many terrible NYC Mexican restaurants. It’s green because it’s made from tomatillos, the way it should be. I even liked the mango salsa, which is a new addition from my California days.

Based on the Baja Chicken Burrito alone,  I’m happy to say the NYC franchisees pulled off a version of Baja Fresh that is as good as what you get in California. Now, whether or not that makes you personally excited is all a matter of personal taste.  I, for one, am pretty damn excited.  It’s not going to replace El Rey Del Sabor (two carts, one on 60th and 3rd, the other on 49th and 3rd), or Las Poblanitas (on 38th btw. 8+9th), or Tehuitzingo (on 10th Ave. and 47th), or Tucingo del Valle.  But at least I never have to consider eating at Chipotle again.

Baja Fresh, 465 Lexington Avenue (btw. 45+46th), 212-599-2252

Last August Muhammed Rahman, the cart operator who famously used to cook at the Russian Tea Room, left Midtown for a new pizza and pasta venture on the Upper West Side; entrusting his famous Kiwk Meal cart (on 45th and 6th) to helpers.  Well, this week Muhammed made his triumphant return- opening a new cart called “Quick Delight” on 45th Street and 3rd Avenue. This is the third cart in the Kwik Meal empire, replacing Kwik Meal 2 which used to park on 5th Ave. until it was stolen a few months ago from the garage where it was parked.  Kwik Gourmet, the second cart, is still parked on 47th & Park Avenue.

This is huge news, and the tips poured in yesterday from excited Kwik Meal fans on the East side who have always had to walk West for a taste of Rahman’s famous lamb pita… but even more exciting is the news that Quick Delight will have two menu items not available at either of the other two carts.

The new cart has a gyro spit, but since Kwik Meal is famous for their real lamb (rather than the standard gyro meat) Rahman will use the spit to make chicken shawarma.  Quick Delight will also have chicken on a stick.  Unfortunately, because of the bad weather Quick Delight won’t be in their new spot today (Wednesday)- but they will return tomorrow.  Eventually, if business picks up, he will serve the fish dishes that are popular at the Kwik Meal cart on 6th Ave., but until then you’ll have to be satisfied with the new dishes and old standbys.

Quick Delight, SE corner of 45th Street & 3rd Avenue

Not discouraged by all the early negativity, I headed over to check Kushi Q out last week…. and was pleasantly surprised.  It’s not without its problems- but the potential is there.  What I got, the +/-, and pictures of futuristic machinery necessary to serve fast food yakitori- after the jump…

Technically Yakitori refers to various chicken parts on a stick, but Kushi Q has more than just chicken.  The grilled chicken is the signature skewer, but there is also fried chicken, bacon, salmon, beef, Japanese berkshire sausage with pineapple, tofu and vegetables.  You can order skewers ala carte (prices ranging from $1.50 to $2.50), or as a Bento Set which comes with rice or salad, miso soup and pickled radish.

Much like Oms/b, there are many different combinations available, and it takes some deciphering to figure out.  If you don’t care about variety, the chicken yakitori bento set is the cheapest way to go ($6.50).  The most expensive is the set that allows you to choose your own 3 skewers ($7.90).  The skewers are not huge, but with the rice and soup it can be filling.  You can always add extra skewers, or a side order to complement your meal. 

You can get out of Kushi Q for under $10, but it is going to be on the high end of the Midtown Lunch price scale, and you are not talking about a rediculous amount of food for your money.  But, when compared to most Yakitori places in Midtown (where skewers start at $2.50), it is very reasonably priced.  The quality of the meat is not going to be as good as the sit down places where the skewers are grilled to order- but that’s why Kushi Q is slightly cheaper.

In the end if you go expecting super cheap, meat on a stick, American style (aka big chunks of chicken breast)- you are going to be disappointed.  Too expensive, and not enough food.  On the other end of the spectrum, if you go expecting Grade A yakitori, you will also be disappointed.  The price is right, but the quality and expertise of the grilling will not be there.  Kushi Q lives somewhere in the middle.

The one thing I can complain about is the sweet potato fries.  I was very excited about these for a few reasons.  #1.  They are sweet potato fries!  #2.  They were only $1.50 (for a snack size order).  #3.  They come covered in honey and black sesame seeds.  I know it’s the first week, but the fries were a big let down. 

The first thing…  don’t expect yams (the red potato that one usually thinks of when you think “sweet potato”.  The sweet potato they use is a Japanese variety called Kotobuki, and is a lightly colored potato. This wouldn’t be a big issue if they tasted good… but they didn’t.  Kotobuki are drier and less sweet than traditional Sweet Potatoes, but I don’t think that was it.  I’m not sure if they were undercooked, or what… but I feel pretty confident in saying they were terrible.  Do I just not know what Japanese fries are supposed to taste like?  The honey and sesame seeds touch is amazing, so I’m hoping my order was just an anomaly because they were rushing.

Finally, the coolest part of the place.  The machinery!   The first thing you notice when you walk into Kushi Q, is the chicken skewer dipping mechamism.  Sort of like a conveyer belt of meats on a stick, it rotates in a oval, dipping the skewers in a marinade on either end, while cooking them as they come down each straight-away.  I’m not exactly sure if it serves a purpose (the skewers get brushed with sauce and cooked on the flat grill in addition), but it’s a pretty mesmerizing contraption.

The second contraption is when you pay.  They write your order down on these scantron looking bubble sheets (remember those from Junior High?), and then they slide them through a reader to determine how much you owe.  I’m always concerned about price when eating lunch (I’m fat, and can sometimes get out of control with the ordering), but the scantron machine adds that extra layer of stress while you remind yourself that you’re not being graded on your ordering.

Scantron machines and meat on a stick conveyer belts may not make the lunch worth the extra money (for some), but if you are looking for something fun and different to do on your lunch hour, that involves meat on a stick- Kushi Q is a great addition to Midtown Lunch’ing!

THE +  (What people who like this place would say)

• Japanese style Meat on Stick… at lunch time!
• If you are willing to pay for it, it’s great variety
• Cheaper than a sit down yakitori place in Midtown
• It’s fun!
• There’s nothing else like it in Midtown, for lunch
• It’s grilled, so it’s reasonably healthy compared to a lot of Midtown Lunches

THE – (what people who don’t like this place would say)

• Depending on what you order, it can get pricey
• It’s not enough food
• The quality is not as good as real Yakitori (where’s the char grilled taste!)
• The chicken is not pure white meat chicken chunks (American Style!)
• Depending on when you go, you can either get sticks fresh off the grill, or the ones sitting awhile on the plates (but as it gets more and more popular, I think everything will be fresher)
• The sweet potato fries are terrible!!!!  (At least mine were…)
• The vegetable skwers are a little weak for the price.
• Too expensive, and not enough food (did that get mentioned???)

Kushi Q, 723 3rd. St. (btw. 45+46th), 212-682-5238

First the mixed…

The food was okay.  They sell a box combo, where you can choose a base of rice, salad or bread (that looked terrible) and then three skewers on top of it.  I tried the combo with 1 chicken, 1 salmon, and 1 beef stick.  The beef and the chicken were both very good, the salmon was eh.  They put a whole bunch of crap on the rice (sauce, sesame seeds, seaweed) and also those yellow pickles that you get as banchan in Koreatown.  

Is it a good deal?  No.  My box, with tax, was $8.56 (it did come with miso soup, which was fine.)  Is it worth a try?  Yeah, [but] I absolutely refuse to pay for a stick with literally only three pieces of vegetable on it.  Lame.

By far the coolest thing is the skewer cooking machine, which mechanically lifts and dips each skewer into some sort of cooking/marinating liquid -Sara (via Email)

I am intrigued by this meat on a stick dipping machine. At least she ordered something. Comments from three walkouts- after the jump

FYI: I just walked by — Kushi Q was open for lunch. The yakitori selection was meager and the menu itself was sparse (think they had some soup in addition to the a-la-carte yakitori offerings). The combos which mostly consisted of a few yakitori sticks + miso soup all started at 6-7+. Totally not worth it for the quantity of food. I walked in and walked right back out.  -WorkAlong3rdAve (via Comment on ML)

And his disciple… 

I had the same Kushi-Q experience as WorkAlong3rdAve. I walked in, looked around and walked out. It did look good, but there was so little food for the money. The sweet potato fries sounded good, but not enough to make me order.   -Lara (via Comment on ML)

And finally…

I dropped in to check out what was going on, but honestly, they didn’t look super appetizing. Kushi (literally “skewer” in Japanese) Yaki needs to be served hot off the grill and these looked like they’d been sitting on platters for 20 minutes. I’ll reserve judgement until I actually try them, but I don’t have high hopes… -Marc (via Email)

I think I’m going to reserve judgement as well.  Meat on a stick deserves to be evaluated based on the quality of the meat on a stick.  (Although I am a fat man, and can be swayed by quantity)