This comment was posted on Friday by “Lunch’er Nancy” to my piece about the Ecuadorian lady who sells food out of a grocery cart on 46th btw. 5+6th:

There is a random woman selling homemade Indian food in plastic containers out of a shopping cart on 58th between Madison & 5th… had curry chicken which she serves with roti, remember it being extremely oily but also tasty. She is near the Apple store plaza.

Well, naturally I camped out next to the Apple Store yesterday from 12:30 to 1:30 and not surprisingly there was no sign of this magical sounding lady.

Has anybody else had this food? Is she in a particular spot or does it vary? Does she only come on certain days? And what time can we find her? Please help!  Post as comments, or email to zach@midtownlunch.com

On the other hand, I do see the possible complaints that could arise from the slider situation.  (“Fat man want big burger!”)  Anytime you are asking me to pay more money, for less food, you’ve got to step it up.  Some people do it well (Oms/b), some people- not so much (Yushi).  Pop Burger finds itself somewhere in the middle.

On to the food porn!!!

Cute right?

Small amounts of food are very difficult to photograph.

And here they look postively gigantic.  Each burger is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across (after it’s cooked), and you get two for $5.  Not bad (and fun!).  They come with lettuce, tomato, cheese and pop burger sauce (some sort of ketchup/mayo concoction).  One of the two was well done (and really dry):

But another one came perfectly cooked, and saved the day!  The lesson in this is you don’t really know what you’re going to get.  All in all they were very tasty, and if the interior is left medium rare, the charred exterior provides a nice contrast (if not, it’s just way to dry and crunchy).  The potato roll buns are a unique (and pillowy) touch.

At a quarter of a pound of meat (pre-cooked), two quality sliders for $5 is not a terrible deal.  The side dishes, on the other hand, I had an issue with.  $3.75 gets you french fries or onion rings (standard Midtown prices, I’m sorry to say), but for the purposes of trying as many things as I could, I requested 1/2 and 1/2, which they kindly obliged… for $5.

Now, let’s recap.  French fries are $3.75.  Onion Rings are $3.75.  1/2 French Fries, 1/2 Onion Rings are $5.  I’m no mathologist, but that doesn’t seem right.  Alright, maybe you get more (although it’s not called 2/3 & 2/3)…

Um.  Doesn’t look like it.  Unlike the burgers, which look larger in the photos- the amount of fries and onion rings I got for $5 looks just as pathetic in the photo as they did in real life.  If they were the best fries and onion rings I’ve ever had, it may have been forgivable- but the rings tasted like your run of the mill, frozen out of a bag onion rings, and while the fries were better, I prefer the fresh cut potatoes from Five Guys, or the shoestring fries from Burger Joint or Goodburger to the crunchy, tastes like they been battered style of fries served at Pop Burger.

In the end, the overpriced sides didn’t ruin the overall fun of the sliders at Pop Burger- a welcome addition to the neighborhood.  And while it would be easy to call the number of burger places in Midtown ridiculous, what’s more ridiculous is the lines at every one of them during lunch.  Just think, the more places they open up- the shorter the line will be at your favorite.  (For me, that’s still Five Guys.) 

As for Pop Burger, I think I will keep it firmly in the snack category.  That, or the place I will go after work if I want to eat sliders, while surrounded by Midtown douchebags. (I kid rich Midtown bankers, I kid!)

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• A quality slider comes to Midtown (no offense to the White Castle on 8th Ave. in the 30s)
• The burgers get a nice char on the outside
• The mini potato rolls are tasty, and a nice change in pace from the other burger places in Midtown
• I love the crunchy on the outside style of fries that taste like they’ve been battered

THE - (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• With high turnover, and thick for slider patties- there is a chance you will not get your burger the way you want it.
• The charred outside makes for a well done burger (some of the time)
• The onion rings are nothing special (for $3.75 you expect something that tastes a little different than BK).
• I like shoestring fries, so I’d be better off at one of the other burger places in Midtown.

Pop Burger, 14 E. 58th St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-991-6644

Grub Street has got the early word on the second location of Chelsea’s Pop Burger, set to open on 58th btw. 5th & Madison:

Come September a new outpost — three times the size of the current location [of Pop Burger] â€” will take over all three stories of a building at 14 East 58th Street… with the first floor dedicated to counter service; the second floor serving as a lounge decked out with speakers, projectors, a bar, a D.J. booth, and raw-oak paneling; and the third floor acting as a private party space with pool table. Even more awesome for Midtowners: There will be a massive to-go and delivery operation, complete with online ordering.

A new Goodburger, our very own Five Guys Burgers and now this.  By the end of the year the line at the Parker Meridien should be manageable!  Although by the looks of it, construction just started recently- and I can’t imagine how this 3 story monster is going to be ready in a month and a half.

A blurry shot of the inside, after the jump…