It looks like the Go Go Curry Eating Championship isn’t the only competitive eating game in Midtown this month…  Baja Fresh will celebrate Cinco de Mayo by holding a 10 minute burrito eating contest.  The winner will get free Baja Fresh for a month (winner can come in and order one entree and fountain soda, once a day, every day, for one month.)  To qualify for the May 5th final contestants will need to finish a Dos Manos Burrito Enchilada Style in less than 30 minutes at either of the Midtown locations.  Thanks to Lunch’er “Andy” for the tip and the photo.

The Baja Fresh Opening Soon on B’way & 41st. Photo courtesy of Lunch’er Harry

Zach,

I’ve had enough, I like you too much and I can’t stand for you supporting Baja Fresh anymore. Friends don’t let friends support Baja Fresh. You’re making a fool of yourself. I told you long ago that this is not the “west coast Baja” you’re used to. I told you, that they’d been in Jersey for years now running a sinister operation of 9$ flaccid burritos, where they push the envelope of rice to meat ratio every time, probably just to test a customer’s breaking point. I would never in a billion years succumb to openly compromising my foodie reputation and associating myself Baja Fresh as a fan. However, just for you, I did [last week], and for the sake of being a cheapie who likes deals that rip off my arch nemesis (i.e. my failed attempt to win a free Yushi lunch). I tried printing the page at work but it would have been about 5 pages long since the stream of comments was so long. I decided to just bring in my phone and show them evidence that I actually went through the hassle of becoming a fan and writing a comment.

I went to the Baja on Lex and they turned me down because I didn’t have a printed piece of paper, which the manager sheepishly replied was mandated by corporate. I can’t stand store managers without common sense. After the KFC debacle you would think managers would just go with the let’s just make customers happy and not be a stickler for rule that startsriots part of the promotion. I understand that they wanted the paper as evidence, but it’s not like each Baja branch is going to send 500 pieces of paper to corporate for some mail room boy to perform some sort of audit. In the name of customer service and some common sense couldn’t have just taken my name down with some manager override, just to entertain me and leave me with renewed hopes for Baha. Now I will forever be a vigilante working the viral food scene against the evil forces of Baja Fresh. There, now I feel better.

Nick

I believe I have said everything that needs to be said about NYC Baja Fresh here. As for your coupon fiasco, I’m guessing the ML community will have some thoughts about this. Thanks for the email!

Unlike most normal Midtown Lunchers, I don’t usually eat at a place I’ve already eaten at, and order the same thing I’ve already tried (it’s a hazard of the job.) But I do have a few go-to lunches that I can’t help but eat every once in awhile. The sauteed udon noodles with pork from Hing Won, and the fake shrimp from Cafe Duke come to mind. Added to that list yesterday was Baja Fresh. What can I say? The Baja Chicken Burrito was my go-to lunch when I lived in LA (along with Panda Express), why should things be different here?

So yesterday, when a friend and I were looking for a place to eat near his office- I couldn’t help myself but suggest the Baja Fresh (on Lex btw. 45+46th). And it was partially spurred on by a comment posted to the site yesterday by Lunch’er Jeff. It wasn’t really applicable to me (I always order the baja chicken burrito), but I took a liking to his obsessive and meticulous examination of Baja Fresh from a first timers perspective.

Check it out after the jump…

Finally went to Baja Fresh after following Zach’s perverse love affair with it (not saying that’s a bad thing). Main point, very tasty, and as you put it Zach, this is a fast-food joint and expectations should match accordingly…and I put it on the high-end of the scale. Fresh and Fast.. those are the key components to fast food (clean?? who cares.. we all know that when you eat fast germs can’t catch you (just like the concept of the 5 second rule ;P But yeah, Baja was very clean).

Even with all his reviews of this place, i think Zach was a little off his game in the sense that he was too much of a Baja Fresh Pro… the first-times (aka, “morons” like myself) need to be warned about a few simple thing:

1) Be prepared for ordering off the menu. I didn’t realize how used to the prison cafeteria style ordering (like at Chipolte) I’ve become… i needed someone to hold my hand and walk me through each ingredient. I was lost at the actual concept of order a food item by name and {bam} being given that food item. And hey, the concept actually works (or should i say STILL works)

2) Salsa bar is awesome. Heck, probably loaded up on over $10 of salsa alone between all the varieties (that mango salsa could be a meal in itself.. tell that guy who did the Free Samples/Garbage Picking review for lunch). As a first-timer I naturally wanted to view all they had first, once i got down the bar to the mango, I began my fill-up there.. YIKES.. bad move… as now i could not go in the other direction to retrieve the first few salsa styles. I had to get back on the salsa line which was piling up and my order number just got called.. so now i had my hands full.. too late to return to the line… arrrrggg!! So know what you want, and take it the minute you see it.. heck, take it even if you don’t want it. (by the way, they could use more serving spoons… just one in each salsa bowl is a handicap)

3) Free Chips as a bad thing. Naturally fantastic that they include chips (reminds me of our dearly departed BurritoVille… RIP) but just be careful if you do take-out.. they have just enough grease to cut through the thin paper bag (umm, if you see any of my chips laying around Lex ave, like a trail of breadcrumbs, please return them to me, I’m the good looking guy with the mango salso all over his face)

One last thing to note (not so much a warning) don’t miss the free lime wedges. More and more Chipotles have not been displaying limes (i’ve needed to ask and they seem reluctant to even give me). Is there a lime shortage? are they that expensive? Limes really are a necessity these days.. nothing else balances out the chemical pollutants of a Diet Coke better than sweet, fresh lime juice. And balanace is key people.

Related:
New York City Baja Fresh Nails the Baja Chicken Burrito

Photos Courtesy of OC Mexican Food Blog

It looks like the battle between Baja Fresh and LA’s Kogi BBQ truck is just starting to heat up.  A quick recap for those who haven’t been following it closely… at the end of last month the OC Mexican food blog first reported that Baja Fresh had added “Kogi Tacos” to one of their locations in Irvine, CA, a seemingly blatant rip off of the LA Korean taco truck with the same name.  Readers were outraged, although some commenters on various blogs pointed out that “kogi” is just the Korean term for “meat”, so it’s probably legal.  On Thursday, NRN confirmed that Baja Fresh was in fact going ahead with their Kogi named line of Korean tacos, although the owners of the NYC Baja Fresh said it wasn’t going to be coming to New York.  (And in a double whammy, neither is the Kogi BBQ Truck we were promised a few months ago!)  Well, the Wall Street Journal blog is the latest to chime in, shining some added light on the legality of the name, and whether or not Baja Fresh can use it:

[Baja Fresh] chose to call the dish “kogi” because that is a transliteration of the Korean word for meat. Although it says now a Korean-language expert is investigating whether “gogi” might be a more accurate spelling and if Baja should use that instead.

“It speaks to our non-desire to rip off the Kogi name,” Mr. Rink says. Research and development staff from the chain did sample the tacos at the Kogi truck, but didn’t copy the recipe, Mr. Rink says. It created its own Korean taco using steak and chicken.”

So it seems like the word “kogi” is not really the commonly used phonetic spelling of “meat” that we thought it was.  Which begs the question… doesn’t the Kogi BBQ Truck have a trademark!?!

The WSJ article mentions that as well:

Baja Fresh filed for trademark protection for the term “kogi” on May 8th, Mr. Rink says. Kogi filed its trademark paperwork for “kogi” on December 4th of last year, but only for narrow use, just on mobile food carts. Baja Fresh is seeking protection for the use of Kogi with everything from tacos and burritos to promotional toys. Kogi co-founder Caroline Shin-Manguera says a steep “learning curve” when starting the business accounts for the wording on the trademark application.

Ms. Shin-Manguera says she finds it flattering that Korean barbecue-style tacos are becoming so popular. But “the use of the name after we have worked so hard to create a Kogi community through Twitter and bloggers” is “disheartening,” she says.”

So, clearly Kogi screwed up their trademark filing- but they should still be protected since a) it sounds like they actually did kind of invent the word “kogi” (or at least that particular spelling of the word), and b) because there would undoubtedly be consumer confusion if Baja Fresh was to go forward with their “Kogi” tacos.  More than likely Baja Fresh will probably end up going with the word “gogi” instead, to avoid a lawsuit.  Or, maybe the Kogi BBQ folks plan on cutting a deal with Baja Fresh to allow them to use the name Kogi (and bring Korean tacos to the masses.)  This could be one explanation for why they’ve decided to hold off on their NYC plans- although their spokesperson had this to say about that theory:

“Kogi is not affiliated with Baja Fresh, nor do we ever plan on partnering with them. As for NYC, our efforts have been postponed so that we can grow responsibly. Whichever city we do decide to roll to in the next quarter or year, Kogi will be sure to bring its A-game.”

Related:
Is Baja Fresh Ripping Off Kogi? (And More Importantly How Soon Will The Midtown Branch be on Board?)
Kogi’s Korean Tacos Not Coming to NYC Anytime Soon

A rumor that had been floating around for a bit was finally confirmed at last night’s Eater panel at the 92YTribeca: Lee Anne Wong is no longer working as the East coast rep for the LA based Kogi BBQ Truck.  According to the former Top Chef contestant “Kogi will be focusing on their West Coast operations” while she moves on to “some very exciting projects down the line.”

So does this mean Kogi in NYC is dead?  Kogi’s Chef Roy Choi had this to say: “I love NYC! We are doing our best but my energies right now are trying to keep the food fresh to def! 55th and Lex….it will go down in history :)” History?  That doesn’t sound too promising.

Could Baja Fresh be our best chance of getting “Kogi” to NYC?

Nations Restaurant News confirmed yesterday what bloggers noticed over a month ago: “Baja Fresh Mexican Grill is testing a new prototype in Irvine, Calif., that features a more upscale design and will be the first corporate location to offer beer and agave wine margaritas.” Included in the new prototype is their new “Kogi Tacos” which the company acknowledges has nothing to do with the LA Kogi BBQ Truck:

“Kogi is the word for meat in Korean,” he said. “Baja Fresh since its inception has always had a more contemporary approach, meaning it wasn’t an authentically Mexican brand. We’re testing the fusion of flavors.”

Rink noted that the Korean tacos are “getting a much more positive reaction and guest participation than I ever anticipated.”

Natasha Phan, director of business development for the Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles, said she wasn’t aware of Baja Fresh’s test of a Korean taco until recently. She declined to comment on any potential trademark concerns.

“Our only comment is that we’re focusing on building and strengthening our core business,” she said.

I talked to Natasha last night, and she confirmed that “core business” means Kogi’s product in L.A. All plans for NYC are completely “on hold”.  And when I checked with the owner of Midtown’s Baja Fresh (on Lex. btw. 45+46th) he had this to say “Our Lex location is kind of a hybrid of the new prototype and the old Baja in the sense that we do have the new menu and look, but we do not have the plates/silverware or table service. We are waiting on our beer and wine license, after which we will be offering several beers/wines, and the agave wine margaritas. However, as for Kogi tacos, I have been informed that we will not be able to offer these anytime soon.”

What a total bummer (because this is just not cutting it.)

Related:
Top Chef’s Lee Anne Wong to Bring Kogi BBQ Truck to NYC By End of Summer… or Tomorrow
NYC Baja Fresh Says Kogi Tacos Could Happen