Midtown Lunch

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver had time to film something at the Flatiron Lounge last week, but didn’t show up for his planned segment with the Biryani Cart the Friday after Thanksgiving, and didn’t even call to say they weren’t coming. (Admittedly, I was only pissed because he’s my favorite chef, and I really wanted to get a photo of him at one of my favorite carts.) Well, we heard this morning that Oliver’s producer finally called Meru, the owner of the cart, to apologize for not showing up; apparently things were just too hectic, but they promised to visit the cart the next time Oliver was in New York City. The apology comes just in time… I was almost considering voting the guy a douche.

British chef (and my personal hero) Jamie Oliver was in New York City for Thanksgiving, and in addition to looking for some place to have Thanksgiving dinner he was supposedly going to shoot part of an episode for an upcoming TV show at the Vendy Award winning Biryani Cart (on 46th btw. 6+7th).  Meru, the owner, got a call from one of the producers asking if Jamie could come by the cart this past Friday around 11 a.m. to shoot a segment.  Only problem?  The chef and TV crew never showed up… I know because I was there waiting!  What can I say?  I wanted to get a photo of my favorite chef at one of my favorite carts.  It was a real bummer, and no phone call or explanation either. We’re still wondering what happened to Jamie Oliver. At least I got a good lunch out of it…

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I know it’s been almost two weeks since the Vendy Awards, but I totally forgot about this little nugget that I wanted to post.  You remember the “Food Cart Song” video posted in August that gave us a bunch of tongue and cheek tidbits about some of the street food vendors in Midtown (i.e. Amyn from King Tut ebays cabbage patch dolls).  I’m guessing none of those factoids were true, but at the Vendy Awards I read a little bit of info about one of our favorite Midtown street food vendors, Meru from the Biryani Cart.  From the Vendy Award Program:

“When I’m not working, I spend time with our daughter Tasnuva, who is five. I love to listen to country music by Alabama, Willie Nelson, Randy Travis and Kenny Rogers. Lots of people in Bangladesh love Kenny Rogers.”

There is something super awesome about that (and I don’t know why)…

2008 Vendy Award winners The Calexico Cart were featured in the New York Daily News today, and when asked to name their favorite food carts in the city, gave a list made up almost entirely of former Vendy Award nominees.  That list included the Kwik Meal Cart (on 45th & 6th) and the Biryani Cart (on 46th and 6th), who both lost to the Calexico cart at this year’s competition, and the Hallo Berlin Cart (on 54th and 5th), who won the very first Vendy Awards (the event that served as inspiration for the Vendley brothers to start the Calexico Cart.)  Also mentioned was the news that they are working on “a potential alliance with the Treat Truck dessert cart for a best-of-the-street catering service.”  Very interesting…

In other Vendy related news, one of the Vendy Award board members defended Daisy Martinez against the lighthearted “accusation” that as a Judge at this year’s Vendy Awards she didn’t try the food from the Biryani Cart.

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Chef Daisy… does any of this look familiar?

Chef Daisy Martinez gives New York Magazine’s Grub Street a list of all the food she’s eaten this week, and her list of Vendy Awards grub from last Saturday (where she was one of the judges who awarded the cup to the Calexico boys) has one glaring omission:

“I walked over to the Vendys and I had what everybody there had: those delicious little fresh tacos that those boys from Calexico were making, pupusas from Soler, and braised chicken, falafel, and I had a lamb wrap that was incredible. And I had some delicious organic vanilla ice cream and a chocolate bread pudding”

No mention of the biryani, chicken tikka masala, or the chicken kati rolls served by the Biryani Cart!  I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she must have just forgotten to include it in the list she submitted to Grub Street.  But truthfully, it would make much more sense that she didn’t even try it… because if she had, the Biryani Cart (which won the Peoples Choice Vote) would have definitely won the cup!

Related: Biryani Cart & Treats Truck Are People’s Choice At 2008 Vendy Awards

5 vendors battled it out at the Fourth Annual Vendy Awards on Saturday night, and for the second year in a row, a Midtown cart was the crowd favorite, but failed to take home the Vendy Cup. Last year it was Kwik Meal… this year the Biryani Cart. Despite putting forward an amazing effort, and getting the most votes from the largest Vendy Award crowd ever, the Biryani Cart lost to the Soho based Calexico Cart- who were awarded the Vendy Cup by the tastebud-less distinguished judges. Kwik Meal was the judges’ pick for runner up.

I don’t want to say Meru and the Biryani Cart were robbed… but I kind of think the people’s choice award says it all. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Calexico Cart- and if they ever decide to move their burrito cart from 25th & Park into Midtown proper, I will be the first one in line for one of their awesome carne asada burritos. But man did I want the Biryani Cart to take the whole thing… and based on the plate of food they served- they really should have.

Food porn, dessert award and more, after the jump…  Read more »

My favorite event of the year has finally arrived!  http://streetvendor.org/vendys/“>The 2008 Vendy Awards are tomorrow from 3-7 p.m. in Dumbo, and it’s no secret who I want to take home the coveted Vendy Cup: Meru and the Biryani Cart on 46th and 6th Ave. I’d be happy with a keep-it-in-midtown Kwik Meal victory as well (they’re on 45th and 6th), but that cart has already gotten their fair share of accolades.  I’d like to see the Biryani Cart get their day in the sun.

Over at Serious Eats: New York we set odds for the event, and put the Biryani Cart’s chances at about the middle of the pack.  If the cart is putting their best food forward, I’d pick his Kati Rolls, biryani, and chicken tikka masala over anything the other four carts are serving.  But as we all know, the cart can be inconsistent- and the event will be packed, so the potential for being overwhelmed is there.

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Every day this week Serious Eats: New York is posting about a different Vendy Award finalist, and today I contributed a full post about our beloved Biryani Cart (on 46th btw. 6+7th.)  It includes amazing photos by Robyn Lee (the food never looked so good) including a photo of the newly added PWCD roll.  Plus, I realize that we may have done a grave disservice to the cart by entering their standard chicken over rice in the Street Meat Palooza competition.  If we had judged the Biryani Cart based on their chicken tikka masala (which is much more like street meat than the traditional Indian version of the dish) I think they would have scored much higher.  The dish is totally rockin’.  I guess I’ll have to make up for it in Street Meat Palooza 2!

The Biriyani Cart was planning on unleashing a second cart on Midtown long before they were nominated for a Vendy Award, but after all the extra coverage they have decided to park the carts next to each other.  The second cart showed up for the first time this morning (you may recognize it as the “old” Biriyani cart) right next to the main cart on the SW corner of 46th Street and 6th Ave.  The cart on the left will be serving their standard chicken and lamb over rice plates, while the cart on the right plans on selling all the Indian food (kati rolls, biriyani, and chicken tikka masala.)  The owner Meru plans on keeping the carts side by side from now until the Vendy Awards to cope with the long lines… which will probably only get worse today after their coverage in the New York Daily News over the weekend.

 
We Midtown Lunchers have known about the Biriyani/Biryani Cart on 46th and 6th for awhile now, but with its recent Vendy Award nomination it looks like the word is now filtering up to the “real” media.  When I walked by today a New York Daily News reporter was there taking pictures just after Noon as the line began to swell. You could blame the line on the Vendy announcement, but it’s kind of like that every day (although today it was definitely a little crazier than normal.)  You may say the secret ingredient is disorganization.  As much as I love their food, the Biryani Cart may want to rethink their ordering situation.  With four guys in the cart, things would move a lot smoother if each guy took charge of one facet of the operation (i.e taking orders, cooking, packaging up, taking money.) 

I never thought I’d say this, but maybe they should take a cue from the Jamaican Dutchy cart on 51st and 7th.  They were dreadfully slow filling orders at first, until they opened a pick up window on the side of the cart.  Place your order in the front, go to the side to pick up and pay. With the Biryani Cart’s newfound fame, they are clearly going to have to do something.

UPDATE: The Biryani Cart ran out of food today at 2:30pm.  They’re sending out for reinforcements.