It’s been ages since I got back from my month-long trip to Peru and Argentina, but as I settle into a new area of midtown, I can’t help but think back to all the wonderful foods that I wish was readily available for lunch. Besides being crazy cheap, it was just all so tasty. See what I’ve been craving after the jump..
Posted by ultraclay at 3:15 pm, January 17th, 2012 under Latin.
After reading Brownie’s recent preview of Palenque, the new Colombian truck that just started parking in Midtown, I knew I had to try it immediately. I braved the wind and the rain last week to get a hold of some delicious arepa goodness. In addition to the traditional corn, Palenque offers some unconventional varieties of arepa: quinoa, brown rice with flax seeds, and brown rice with sesame seeds. They have a variety of meat and vegetarian toppings, so everyone should be able to find an arepa combination that pleases them. Since Brownie already went the conventional route, I decided to branch out and try the quinoa arepa with beef ($8). They offered to add hogao for $1 extra, and who was I to argue? With that addition and my $2 sugar cane and ginger lemonade I ended up slightly over the ML limit, but for the sake of science I let it slide.
Posted by Anna at 11:45 am, October 26th, 2011 under Latin, Palenque Homemade Colombian Food.
When I heard that the old Bai Cha space was being re-purposed as a Latin food spot, called ‘OUT’ I was both excited and hopeful. To be frank, Bai Cha was plain out awful, and as much as the food scene in Hells Kitchen has improved over the past few years, the area still needs a serious culinary kick in the ass. A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Bai Cha’s replacement (I confirmed that OUT’s owner is different than Bai Cha’s as well), and found that unfortunately, it seems that any restaurant space occupying 710 9th Ave may be doomed to mediocrity.
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Posted by Chris H. at 9:45 am, August 15th, 2011 under Latin, Out of Bounds.
Arepas are something I look forward to eating when I head downtown or when I find myself in Brooklyn or Queens. But I never think about eating them in Midtown. I suppose the reason is that the Venezuelan/Colombian specialities are not easily available in this neck of the woods. That is until Shachi’s Arepas To-Go opened a few weeks ago. The NY Times just reported the opening this week, but the guy working the counter told me they’ve been there for more than a month already. How did we miss this? I guess it was slightly confusing because it seems this is the sister restaurant to one that recently closed in Williamsburg. And the website and Yelp reviews make it sound like this is a sit-down restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen that’s been around for years. Hm.
Posted by brianhoffman at 11:30 am, July 8th, 2011 under Latin, Shachi's Arepas to Go.
It’s been some time since we’ve seen the Ecuadorian lunch truck El Guayaquileño. Last I’d heard, they had temporarily converted it into the Malaysian Kitchen Food Truck in the fall. Then yesterday, I stumbled across it at its old spot on 37th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway. Does anyone know how long they have been back? Just as I got there, the lady inside darted off on her break, so I didn’t get to ask any questions. Regardless, I’ll be keeping an eye out so I can try some of that goat stew Mamacita raved about last year. Seems like the perfect thing to brighten a rainy spring day.
Posted by ultraclay at 8:30 am, April 13th, 2011 under El Guayaquileño Cart, Latin.
Thanks to Lunch’er “Moonji” for sending along this tip last week… “Just saw the attached sign this afternoon, on 45th between 3rd and Lex (where the old Tasti-D used to be). Hope it’s something reasonable and delicious! Their website is up but no menu/information up yet. I did see someone inside working on stuff.” Nice… could be good. We don’t really have a shortage of Latin food in Midtown, and Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th) is actually run by Dominicans (despite calling themselves a Cuban restaurant.) But it will be cool to see a place that takes ownership of their Dominican heritage. More info as soon as we get it…
Have a tip of your own to share? Don’t be selfish. Send it to editor@midtownlunch.com
When Leña Latin Grill opened up in June (on 35th btw. 5+6th), we pegged it as a “Latin Chipotle” (yes, South American would have made more sense) and comments were mixed. Since then I’ve stopped in several times and to be honest… I keep going back for more. See why after the jump.
Posted by ultraclay at 11:55 am, September 15th, 2010 under 35th btw. 5+6th, Latin, Lena Latin Grill.
As much as I love a cheap meal, I haven’t really been able to get behind the 99 cent pizza trend, which is why back in February, it was Brownie who hopped the subway to try the dollar slice at K Food Pizza (on 33rd btw. Mad+5th) even though I work a block away. This pizza joint, located on the site of the old Golden Krust, has been churning out dollar slices ever since and it hasn’t once tempted me to walk in the doors. That is, until I saw the sign advertising a Latin Food Buffet for $5.50!
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Posted by ultraclay at 11:45 am, August 26th, 2010 under K Food Pizza, Latin.
A couple of weeks ago, when QBA announced they’d be altering their menu to include some new specials, I hoped that this would change a pretty good cart into a great, must-visit cart. After all, there is no shortage of good Cuban options in Midtown- and as much as we love food trucks, isn’t it really all about the food? I’ve already written about the pork meal and the cuban sandwich and our Downtown editor Andrea tried the chicken meal. I think the consensus is pretty clear; the QBA meals with meat and rice and beans are good, and a solid lunch option, but not spectacular. According to their website, today the truck will introduce ensalada batabano, a salad with tomatoes, feta and scallions. And earlier this week they had ropa vieja, which we (naturally) had to go try.
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Posted by Jeremiah White at 11:45 am, August 12th, 2010 under Cart, Latin, QBA Cuban Kitchen Truck.
Relegated to a “specials” menu
The QBA Cuban Kitchen Truck is going to roll out some changes to its menu next week, and there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that their bistec meal and their chicken meal (the one that the Downtown section of ML raved about yesterday) will no longer be available on a daily basis- leaving the pork meal, maduros meal and Cuban sandwich as their core daily menu items. The good news, on the other hand, is that the bistec and chicken will join a daily specials rotation that will also include new items, such as picadillo (ground beef in savory tomato sauce) and ropa vieja (shredded beef, peppers & onions in savory tomato sauce). I was pretty happy with the pork back when QBA started making stops in Midtown so I’m interested to see what these new dishes are like. QBA can usually be found on 44th btw. 5th+6th on Thursdays, but you should keep up with their location (and menu) on Twitter. Or the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker, of course.
Related:
QBA Truck Brings “Quick but Authentic” Cuban Food to the Streets
Posted by Jeremiah White at 9:00 am, July 30th, 2010 under Latin, QBA Cuban Kitchen Truck.
