It’s one of the curses of New York City that some of the best foods that would be cheap eats where they came from are super pricey here. In the years since quality barbecue arrived in New York with places like Blue Smoke and Hill Country, it’s been the rare spot that has been anything like a Midtown Lunch. Nearby, I was happy to find some good deals at RUB NYC, but it has stood as the exception to the rule. But, has that changed?

Back in September, I reported that BBQue’s Smoke Shack was opening up on 6th Avenue just a few doors down from the Limelight. It’s now open for business and this week, I took the opportunity to get a closer look.

One look at the excessive signage and fake log cabin decor was enough to realize that ‘authentic’ barbecue wasn’t so much what BBQue’s was going to be about.

There’s clearly no pitmaster or anyone who’s immersed themselves in barbecue culture to make sure that the food here is slow smoked and exactly as you’d find it in some tiny town outside of Austin, Memphis or Birmingham.

Instead you have a standard fast food counter with an attentive staff that called out to me three times to let me know they were ready to take my order while I was taking in the menu.

With pretty much all the sandwich options on the menu costing between $6.95 and $8.95, it’s certainly the best priced barbecue you’re going to find in the area. I ordered the brisket sandwich at random, to see what it was all about.

There are also barbecue wings which cost $4.99 for 6, $7.99 for 12 and $12.99 for 24 and a selection of platters, most of which break the ML price range.

I was also intrigued by the breakfast menu, which offers options like biscuits and gravy and chicken waffles.

The sauce menu sort of perplexed me, though. They’ve got a ‘dirty dozen’ of sauces ranging from Honey Sweet to Holy Habañero. Each has a regional name, but many weren’t particularly descriptive and I sort of doubt that anyone from those regions would recognize the sauces as their own.

Since I was having Brisket, I picked the Texas Bull sauce, which was supposedly on the hotter end of the spectrum.

The sandwich wasn’t huge, but was a decent enough sign. For scale, I have it here next to my iPhone.

We don’t do reviews as such on our first looks at new restaurants, so I’m not passing judgement on BBQue’s. They may still be getting their feet on the ground and figuring out what they’ll be serving. That said, the sauce, a 9 on a 12 point spiciness scale, could have come from a kraft bottle. If you love the fiery foods, you may want to carry in your own hot sauce.

I will say that the staff of BBQue’s was particularly friendly and attentive. Twice over the course of my meal one staffer or another walked through the dining space and checked to see how everyone was doing and cleared tables where needed. If the service stays like that, I’ll certainly be likely to return to investigate further.

I was pretty excited when I saw the first reports of Mexicue bringing its Mexican/Barbecue fusion to the northwest edge of Flatiron Lunch bounds. The area, south of Penn Station and around FIT has precious little good or interesting food to draw lunchers so having a solid spot like Mexicue will be huge.

According to Fork in the Road they had their soft opening last night and the first day of lunch service is today starting at 11am!  Last week, they offered a preview of the new shop to friends and family as a test of the ordering system and we snuck in to get you a look.

Walking into the shop feels like you’re going into a log cabin, the wooden walls make for a pretty cozy look. In there, you’ve got a smallish waiting area, the counter and a few stools along the wall. It was a little tight, so expect a crowd opening day.

Menus were only posted at the counter, which could make ordering a little difficult.  I’m guessing they’ll have a more prominent menu or at least handouts available when they open to the public.

The seating area upstairs is more spacious and includes space by the window to look down on 7th Avenue.

It should be noted that the stairs to get up there are a little tight for rounder lunchers like myself.

Most of the menu is the same as you get from the truck, but there are a few additions, including rice bowls, like this one with burnt ends chili, jalapeños and an herby sour cream ($9.50). It’s decidedly less messy than the sliders or tacos and the rice makes it a bit more filling, too.

I’m sure that the first week will be as chaotic and busy as it is at most openings, so give them a little time, but I for one will be back there over and over again to spend some quality time perusing the menu.  Early adopters let us know how it is in the comments.

Mexicue, 345 7th Avenue, between 29th and 30th Streets.

We have long dreamed of the day that New York would get their very own KOGI Truck, the infamous Los Angeles based Korean taco vendors that teased us back in June of last year, before pulling the rug out from under us just a month later. Kogi has spawned a host of fusion taco imitators on the West Coast… to the point where it seems like every new truck that hits the street in L.A. has at least some kind of taco option- regardless of what kind of food it is.  Here in NYC, we’re not so lucky…  until now that is!  Enter the Mexicue truck, a scrappy new entrant in the street food scene which, through savvy marketing, has amassed significant buzz. We’ve watched with growing curiosity for the past week as the Mexicue crew zealously tweeted their location and wares to over 650 followers.

Expectations in check, I decided to check it out for myself.

Mexicue’s menu of gourmet Mexican and US Southern tacos and sliders is certainly ambitious, at least for a truck. Raising the culinary stakes of the humble street taco or a BBQ pit is hardly a new concept; Rick Bayless, Aaron Sanchez, et al have elevated street tacos to nouvelle cuisine for years, and a legion of acclaimed chefs have churned out haute BBQ – Bobby Flay, Will Goldfarb, even Danny Meyer with Blue Smoke. However, cooking at this level in a cramped truck presents a different set of operational challenges.

These challenges were evident in the growing line of hungry patrons – by 12:15 on Thursday, the truck was in the weeds with a queue 40 deep. Closer inspection of the service revealed minor rookie mistakes-a disorganized kitchen, inexperienced staff, and a lack of ready mise en place– all amendable flaws after a few months of practice. (Especially since they have acknowledged the problems exist.)

Service issues aside, the food should hold your interest by conveying bold, balanced, yet unconventional flavors. A ‘Mexicana rubbed’ pulled pork slider ($3) would offend the delicate sensibilities of Carolina pulled pork purists. In lieu of the tartness of vinegar (sorry NC) or the tang of mustard (SC shudders), Mexicue’s version was slathered in a spicy BBQ sauce, accented by crisp pickled onions and tempered by creamy avocado. I find that casting aside food idealism makes for the best sauce when enjoying this type of food.

Tacos constructed with a single layer of white wheat tortilla may alienate those accustomed to the traditional double wrapped corn tortilla taco, and the obligatory chopped cilantro and onions was noticeably absent. However, an unorthodox short rib taco ($4), dressed in a light salsa and avocado crema, hit familiar and pleasing notes.

A take on the classic beet and goat cheese salad, long a mainstay of restaurant menus, makes an appearance inside a humble taco ($3). This classic balance of flavors, sweet and tangy from the pickled beets and earthy flavor from the goat cheese, is a satisfying vegetarian option.

I questioned the chorizo taco ($4), where the heavy and robust goat cheese also makes an appearance- instead of the obvious choice of a delicate queso fresco to allay the peppery chorizo. The combination of fiery and fatty chorizo and cloying cheese is simply an overly ambitious bite of food.

On the other hand, the BBQ brisket slider ($4) was nothing short of outstanding; melt-in-your-mouth tender beef glossed with a perfectly piquant sauce.

Mexicue, like the other upscale mobile vendors, is not without their share of controversy. Long lines, unpredictable availability of product, and somewhat exorbitant prices given the portion size , are par for the course within Mexicue’s peer group.

In their defense, the food does pack flavor and intrigue in an admittedly petite package. Service and operations is likely to improve – it almost always does with vendors of this caliber. And while they may put off the purists, they simultaneously please the rest of the crowd. A fair trade-off in my opinion.

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

• It’s like getting the Daisy May BBQ and El Rey de Sabor carts in one convenient package. Win win!
• I only eat Mexican food that looks like a Rick Bayless wet dream/I only eat BBQ that looks like a Bobby Flay wet dream.
• The tacos and sliders are meaty and hearty, and my vegetarian co-workers won’t be disappointed either (beet taco FTW!)

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• $10 worth of tacos and sliders from this place won’t fill me up.
• Look at that line? Yikes!
• Wheat tortillas on my taco? ¡Ay carumba!

Mexicue, Follow them on Twitter (or the ML Twitter Tracker) for their location.

Photos and Post by Chris H.

After a few months of being out of commission, Wafels and Dinges hit the road again a few weeks ago with a brand new, tricked out truck.  To celebrate, they gave away free wafels on Thursday… so naturally I was there to wait on line and get my bit of free waffle goodness. The new truck is quite a sight to behold, with a giant lit up menu and newly installed speakers that pump 50s music from Sirius/XM satellite radio onto the street.  If you’re really lucky, they’ll throw on the kind of annoying/kind of amazing “Waffle Song” while you’re waiting on line.  It’s really loud, and I’m guessing at some point it’s going to get them kicked out of at least one of their regular spots.  After15 minutes of hanging out, and listening to music, I thought for sure the guys serving the waffles were going to jump on top of the truck and start singing and dancing.

For free waffle hour, you got a half portion of whichever kind of wafel you wanted (brussels or liege) topped with two dinges (I went with banana and chocolate.)  Delicious.  Of course, the fact that it was free helped tremendously.  I’ve never actually done a proper post about the Wafels and Dinges Truck, which spends a few days a week in Midtown.  As you may or may not know, they not only sell waffles with sweet toppings but they also have savory waffle topped with BBQ pork and cole slaw that’s perfect for lunchtime. I posted about this when they introduced it back in October, but never actually got to try it for myself.

Well, as long as I was there…

$8 buys you a brussels style waffle (“light n’ crispy”), topped with a big scoop of BBQ pulled pork, another scoop of cole slaw, and a slice of watermelon pickle.  Now, I want to make it clear… I tried my best to fold this thing up and eat it like a sandwich- but it wasn’t going to happen.  I had my kid with me in the stroller, we were eating lunch on a planter, and I had no napkins.  Plus the waffle was already starting to sag under the weight of the pork.  I gave it a good effort, but in the end was forced to settle for the fork and knife approach.

The pulled pork is from Smokin’s Joe’s, a catering company in Staten Island that serves what Al Roker has apparently called the Best Pulled Pork on the East Coast (???)  It was fine, if you don’t mind your pulled pork completely chopped to bits and covered in a super sweet BBQ sauce. They offered it spicy, but I couldn’t taste the “spicy sauce” they claimed to have added.  Alone I probably would have thought it was too sweet, but on top of a waffle it almost worked. The cole slaw was fine (i.e. I ate it all) and the watermelon pickle was deeeelicious!  All in all a great effort for anybody who finds the idea of BBQ on a waffle appealing.  Now, if we could just get these guys to park next to NYC Cravings one day for a little fried chicken over waffle action, we’d be in business!

You can usually find the Wafels and Dinges Truck in Midtown Wednesdays (on 52nd btw. 6+7th) and Thursdays (on 45th btw. 6+7th) or follow them on their Twitter.

I think most people will agree that the biggest surprise of the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge was the duck pastrami reuben created by FreeFoods NYC (on 45th btw. 5+6th & 52nd btw. 3rd+Lex). It was so delicious, that most of us were willing to ignore the fact that it was kind of small, and very expensive ($9.95). It was especially hard for those who vowed never to step food in a place that serves the kind of super expensive raw/vegan/organic/yuppie food that FreeFoods is known for. But the sandwich was freakin’ awesome. And in the end taste triumphs over everything.

And then the unthinkable thing we knew was going to happen, happened. They raised the price. Part of the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge is that everything had to be under $10… so they introduced it at $9.95, only to raise it to $12 now that the sandwich is so popular. Normally I would institute an immediate boycott, but FreeFoods was too smart for that. They simultaneously introduced a new $9.75 sandwich, that sounded too good to pass up. It’s not part of the Sandwich Challenge, but the owner admitted that they made it with the Midtown Lunch readers in mind. Sloppy Leo’s Brisket Melt.

An ok amount of Brisket, smothered in agave BBQ sauce, topped with carmelized onions, and hickory smoked gouda, on two slices of Sullivan Street Bakery filone. Oh man. We’ve got another winner people. The BBQ sauce is perfect, with the agave adding this amazing fruity sweetness (but not too sweet) that makes it completely different than any other bbq sauce I’ve had before. The brisket is great too, with a nice thick layer of perfectly cooked fat that melts in your mouth. You can never go wrong putting anything on Sullivan St. Bakery bread. The cheese adds that wtf factor, and I didn’t notice the onions- but all together it made for an amazing amazing sandwich.

What can I say? I’m a big fan. Yes, it’s too small. Yes, I freakin’ hate paying $9.75 for a small sandwich. Sure Daisy May’s BBQ Cart might be better. (And if you are a BBQ purist, where smoke trumps all, you’ll probably hate this sandwich.) But in the end, for me, taste trumps all and I will admit that you guys have somebody in the kitchen doing something right. I thought I was out… but you keep pulling me back in.

But, let me say this FreeFoods NYC… I’m a superstitious man. And if some day you should decide that this sandwich is too cheap, or the ingredients are too expensive, or this sandwich is struck by a bolt of lightning and accidentally becomes $12, then I’m going to blame some of the people in this room. And that I do not forgive. But that aside, let me say that I swear, on the souls of my grandchildren, that I will not be the one who will break the peace we have made here today. (Unless you raise the price of the sandwich… and force us to boycott!)

Related:
Free Foods Pulls Terrible Duck Reuben Bait and Switch!
FreeFoods is Adding a Few More Sandwiches for the “ML Crowd”
FreeFoods Duck Pastrami Sandwich is a Triumph. A Freakin’ Expensive Triumph.

According to a tipster, and confirmed on their website, World famous (?) BBQ chain Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que is opening their first Manhattan branch right smack dab in the middle of Midtown Lunch central (on 47th btw. 6+7th). I would be down with some good BBQ in these parts (right now, the Daisy May’s BBQ cart on 50th btw. 6+7th is about all I can fully get behind) but considering how many touristy, big box BBQ joints we already have in Midtown (Dallas BBQ, Virgil’s, & Spanky’s) this may not be the answer to our prayers.

I don’t have anything against BBQ chains (if Corky’s opened a NYC branch, I’d probably pass out from excitement), and I’ve never been to a Famous Dave’s, which apparently has locations all over the U.S., but the background info doesn’t seem reassuring: it was founded in Minnesota (huh?) about 15 years ago by the same guy who helped found the “Rainforest Cafe“. Sweet!

There is a menu posted on their website, but there aren’t any prices, so I’m not sure if this place is even going to fall under the Midtown Lunch price range. I’m not holding my breath. Have you been to a Famous Dave’s? Let us know in the comments if we should be excited…

A interior taken-through-the-cracks-of-the-plywood photo is after the jump (if such a thing excites you).

It’s freakin freezing outside today, so I had no choice but to go for my favorite non-soup, gut warming lunch: a bowl of Texas style red chili from the Daisy May’s cart on 50th btw 6+7th. It’s a beanless chili (your co-workers will thank you) filled with big chunks of super tender beef. Cheese, sour cream, onions, and a tortilla come on the side, all for $7. I don’t know if the tiny cup of rice and beans was worth it, but I was glad to have it at the end to mix with the leftover sauce and condiments. Slightly spicy, completely satisfying, and most importantly- it warmed me up.

It was a porktastic weekend for everybody who braved the heat and hit up the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend.  I stopped by for a bit on Sunday and enjoyed my personal favorite: Ed Mitchell’s whole hog sandwich.  A creation just as amazing as it sounds, he literally takes a whole pig out of the smoker, and chops it down into sandwich form (you may say the secret ingredient is the crispy bits of skin.)  If you missed it, and now you’re craving some ‘cue (there are alot of meat photos from Madison Sq. Park floating around flickr today) there really is only one for lunch today in Midtown:  the Daisy May’s BBQ cart on 50th btw. 6+7th. 

I though everybody knew about this pretty famous cart, but you’d be surprised.  They used to have a couple more carts on the east side, and one downtown- but it looks like those are gone for good, leaving 50th as your only option.  (Actually the last time a Daisy May’s cart was on the east side was for the filming of that new Adam Sandler “Zohan” movie.  Anybody see the cart in the movie?)

Seeing as how you probably won’t want to eat outside today (“Feels Like” 102° + 43% humidity = a very sweaty Zach), the cart does a real good job of packaging up everything to take back to your desk.  If you do eat outside,  you might want to snag one of their awesome sweet teas.  At $4, it’s a little pricey, but you get to keep the mason jar.

 Name: Matthew

Age: 42

Occupation: Strategic Sourcing Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 34th St. & 8th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Italian followed closely by BBQ

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian. Love spicy food, but can’t handle the spices in Indian food.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Chicken Parmigiana hero at Manganaro’s Hero Boy on 9th Ave and 38th.  (I can tell this is going to spark comments already.  Are you sure it’s Hero Boy you love?  Or, do you like Manganaro’s old school deli next store.  Two different places.  Long and historical rivalry.  -zach)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: The cafeteria in our building, which isn’t bad for a corporate cafeteria. They have great chicken wings!!

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Ressie Mae’s may she rest in peace! Chicken and waffles should be outlawed, but the combination is something not to be missed.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why?  San Francisco.  Great weather, beautiful walking city and it has the 2 criteria I require to consider living anywhere: great Italian and great Chinese food. Plus you can go down to the Wharf and get Dungeness crabs from a cart, sit with your feet over the side of the wharf and throw the shells in the Bay with that view!

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Where can a guy get a good rack of BBQ Ribs in Midtown without a long sitdown lunch? I’ve eaten in the South for lunch and it seems like these places are everywhere, but, alas, I haven’t found great ribs I love since Wylie’s closed on 50th and 1st a few years ago. Help a guy out ML readers!!

Chicken wings.  Fried chicken and waffles.  Ribs.  I wish I had been at your Superbowl party.  I’ve only had ribs at one place that could sort of qualify as Midtown… and I can’t imagine anybody elses being better.

BBQ porn, after the jump…

It’s a shame Daisy May’s BBQ Cart doesn’t carry ribs.  For those, you have to go to their way out of bounds restaurant on 11th Ave. & 46th St.  Oh… and it’s outside the Midtown Lunch price range too.  But if you are going to do it, you might as well do it up right.  Living around the corner from the actual Daisy May’s is why I can’t bring myself to step foot into Virgil’s, Spanky’s or Dallas BBQ.

There are, however, a few take out rib options in Midtown that I haven’t tried yet.  Maybe the commenters could shed some light on these places:

• Texas Rotisserie & Grill (3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th)  2nd Floor
• Texas Chicken & Grill (42nd St. btw. 8+9th) 
• Dougie’s BBQ (47th btw. 5+6th) 3rd Floor, just below El Rincon del Sabor
• Sawa BBQ (9th Ave. btw. 43+44th).  Weird BBQ place run by Japanese people.  I’ve only had the sushi (which was fine) and the BBQ pork sandwich (which was not good at all).  Maybe the ribs are ok… 

As always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com