Midtown Lunch

Apparently when it rains coffee, it pours coffee. Yesterday I posted about Zibetto Espresso Bar, and discovered that Machiatto Espresso Bar is opening a new location on 52nd Street. Today we get word that the Love Truck popped up in Midtown yesterday. Lunch’er Brian spotted it on the corner of 46th & 6th, and sent along this photo. The Love Truck was created when the owners of the Mud Truck (a Downtown mainstay) split back in 2007. No word on if they’ll be back today, but you can track their whereabouts on this website.

Our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” isn’t all alcohol all the time.  She also enjoys her street meat… so when she told me that she had a great chicken and lamb over rice plate from La Baguette Truck (a strangely named halal truck that I’ve walked by many times, but never pulled the trigger on), I told her to her write it up for everyone to enjoy!  Here’s her report…

Every once in a while you find yourself in midtown after dark and seek the comfort of a reliable street cart for dinner. I was in Bryant Park recently on the first cold night of December and my initial thought was that of the cart on 40th St. & Broadway, the 3rd place winner of Street Meat Palooza 1. Unfortunately I found it’s only a daytime cart, so after I got there I reluctantly looked towards the truck that I’ve seen for years on the opposite side of the street. It’s called “La Baguette Cafe,” and has a Parisian motif but with a typical Halal menu. I was hungry so I figured after all these years I’d finally bite the bullet and check it out. Of course I went with the ML staple: chicken and lamb over rice… but I was surprised by what I got for $5.50.

Read more »

If there’s one things I love about eating street meat in Midtown is that everybody has their own favorite spot for chicken and lamb over rice. Sure, some of the halal carts have become more famous- and Street Meat Palooza has crowned two different winners. But most people have their favorite spot (usually close to their work) where the guy knows your order, and makes it just the way you like it. And while it may not win any awards, it doesn’t make it any less worthy of being patronized.

So yesterday when Miss Softee (yes, that Miss Softee!) offered to take me to her favorite street meat cart, I immediately took her up on the offer.

Read more »

If you wanted to hit up a cart as your last lunch before Thanksgiving, all the old school carts will be out- and the most of the new school ones  are in Midtown today… Wafels & Dinges is on 52nd btw. 6+7th, Street Sweets is on 50th btw. 5+6th, Cupcake Stop Truck is on 47th and 3rd, Rickshaw is on 57th & 8th, NYC Cravings will be on 53rd and Lex (with their $5 Thanksgiving week special), the Treats Truck will be on 45th and 6th, and the Schnitzel Truck is just out of bounds on Park btw. 26+27th.  Of course things can always change so you might want to check the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.

So it looks like Eliana, the $1 hot dog lady on the NW corner of 43rd and 6th, has survived the onslaught. You might remember that she was part of the crew of carts that got kicked out of that spot by the cops awhile back for parking on a sidewalk that was supposedly too narrow to be a legal vending spot for carts. She even had her cart confiscated, despite the fact that later measurements clearly showed that the sidewalk was the proper width. The other two carts (which included the 3rd El Rey del Sabor cart) decided to cut their losses and set up on the NE corner of 43rd and 6th. Eliana tried that for a bit but, after working the opposite corner for many years without issue, she was eager to return. Thankfully the Street Vendor Project (which hosts the Vendy Awards every year) stepped in and not only helped her get her cart back but also helped deflect any other obstacles to her returning to her original corner.

It looks like she’s there for good again (on the NW corner of 43rd and 6th), and last week I decided to swing by and actually try one of these $1 hot dogs.

Read more »

Just got this email from Ali Issa, one of the organizers from the Street Vendor Project: “I thought I would inform you that Ms. Jaramillo, the hot dog vendor at 43rd and 6th, has gotten her cart back and will be returning to her spot today at noon (accompanied by one of our intern Josh, because she fears intimidation by building management.)” This could be the perfect day for a $1 hot dog…

Related:
BREAKING: Cops Seize Two Carts on 43rd… El Rey Del Sabor is Next
The Sad State of 43rd Street Between 6th and Broadway
Street Vendor Project Going to Court Today to Fight For The 43rd St. Hot Dog Lady

Plenty has been written about the new Schnitzel & Things Truck here on Midtown Lunch since they first hit the scene a few months ago. We watched their twitter feed for the first month, tracking them all around the city- serving up their Austrian style fried cutlets to every part of the city but ours. Other blogs weighed in while we had to watch from afar waiting for them to finally make it to Midtown. It’s hard to fault the Schnitzel & Things truck though… Midtown is a tough slog, and you’ve got to be prepared. Working out all the kinks in your operation *before* attempting to serve your food to the hordes of hungry Midtown Lunchers is a sound strategy.

When they finally hit Midtown a few weeks ago, they faced the same issues all vendors face: finding a legal spot to vend where they wouldn’t be accosted by cops, businesses and other vendors. It took a little bit of time, but it seems like everything has been worked out and they’re settling into Midtown on Mondays at 52nd btw. 6+7th and Tuesdays at 48th btw. Lex+Park (although this week they have a special Tuesday spot for a Vendy Award CBS segment.)

I finally made it out last week to sample their fried cutlet goodness…

Read more »

A new cart popped up this morning on 52nd & 6th, and Lunch’er Yasmin sent in this report: “I was getting my daily fruit smoothie this morning when I noticed a new cart had been set up directly next to the smoothie truck on NW corner of 52nd and 6th. This DEFINITELY wont appeal to you, but might appeal to your vegetarian readers, or those on diets. Here are some crappy phone pictures…”

I was in the area when Yasmin emailed the photos, so I decided to swing by this new cart and found a “scene” that at this point should surprise nobody.

Read more »

How upset were we to discover the Eggs Travaganza cart back in July (thanks to Serious Eats: New York), only to find out that they closed before lunchtime?  After all, there ain’t no shame in eating egg sandwiches or pancakes and bacon for lunch- right?  Yesterday, I stopped by just before Noon hoping to snag an early lunch- and find out if they had heard our cry for longer hours.

Read more »

At this point everybody should know that Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart (on 46th btw. 5+6th) makes the best (and cheapest) fried fish sandwich in Midtown.  And I’ve even tried their bulgogi beef and lo mein.  But did you know that their fried shrimp are pretty spectacular as well?  As you may or may not know, I’m a big fan of the fried shrimp from a cart.  Little Morrocco (on 39th & 7th) does a nice job, as does the Halal & Seafood Cart (on 39th & 5th), and the 100% Halal Food Cart (on 54th and Park).  But those little jobbies pale in comparison to the monsters being served of the Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart.

Check ’em out after the jump…

Read more »