Midtown Lunch

Big news hit the Midtown Lunch Inbox this morning, courtesy of Lunch’er Emily who forwarded along this photo, taken on 9th Ave. (btw. 50+51st), of the window of what I believe used to be Keni Pizza.  Apparently Hallo Berlin will be adding H.B. Express to their empire, which currently includes a beer garden on 10th Ave. (btw. 44+45th), and of course the famous cart on 54th & 5th (which won Best Cart in our Midtown Lunch readers poll earlier in the Month).

A call to the number on the sign yielded no extra information, just a voicemail message from (what could only be) Wolfgang or Rolf, urging you to leave a message or send a fax.  One can only assume that it will be similar to the take out counter they have at the front of the beer garden on 10th Ave.

Strangely enough, the Hallo Berlin Cart wasn’t in its regular spot on 53rd 54th & 5th today, just after Noon.  I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one…

What would October(fest) be without a trip to the Hallo Berlin Cart…

If you haven’t been yet, you’ve got to do it.  Best sausage in the city, and watching him operate the cart is quite a sight to behold.  My “Dictator’s Special” after the jump… Read more »

This past weekend, I was in Vancouver and had what is probably the greatest Hot Dog innovation since they were poked with sticks, dipped in corn bread batter and deep fried.  The Japadog!  Think Hallo Berlin Cart meets Cafe Zaiya…

You would think that New York City would be at the forefront of all hot dog stand innovations.  And yet somehow Vancouver totally beat us to the punch on this one.  A hot dog topped with Japanese condiments.  Simple and amazing.  How popular would one of these stands be in Midtown? 

I had the Oroshi, and wrote about it for Serious Eats.  Read about it here:   http://www.seriouseats.com/eating_out/2007/09/serious-sandwiches-the-japadog.html

I still hold out hope that one day Manhattan will get an IKEA.  It’s probably futile, but a guy can dream, right?  The funny thing is, I don’t even care about the furniture.  I just want an IKEA Cafe!  In my eyes, the cheap furniture shopping world is divided into two seperate groups.  Those who have gotten over the fear at eating in an Ikea, and those who haven’t. 

There are a few stages that every Ikea shopper goes through.  First, denial.  You see the signs for the food and laugh.  “Who the hell would eat at Ikea?  That food looks gross!”.  Then, after a few times of going to Ikea (you never get everything done in one trip), the curiosity starts to seep in.  “Well, it is pretty cheap.  It can’t be that bad, right?  It’s just so damn cheap!”  Finally, you submit.  It helps if you forget to eat before going shopping- in which case you end up being starving after navigating through the gigantic store, with no other food options.

I went through all these stages, and when I came out on the other end, I had discovered a new weakness… swedish meatballs.  Covered in gravy and topped with lingonberries, they are perfect for anybody who loves the sweet and salty combo.  And at around $4 for ten meatballs, it couldn’t be any cheaper.  Awhile back I wrote about a fancy Swedish meatball sandwich at FIKA Swedish Espresso bar.  Super delicious (but expensive), I lamented that there was no equivalent to Ikea in Midtown.

After writing that, a tipster recommended that I check out F&B Gudtfood, a “European Street Food” chain on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd.  Founded by one guy from Germany and one from England, they wanted to start a place where you could get all the street food they enjoyed in their travels around Europe  Fancy hot dogs, fish and chips, frites with different dipping sauces, and of course- Swedish meatballs.

I finally made it over to F&B to see if I had found an Ikea replacement.  What they’ve got, pictures and a +/- after the jump Read more »

I finally made it out to the Midtown branch of Mandler’s Sausage Co. which finally opened a few weeks ago (after numerous delays).  I love it when new places open in Midtown, and it’s especially gratifying when that new place is a transplant from a better lunch’ing area of Manhattan.  If Midtown is good enough for the Mandler family, than maybe it will be good enough for Mamoun, or David Chang or any of those people who make cheap Banh Mi in Chinatown!

And now… for the first time ever- I present a Midtown Lunch +/- in pictures.  Who needs my terrible prose, when you can just see the food for yourself!

THE + (what people who like Mandler’s would say about it)

(+)The selection.  With 11 different kinds of sausages, 12 different toppings, schnitzel, crepes, breakfast and more- there is something for everyone.  There’s also a Kosher sausage, a turkey sausage and a veggie sausage for people with dietary restrictions.

(+)The Mustard Bar.  If you are a fan of the dipping sauce (and quite frankly, who isn’t), then Mandler’s may be your favorite place in Midtown.  A whopping 6 different mustards (plus ketchup and mayo), and it’s self serve- so you don’t have to be embarassed asking the cashier for 17 sauces.  Horseradish, Vermont Maple, Roasted Garlic Dijon, Amber Ale Honey, Three Peppercorn Dijon & Smokey Garlic Dijon.

(+) The combo meals (and side dishes that come with them).  There’s something very comforting about a combo meal.  Even if it only saves you 50 cents (or zero cents, like at some places), I like it when places offer an option that *forces* you to eat more.  And the best part about Mandler’s is the side dishes that comes with the combo meals.  It makes it easier to forgive the $9 price tag when you are getting these sides!  With your choice of sausage, you can get regular fries (seen above)… or delicious zucchini fries! (seen below)

You can also get your sausage with a cheese, zucchini or potato pancake (seen below)

Or the greatest side dish of all time…. after the jump Read more »

For German sausage freaks, July 2006 was a terrible month.  Not only did you have to watch your Football (aka Soccer) team lose in the Semi-Finals of the World Cup in their home country- but you had to suffer the indignity of not being able to drown your sorrows in a delicious bratwurst during lunch time.

Well, there’s good news.  As of yesterday, the Hallo Berlin Cart is back and operating at it’s usual spot on 54th st. & 5th Ave.  Back from their annual July trip to Germany, the Babiel Brothers’ cart is back open (as usual) from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm and serving up the best German sausage Midtown has to offer.  Choose from 10 different kinds of sausages, in all sorts of different combos. 

Our favorites (for no other reason then our love for the pictures of Kennedy & Mao Zedong): The Dictator or Democracy Special.  Dictator special… you get no choice.  One Berliner frank, one bratwurst.  Topped with German fries, cabbage, onions and crusty bread for 6 bucks.  The Democracy Special…  your choice (obviously) of any two wurst, covered in German fries, cabbage, onions and 2 pieces of Bavarian meatballs.  Served with crusty bread for $8.

I’ll save my review of the cart, and the +/- for another time…  see you on line this afternoon!  After all, what could be better then eating sausage, outside in 97 degree heat!

The Northwest corner of 54th st. & 5th avenue was surprisingly empty today.  Normally it is home to the infamous Hallo Berlin Cart, THE place for German sausage in town.  I figured what better time to review it… one day after the German soccer (football if you want to be a snob about it) team was knocked out of the World Cup.  I was hoping the Cart could bring solace to any fans of German soccer looking to drown their sorrows in one of the best German delicacies the city has to offer.

But the cart was nowhere to be found… and I can’t help but wonder, if yesterday’s game has anything to do with this?  Is it possible that Rolf Babiel was too depressed to come to work today?

Hoping to get to the bottom of this, I phoned Hallo Berlin’s actual restaurant on 10th Avenue and 44th street… but they were no help.  Partially because whoever answered didn’t speak english very well, but even after my question was finally understood, they told me the cart should be there.

Anyway, sorry to all the German Soccer fans looking for solace today… the actual restaurant is open, if you want to drown your sorrows with a beer after work- but the cart’s whereabouts are a mystery for now…

Hallo Berlin Cart, Usually at the Northwest Corner of 54th St. & 5th Avenue

Hallo Berlin the Restaurant, 626 10th Ave. btw. 44th & 45th st., 212-541-6248