Midtown Lunch

Pinnacle Bagel & Deli (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) is the latest to enter Midtown’s growing Korean taco craze, with a sign proclaiming Tacos Zen (I’m not sure if that’s the name of the taco counter within, or simply the mental state they expect their tacos to leave you in). I’ve never been to Pinnacle before, but they have the salads and sandwiches you can get anywhere. I’m not sure when they started serving this Korean-Mexican fusion (they also have burritos, burrito bowls and gimbap in addition to tacos), but it’s sure to make them stand out from their deli brethren. Chris H. has already written about Pro Hot Korean, Cafe Duke and Bann Next Door. Can Pinnacle be added to the list of places to satisfy your Korean taco craving?

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Before the lunch-pocalypse last Friday, there was a discussion in the forums about an out-of-bounds Mexican cart on 9th ave. btw 58+59th. I’d never heard of this cart before and I’m extremely grateful that I noticed this discussion before it was swallowed by the internet for all eternity. I’m happy to report that the Tacos y Quesadillas Mexico cart is very much in the mold of the excellent El Rey del Sabor carts and is bringing some very good Mexican food (and a wide variety of items) to the far reaches of northwest Midtown.

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Café Duke is such a tease. Ever since initial reports that bulgogi tacos were being haphazardly offered as a daily special at their Korean entrée counter, I’ve been fascinated by these tacos. After all, Bann Next Door took on the Korean taco concept and hit a home run, so I don’t see why Café Duke couldn’t replicate this success (and it’s a few avenues closer to work.) Besides, assembling a competent Korean taco is laughably easy in concept – just jam Korean meat into a taco (no double entendre intended), and you’re the next Roy Choi.

Café Duke has always been a staple in my weekly lunch rotation, given that it‘s a smorgasbord of wallet friendly options that appease my co-workers’ finicky spectrum of palates. But for weeks, I’ve bolted straight to the back counter, only to see a non-bulgogi taco special coquettishly playing with my emotions. We even sent ML contributor, Jeremiah, on a wild goose chase to hunt down these tacos at the 41st Street location, to no avail. However after weeks of speculation, my dumb perseverance and gullibility was finally rewarded.

I came. I saw. I conquered the elusive Café Duke bulgogi taco.
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As if I needed more reasons to stalk the ML Twitter Tracker (hopefully it will be fixed soon!), this week it brought me news of several new lunch menu items from the Eggs Travaganza Cart (on 52nd and Park). These are the same folks that brought me that de-freaking-licious Bacon and Chorizo Grilled Cheese sandwich, so naturally I had to check it out.
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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.

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El Camioncito, the truck that popped up on the radar this spring when it added tacos and later tamales to it’s otherwise typical food cart menu, has returned to Midtown South. After weeks of disappointing many a taco hunter, the truck is back at its just out of bounds location on 31st Street and 7th Avenue. I stopped by yesterday to take a look at what’s new.

The menu’s Latin section has continued to expand, adding a number of tasty-looking options. See what’s on it and one of the new snacks after the jump.

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So, if Japanese curry isn’t your thing and a Cinco de Mayo pizza sounds too weird there are still plenty of straight up Mexican options in Midtown to partake in today.  Eating Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo is kind of cliched, but we’re not above using it as an excuse to chow down at one of our favorite taco spots for lunch.  Here’s a list of our favorites…

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Pork Tamales from El Camioncito. Photo courtesy of Lunch’er “nomnomnyc”.

Once again, Lunch’er “nomnomnyc” comes through in the forums with intel on El Camioncito (on 31st and 7th Avenue), the Ecuadorian Truck that added tacos to its menu last month. They have now expanded the Mexican portion of the menu to include tamales filled with your choice of pork or chicken. His initial report isn’t stellar, noting that the pork is a bit dry, but it is a new addition. Given the limited Mexican options nearby, all we can do is hope that it improves over time.

Related:
El Camioncito Truck Slings Tacos in Midtown South

I love tacos. The more interesting the fillings the better, from tender lengua to crunchy oreja, I’ll eat it. Yet working near the Empire State Building, the options are pathetic. Short of Chipotle, we’ve got nothing. So, when I read nonnomnyc’s post in the forums last week about a new Taco Truck near Penn Station, I knew I’d be making the trip in short order. Yesterday, I stopped by El Comioncito’s to give it a try. The truck, run by Ecuadorans, offers all varieties of street meat, but that’s not what I was there for. The Mexican menu is small and you might miss it at first. There are only four types of tacos available, but I’ll take what I can get.

See the tacos after the jump.
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Photos courtesy of Lunch’er “nomnomnyc”

Thanks to Luncher “nomnomnyc” for posting in the forums about this new taco truck that has shown up near Penn Station (on the corner of 31st and 7th Avenue.) It’s just out of ML bounds and the selection seems to be limited, but given how woefully under-served the area is for Tacos, I’m willing to go the extra block for some carnitas that don’t come from Chipotle.

More photos, the menu, and a brief report is after the jump.

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