Midtown Lunch

I’m always up for trying a street meat cart that comes recommended by a reader, so when Lunch’er “Matt” sent in that account of Kebab Express (on 55th and 6th) I knew eventually I would have to try it (at the very least, as part of Street Meat Palooza 3!) But once I saw the YouTube video, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. If these guys spent half as much time on their food as they did making that video (it’s 7 minutes and 20 seconds worth of photos) it couldn’t be bad, right!?

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A few weeks ago somebody mentioned in the forums that you can often find churros being sold in the subway station on 53rd and Lex. Well last week, I was passing through there during lunchtime and sure enough… churros! 2 for $1, and despite the freezing cold weather they were surprisingly fresh tasting. I got mine around 1:30pm, so they were not warm (obviously) but were surprisingly still soft on the inside. The pushcart usually doesn’t show up until Noon, and they’re are on the subway platform (so you have to pay the fare), but if you’re taking the E or V to or from that station and are lucky enough to spot some churros action, don’t make the mistake of walking by. It’s only $1!

Related:
Forums – Subway Churros Ladies

As much I love meat on a stick, I admit I haven’t been back to Kushi Q (on 3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) since they first opened almost 3 years ago. I liked it enough, for a fast food-under $10 yakitori spot, but it’s always tough for me to revisit a place. What can I say? Midtown lunch is a tough a gig. :-)

But when I heard they had opened a new location in the CitiGroup Center basement food court (on 53rd btw. Lex+3rd), I figured it was a good excuse for some fast food meat on a stick action… and it turns out they’ve made some positive changes in two years (go figure!)

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Always Hungry has taken on the massive task of finding the best slice of pizza near the Empire State Building, and all I can say is… wow. They visited a ton of places, including Little Italy (on 33rd and 5th), Sabina’s aka Kabab and Grill (on 36th btw. 6+7th), Cafe Rustico II (on 35th btw. 5+6th), Aroma (the Kosher spot with the fake pepperoni on 36th btw. 5+6th), Arome (on 32nd btw. 6+7th), and even the pizza inside of Gyro II (on 7th btw. 33+34th). Their verdict… Squisito (on 34th btw. Mad+Park) beats out Little Italy for the top spot.

Related:
Little Italy Pizza Proves You Can Get Good Pizza in K-Town

Last week Lunch’er Bill tipped us off to the Munch Truck, a brand new street vendor parked on 56th & Park: “New Clean and very large looks like a catering truck but is open to the public complete with a satellite tv to watch while they are cooking… Husband and wife team… We can only wish them the best but you may want to check out and do a write up? I haven’t eaten there yet…”  All the standard Midtown cart food is accounted for (falafel, gyro, chicken over rice), but they’ve got a whole bunch of not so standard items as well.

Check out their menu after the jump…

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Alright back to the work at hand (aka finding lunch in Midtown).  Got this email from Lunch’er Matt about a street meat cart on 55th and 6th that he thinks everybody should check out (and you know I’m always up for new street meats!)

I’ve been meaning to share with you a newish street meat cart… but my co-worker who found it (and gushed about it) didn’t want me to. But I think we’d both like to insure its survival by having it appear on Midtown Lunch. It is called Kabab Express and it is located on the southeast corner of 55th and 6th, just in from the LOVE sign. I’ve only tried 3 things there so far, chicken and rice, lamb kabab over rice and the chicken kabab over rice. The standout is the chicken kabab which they marinate overnight in little bags for each skewer and come out tasting perfectly cooked and well seasoned with what I think is cumin and cinnamon. Because the kababs take some time as they are cooked to order, the cart has a phone number and a flyer that they give away so you can call ahead of time.

The flyer and more is after the jump…

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I was beyond excited when Chicken House (the dirty fried chicken joint on 36th btw. 7+8th) reopened post renovation with a whole new Vietnamese section of their menu.  The ownership, which is Vietnamese (natch), hasn’t changed… they just decided to take advantage of our complete lack of decent Vietnamese options in Midtown by adding pho, bun, and banh mi to their menu of fried everything.  I finally made it over there a few days ago to sample the menu… and while I wish I could say everything was amazing (it most certainly wasn’t) there was some worthwhile goodness.

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As much I hate Chipotle, there is no denying that their model has proven to be incredibly successful. The chose your protein, carrying method, and toppings, assembly line structure allows for the high volume, quick service that a popular lunch destination in Midtown needs to be profitable. Meze Grill (on 8th Ave. btw. 55th+56th) opened their “Middle Eastern Chipotle” back in August, and it looks like Pump Energy Food is moving in that direction as well. But my favorite new ode to Chipotle has got to be Naya Express- the new quick service Lebanese spot on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th. It’s got the same assembly set up, and customizable menu… but with one noticeable difference. The food is really tasty.

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Photo courtesy of @UrbanLobster

The Urban Lobster Shack’s Twitter account has been pretty active since they opened their new Midtown location. Just before New Year’s they took over the little take out space in the basement food court on 3rd Ave. btw. 49+50th, that used to be occupied by Yorganic, and since then they’ve been sending out messages about mascots, shrimp & mussels lunch specials, and of course the $10 lobster roll. In this world you always get you pay for, but the under $10 lobster roll has a special place in my heart. I wrote about the one at Fairway for Serious Eats, and always dreamed that eventually Midtown would get its own.

Did I expect beautiful big lumps of lobster meat, no filler, and a fully intact claw adorning the top? Of course not. I’d settle for a decent size sandwich, that tastes somewhat like lobster. (What can I say… for $10 you have to lower your standards.) Thankfully Urban Lobster Shack doesn’t disappoint.

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