Midtown Lunch

When yesterday’s post about the newly opened Meze Grill (on 8th btw. 55+56th) described it as a “Middle Eastern Chipotle” some commenters were quick to point that most authentic falafel and shawarma stands (here and abroad) operate in much the same way a Chipotle does.  That is, “you pick Pita or Laffa, choose protein, and pick out of an array of salads and sauces. This is a formula that has existed since the days of wandering in the desert. If anything, Chipotle is a Mexican Meze Grill.”

Right.  Except for one thing.  Meze Grill goes a little beyond just the “pick your fillings” on a buffet line formula.  The metaphor extends not just to the way the place operates, and looks… but also to its core essence.  I checked Meze Grill out yesterday, and I think once you do too, you’ll come to the same conclusion:  Meze Grill is the Middle Eastern Chipotle.

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There’s something about eating lunch in a building’s loading dock that is just so fun… so awesome… so… well, Midtown Lunch’ish.  The most famous two examples of this are Pick-a-Pita (which was in a loading dock, before moving to 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th) and El Sabroso, which is still serving up delicious and cheap latin food out of a counter in a loading dock on 37th btw. 7+8th.

So, when Luncher Christina told me about Nick’s Place “tucked away in a freight entrance” on 39th btw. 7+8th, I naturally had to check it out.

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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…

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It’s been exactly a month since Mantao Chinese Sandwiches opened up on 53rd btw. 2+3rd.  I never got a chance to go to Province Chinese Canteen, its original Tribeca incarnation, but I had always heard good enough things that their move to Midtown got me pretty excited.  Plus, I like Chinese food… and I like sandwiches.  What could possibly be bad about this place?

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The Kosher Oasis cart, which appeared briefly back in December on 44th & 6th, reappeared earlier in the week on the SW corner of 47th & 6th.  I stopped by yesterday to sample their menu of schnitzel, falafel, hot dogs and hamburgers, and they had disappeared once again.  If you spot this cart, let us know in the comments (can you believe they’re not on twitter yet!?!)   I did discover the other day that they are owned by the same people who own the Brooklyn location of Burgers Bar. I had never heard of it, but apparently it’s a very large Israeli hamburger chain which has a few locations here in NYC.  Anybody ever been?  If it’s good, it might bode well for the burgers from this cart… that is, if it ever returns.

UPDATE: The cart parks on 47th btw. 6+7th every day but Wednesdays.  On Wednesday it has been parking on 49th btw. 6+7th.

Photo courtesy of Roboppy

Manganaro’s (along with its unaffiliated next door neighbor Manganaro’s Hero Boy) has been mentioned a few times on the site as a great place (on 9th Ave. btw 37+38th) to get an Italian sandwich. And even though it’s never been officially reviewed (it’s out of bounds, and a lot of things will cost you more than $10), I’ve always considered it an honorary Midtown Lunch. Which is why this post caught my eye on Fork New York, a long dormant blog run by Profiled Lunch’er “Andre Mika”. He resurrected his blog this week specifically to rant about the “bitches” who run the 100+ year old Manganaro’s Grosseria. The story is worth reading in its entirety, but is essentially summed up at the end with this:

“So I guess the moral of the story is, unless you love being abused and crapped on by people who you are trying to give your money to, stay away from Manganaro Grosseria Italiano.”

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The Tray Can Only Take So Much (To Be Exact, 9 Times As Much As What You See Here.)

If you are a longtime reader of Midtown Lunch (and a lover of Korean food) you are no doubt aware of Woorijip’s by the lb buffet (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th).  My eyes and stomach are both large, so I have always found the “pay what your lunch weighs” a very dangerous game to engage in.  But Woorijip has so many amazing things to choose from and the buffet is only way to get a little bit of everything… or a lot of everything, as this lunch’er seemed to  do recently.  Naturally, his tale is a cautionary one…

“Just wanted to tell you and your readers an extremely important fact. I am sure many of us have put the per pound lunch table trays to the test on a hungry day. Recently I rolled by Woorijip, the Korean deli on 32nd at 11:45 am, the food trays were fresh, warm, and not picked over. I could not have been more excited.

The lineup was epic: The cold side featured heaping treys of: Pork Belly with Soy Ginger sauce, Kimbap, Pickled veggies, rice cakes, baby octopus. Half way through the line my tray was already full…”

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I twittered about this earlier last week, but Lunch’er “Joseph” wants to see more!

“I was desperate – I forgot my lunch and had no cash today. Couldn’t think of a decent card-only idea so I searched for Midtown Popeyes. [The one on 40th btw. 7+8th] came up on Google, but the lead posting was the one about the bankruptcy declaration. Luckily I went anyway and they were open and good. I’m not sure if it warrants another posting to remind people that they really are open – might help show them some business and improve the likelihood of someone taking over the franchise??? I’d have to go to 14th or harlem on my lunch hour for popeyes if they close. :(“

There are some decent fried chicken alternatives in Midtown, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don’t want to lose Popeyes.

Related:
8th Avenue is the Fried Chicken Corridor of NYC
Cafe Cello May Have the Best Fried Chicken in Midtown

Saw this message on twitter from Miss Softee to the Treats Truck yesterday and it gave me a great idea! Two chocolate chip cookies from the treats truck, plus a squirt of soft serve from Miss Softee’s ice cream truck would make quite the awesome ice cream sandwich- don’t you think? Ideally this would be perfect on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the Treats Truck is parked on 38th & 5th and Miss Softee is parked on 40th and 5th. But I suppose if you liked the idea enough you could walk from 45th and 6th (where the Treats Truck is parked today) to 40th and 5th.

I actually suggested this idea to Kim a couple of years ago as a way to smooth things over with the Mister Softee truck that parked on 45th and 6th (as you may recall, he wasn’t too excited when the Treats Truck showed up on the scene.) I think now it’s time to make this happen! Even if it isn’t officially endorsed, I’m sure that you could buy two chocolate chip cookies from Kim, walk them over the Miss Softee truck- and she would be more than happy to sell you a squirt of soft serve for a couple bucks.

Related:
Meet Queen Frostine: The Ladies of Mister Softee

I love how after three years of doing Midtown Lunch, plus Street Meat Palooza and Street Meat Palooza 2 there are still chicken and lamb over rice surprises left in Midtown. Take Little Morocco, on the NE corner of 39th & 7th, which I actually read about in the Midtown Lunch forums (yes, they are good for something!) Lunch’er NoPickles posted about the cart under the title “Spiciest Street Meat Cart”, which naturally caught my attention. After reading his rave, I had to check it out.

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