In my mission to try more dishes from Hop Won’s menu (and not just order from their steamed table), I found that they made a Malaysian curry ($6.50). I’ve never been to Malaysia so I can’t say how authentic this was (probably not very) but oh man was it good. The curry chicken was served with potatoes and with loads of curry sauce (perfect with the white rice). The pieces of chicken were all dark meat and were falling off the bone tender. The flavor of the curry was just right, not too over powering, and the heat was the slow burning type. This is another dish that makes me glad I work so close to Hop Won.

Another delicious curry dish can be found at the Jamaican Dutchy truck. They had sold out of the curry chicken when I got there, so instead I got the medium curry goat ($9). Chris was right when he said this dish was not for the fainthearted. I wanted to take an immediate nap after I ate the whole box. While it was called curry goat, there wasn’t much curry flavor in the goat and sauce. The curry aroma was there (very noticeable while riding in the elevator), but there was just a slight hint of curry when I was eating it. But it didn’t really matter when the pieces of goat was just so damn good. This whole box of food was delicious. Chunks of tender goat (not gamey at all) — some lean and some fatty — all slathered in the thick sauce. Make sure to eat it with a big spoon because you will want to scoop a big pile of rice and top it with meat.

So far I’m quite happy with the curry dishes I have had. It’s literally the same dish but four totally different ways of cooking it. Right now I would have to say that the curry chicken from Hop Won was my favorite. With its good curry flavor and a good amount of heat, it easily beat out the other three dishes. The quest continues!

Hop Won, 139 E. 45th St. (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-661-4280

Jamaican Dutchy, SW Corner of 43rd St. and 3rd Ave but as always you should check their twitter or the ML twitter tracker for updates. Or call their phone number: 718-737-3836.

Well okay. This was not what I was expecting. These don’t look like fried boneless pieces of chicken. But heck, I do prefer dark meat and people always say that cooking with the bones in gives much more flavor to the dish. As usual with Jamaican Dutchy, the small was enough to feed 2 people. The pieces of chicken (2 drumstick and 1 thigh) were juicy and falling off the bone, as expected. The spices in the chicken tasted a little bit like KFC (in a good way) and sort of brought me back to the days when I used to eat KFC. Though one sad thing about this was the sogginess. I could tell the 3 pieces of chicken were once fried but I’m not sure why the coating of crunchiness turned into sogginess. Been sitting too long? The sauce made them soggy? In the end this was still a tasty lunch.

They’ve been parking on 43rd btw 2+3rd on Fridays, but as always you should check their twitter or the ML twitter tracker for updates. Or call their phone number: 718-737-3836.

With the Jamaican Dutchy on the east side now, Midtown east has two Jamaican trucks (Jamaican Dutchy and Jerk Pan). It’s hard not to compare the two trucks since they park relatively close to each other. I decided to get an order of a small brown stew chicken ($8) since I’m a fan of Jerk Pan’s brown stew chicken.

Jerk Pan’s version was delicious and with the sauce being so thick it was great to just eat that with the rice. The pieces of chicken, with many pieces of bones still attached (and also many pieces of bones swimming in the sauce), were tasty and were falling of the bone. While the sauce from Jamaican Dutchy wasn’t as thick (slightly more red too) it was still delicious. Combined with the rice, I tasted a hint of sweetness (coconut for some reason). The pieces of chicken from Jamaican Dutchy were tender and most importantly boneless. I ordered a small brown stew chicken for $8, thinking that it would be only couple pieces of chicken with rice underneath. I was surprised when I was handed a regular sized box that was quite heavy. It was filled to the top with food. So if this was a small, how large is the large?! I definitely want to find out.

Even though I preferred the sauce from Jerk Pan’s brown stew chicken, everything else about the Jamaican Dutchy’s version was slightly better. Hopefully there will be enough business to keep the Jamaican Dutchy truck in their current spot. For now I’m not too worried, since every time I’ve walked by the truck, there has been a long line of hungry lunch’ers getting food. Let’s keep them in Midtown people!

The Dutchy is should be on 43rd btw. 2+3rd today, but as always you should check their twitter or the ML twitter tracker for updates. Or call their phone number: 718-737-3836.

The large goat curry platter ($11 – also available in a small size for $9) is not a dish for the fainthearted or unadventurous – consider yourself warned. It’s a tremendous amount of food, which few could finish in one sitting. It’s also a minefield of bone shards, skin, fat and connective tissue, which certainly adds to the authenticity of the dish and gives it rustic appeal. But there’s plenty of braised goat meat, which is fall-off-the-bone tender and terrifically luscious. O’Neill expertly coddles the ruminant, teasing out the meaty notes while dissipating a bit of the barnyard, goaty flavor. And in the background, there’s an exhilarating tingle of allspice. The meat also imparts its goodness into the rice and beans, making it so appealing that you’ll want to continue shoving mouthfuls of it down, despite urgent pleas from your stomach to cease.

After all these years, the Jamaican Dutchy continues to work its magic, and the lines that reliably form around lunchtime are testament to the quality of the product. Zach first ‘discovered’ this cart 4 years ago almost to the day, and with quality product and devoted customers like this, I daresay we can expect the next 4 years to be filled with delicious Jamaican food.

The other week we reported some changes in the Jamaican Dutchy empire were afoot – namely that the old cart would be moving downtown, and that they would be rolling out a brand new food truck to take its place. The new truck made its debut on Tuesday, and just like any other food truck, they’ve already run into their share of problems.

I caught up with O’Neill yesterday, who was hard at work in his brand spankin’ new truck on 51st & 7th (on the west side of the avenue). He mentioned that one of the businesses had called the police when he tried to park there on Tuesday, prompting him to look for a new parking spot. However, he mentioned that he was negotiating with some of the businesses to let him park near his old spot on the east side of 7th avenue on a permanent basis. Given that he’s occupied that corner for years, I would hope and expect that the businesses and police show him some leniency.

Since the truck’s kitchen is much more spacious than the cart, he also mentioned that he would start adding on new menu items once things settle down and his new helpers are trained. We’ll check back to see if he’s able to resolve his parking issues, and of course to try the dishes. In the meantime, we wish him the best of luck making things work in the new truck.

If you walked by 51st Street yesterday or today, you may have noticed that the Jamaican Dutchy cart has been M.I.A. If you follow them on twitter you know that they’ll be closed all week and will return next Monday with a new and improved menu. What you may not know is that the owner, O’Neil, has been working on a Jamaican Dutchy truck for the past year and it’s finally ready to launch.  The truck will hit the street on Monday giving them the opportunity to offer more menu items. But fans of the spot on 51st and 7th shouldn’t worry.  They don’t plan to move around the city like most of the other gourmet trucks.

As for the cart?  A Downtown lunch’er spotted the cart yesterday in the Financial District (near William and Pearl). It’s being run by O’Neil’s sister Jillian, and plans to operate permanently on William Street between Beaver and Pearl from 6am-4pm (which means breakfast is back!)  Let’s hope the recent crackdown of food trucks both in Midtown and Downtown doesn’t affect the newly expanded Jamaican Dutchy operation. His oxtail and jerk chicken would be sorely missed.

Remember when Andrew Zimmern visited the Schnitzel & Things Truck back in September for his MSN web series Appetite for Life?  Well it turns out he also visited the Jamaican Dutchy!  The video was just posted, and it shows him having a great time making Schnitzel with Oleg, and Jerk Chicken with O’Neil (which he calls the best jerk chicken he’s ever had.)  Check out the video after the jump…

Related:
Watch Andrew Zimmern Shame A Healthy Lunch’er Into Eating Schnitzel

With a budget of $30 between the 3 of us, I wanted to make sure to have savory with some sweet.  And of little nibbles mixed with more bigger servings.  Find two co-workers and this could your lunch today. Here’s what we had:

Stop #1: Austrian Food from Schnitzel & Things, in their regular Thursday position, 48th between 6th and 7th.

Our order: a bratwurst sandwich with sauerkraut and mustard on ciabatta, $5.  We hit Schnitzel shortly after they opened, and in spite of the cold there was still a short line.  Not too bad a wait, but if you’re attempting this in colder weather, it would be worth it to call your order in.

At five bucks, this sausage made for a substantial kick off to our tour.

Stop #2: Indian/Bangladeshi from Biryani Cart, 46th Street between 6th and 7th.

Our order: one Spicy Buradi Chicken Kati Roll, $3.  You really can’t go wrong with Meru’s Spicy Buradi Roll.  My guests had never had a kati roll and they loved the spicy, sweet combination of this roll.

Stop #3: Israeli from Moshe’s Falafel, 45th Street between 5th and 6th.

Our order: 4 falafel balls, $2.  Moshe’s takes some flack on ML for their poor sandwich layering, but at $2 for 4 sizable falafel balls, it makes for a filling a cheap snack.  And since they douse your entire order with tahini and hot sauce upon request there’s little risk of not getting the saucy bites that you want.

Stop #4: “Korean” from Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart, 45th Street between 5th and 6th.

Our order: a fried whiting sandwich, $3.50.  Ok, this might not be a traditional Korean dish like bulgogi, but it’s my favorite thing from the Kim’s.  My friends were astonished  that the sandwich was so big, so cheap, and so fresh tasting.  If sharing one of these sandwiches I highly recommend ordering it on a hero roll–less chance of the bread disintegrating.

Stop #5: Belgian from Wafels & Dinges

Our order: a Liege wafel with Belgian chocolate and strawberries, $5.  Brussels and Liege wafels at W&D run $5 with one dinge (topping), but if you follow their twitter they generally have a special password for an additional free dinge.  The Brussels wafels are a good choice if you want a waffle that’s more like what most Americans think of as a Belgian waffle, but the Liege wafels with its pockets of crystallized sugary goodness, might be a better pick if you want to show off a treat that’s hard to find outside of Belgium.  After polishing off our Liege, my friends were sad that there isn’t a W&D truck in the Seattle area.

Stop #6 Mexican from El Rey de Sabor, 43rd and 6th, north side of the street

Our order: a chicken tamale, $1.50. El Rey de Sabor gets a lot of love on ML and though this was my first visit to any of their carts, I can see why. Their chicken tamale was tender and delicious. My dad is a born and raised Southern Californian and has instilled this little New Englander with an appreciation for the good tamale. I can definitely see coming back to make a lunch of these.

Stop #7 Trinidadian from Trini Paki Boys Cart, 43rd between 5th and 6th, south side of the street

Our order: doubles, $2.  The curried chickpea filled doubles from the Trini Paki Boys cart is one of my favorite all time ML discoveries.  Even though neither of my friends had ever tried Trinidadian food before they are both adventurous eaters and were blown away by the doubles.  It was their hands down best of the tour pick for being “unique, tasty, and filling.”

Stop #8 Moroccan from Little Morocco, NE Corner of 39th & 7th Ave.

Our order: chicken and lamb combo over rice, $5.  Clearly street meat had to make an appearance in the cart tour extravaganza, especially since my friends had never experienced the wonders of chicken and lamb over rice before.  It was a tough choice on my part in terms of which cart we would get our combo from. Biryani Cart was a heavy contender, though they were ruled out fairly early on since I wanted cart variety and I already knew that we would already be stopping for kati rolls there.   53rd and 6th was a little out of our way and wouldn’t work out timingwise. Kwik Meal was considered as well, but ultimately eliminated from contention for budgetary reasons–in order to hit  10 carts and still stay within the $10 each budget, I had to find a combo platter that would come in at $5 or under.  I had read about Little Morocco being midtown’s “best new street meat” and was intrigued by their shipped directly from Morocco harrissa.  After the Spicy Chicken Buradi Roll, the ample hot sauce from Moshes and Kim’s, and the doubles, my friends had proven themselves capable of handling some heat so I knew they were ready for some Moroccan harissa action.  Little Morocco’s harissa and platter did not disappoint.  It’s such a beautiful thing to introduce out of towners to the wonders of white sauce and hot sauce.

Now I must caution that at this point in the tour more moderate eaters might be feeling a little bit of stomach fatigue.  Trying to be a considerate host, I asked my guests if they were ready to pack it in.  Their response?  “We’ve got 2 more carts to go.  Let’s hit it!”  With my friends determined to complete the 10 cart challenge, we pressed on.

Stop #9: American from the Treats Truck, in position on 38th street and 5th ave

Our order: a chocolate chip cookie, $1.  It had been several stops since out waffle, so it seemed right to go for another sweet treat and what better to represent American comfort food than a chocolate chip cookie?  Some of Kim’s treats tend towards the pricier side, but at $1 for a nice, soft chocolate chip filled cookie, this is one of my favorite Treats Truck bargains.

Stop #10: Jamaican from the Jamaican Dutchy Cart, west 51st and 7th Ave

Our order: a beef patty, $2.  The Jamaican beef patty was supposed to have come early in our tour which I had planned to conclude at the Treats Truck, not far from my friends’ hotel, but unfortunately I hadn’t taken note that the Caribbean  Spice Truck, normally parked near the Biryani Cart on 46th, had gone missing, so for our last stop we back tracked up to the Jamaican Dutchy cart on 51st street for their beef patty. A perfect spicy cap to our 10 cart tour.

And now the final tally:
Bratwurst from Schnitzel & Things: $5
Spicy Buradi Chicken Kati Roll from Biryani Cart: $3
Falafel Balls from Moshe’s: $2
Fried Whiting Hero from Kim’s: $3.50
Chocolate and Strawberry Smothered Liege Wafel from Wafels & Dinges: $5
Doubles from Trini Paki Boys Cart: $2
Chicken Tamale from El Rey de Sabor: $1.50
Chicken and Lamb Combo over Rice from Little Morocco: $5
Chocolate Chip Cookie from Treats Truck: $1
Beef Patty from Jamaican Dutchy: $2
Total spent on lunch: $30 or $10 per person.  Mission accomplished!

A few post tour notes.  We started our tour at close to noon on a Thursday afternoon and didn’t run into too much line trouble.  Eating as we went along we managed to finish the 10 carts within about 2 hours and this included me playing tour guide filling my guests in on each cart as we went along.  If you were meeting up with a group of midtown based friends you could probably do a similar “tour” in less time in picnic form by dividing and conquering with the food pick up.

This particular tour comes with a shitload of food for three people. If you have a moderate to light appetite you could do less carts for a cheaper per head lunch price and still come away satisfied or do the same amount of carts and just invite a 4th person along.  I crafted our stops based on their convenience to my Rock Center office and with the exception of the beef patty snafu, kept us heading in a southward direction focusing predominantly on carts in the 6th ave vicinity.  The stops were based on some of my favorites with ML recommendations that I’ve never tried mixed in and the entire tour was crafted to hit the 10 carts, 10 different cuisines at $10 per person in a decently timely manner on a Thursday.  When creating your own food tour you might have other priorities or other must visit stops.  And with the twitter trucks like Wafels & Dinges, Treats Truck and Schnitzel and Things be sure to always check their twitter for location.

What stops would you have on your own midtown cart tour?