Midtown Lunch

I’ve seen a lot written about that fried chicken restaurant named after our President, but what about our beloved Kwik Meal owned street meat cart “Meal Obama” (on 37th & 7th)?  It seems to me this would be the perfect place for the Daily Show to visit, don’t you think?  And we already know that they are into the street meat.  Anybody know anybody who knows anybody who works on the Daily Show?  Forward this along.  If it worked on Usain Bolt, maybe it would work on Jon Stewart right?

Related:
Kwik Meal Names New Cart After (Irish?) President Obama
Hallo Berlin Mentioned on the Daily Show
Gold Medalist Usain Bolt Visits the Jamaican Dutchy Cart!

****This Cart is now called Kwick Meal IV and has moved****

Kwik Meal, the famous two time Vendy Award nominee known for their lamb and white sauce, has opened a new cart on 37th Street & 7th Ave. 6th Ave., and appears to have named it after our current President.  I suppose they could argue the apostrophe was in honor of St. Patrick’s Day… but the sign is permanent, so… uh… I don’t know.  Anyway, the cart is Kwik Meal’s fourth and will serve their trademark lamb, plus chicken, falafel, and chicken shawarma. (I guess the third cart he opened at the beginning of the year is finally doing well.)

I asked the owner (and former cook at the Russian Tea Room) Muhammed Rahman why he named the new cart after President Obama, and his response is after the jump.

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We’re hearing that Muhammad Rahman, the owner of the Kwik Meal carts, is very distraught over some of the complaints that were posted in the comments of this site regarding the chewiness of the lamb at his new Quick Delight cart on 45th and 3rd Ave. (It also seems to be why there was some Quick Delight shilling going on last week.) Despite the fact that it was just one or two non-believers, and everybody else seems to love Kiwk Meal’s lamb (the only lamb in Midtown that is actual lamb, and not gyro meat), he seems convinced this is the reason that business at the new cart has been slow. In fact he is so distraught over it, we hear he has fired his lamb supplier for what he claims was a bad batch of lamb.

Muhammed himself actually went so far as to post this in the comments:

“I am Muhammed Rahman, I own three carts. Quick Delight on 3rd avenue 45th street Kwik Gourmet on 47 and Park avenue and Kwik meal on 6th avenue and 45th street. If anyone was not satisfied with our service, please call me at    (646) 729 8702   .”

It’s not all fun and games though. He told a customer that he may move the cart if business doesn’t pick up.

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It’s no surprise when sucky restaurants shill, after all- if you won’t say good things about your crappy establishment, than who will?  But it *is* surprising when beloved, popular places post fake comments… which is what seems to be the case with the Quick Delight cart (on 3rd Ave. and 45th), the brand new offshoot from the owners of the famous Kwik Meal cart on 45th & 6th. These three comments were posted last night from the same computer within minutes of each other (under different names):

“It’’s been about one month since the grand opening of the quick delight, and although the “famous” lamb pita has been degraded, I have tried the same very lamb better at the 6th ave cart and witnessed it’s glory and wondered why commentors felt this way. It turns out that very week the person that supples the lamb was giving bad quality meat and this is why he was fired. Ever since then Quick delight have a new source of lamb meat and is once again tender and soft and NOT chewy. In fact I’v tried the lamb recently and it was mouth-watering. I hope that all of you can give it a second chance and try once more I’m sure you will have a change of heart.”

“The lamb just gets better. Yumm-o! It was mouth watering and not chewy at all. And the chicken shawarma was amazing as well.”

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Last week I swung by the latest addition to the Kwik Meal empire, Kwik Delight on 3rd Ave. and 45th Street.  I was interested in sampling their brand new chicken shawarma, which isn’t offered at either of the other two Kwik Meal carts (how could I not, right?)  In a Iot ways, I feel like chicken shawarma is chicken shawarma (much like gyro is gyro, if leave it on the spit long enough), but the white sauce and hot sauce are what Kwik Meal is known for, and they clearly make the difference.

As for their famous lamb, a few commenters remarked that it was chewy… but for those who are unfamiliar with the Kwik Meal carts, it kind of goes with the territory. 

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Last August Muhammed Rahman, the cart operator who famously used to cook at the Russian Tea Room, left Midtown for a new pizza and pasta venture on the Upper West Side; entrusting his famous Kiwk Meal cart (on 45th and 6th) to helpers.  Well, this week Muhammed made his triumphant return- opening a new cart called “Quick Delight” on 45th Street and 3rd Avenue. This is the third cart in the Kwik Meal empire, replacing Kwik Meal 2 which used to park on 5th Ave. until it was stolen a few months ago from the garage where it was parked.  Kwik Gourmet, the second cart, is still parked on 47th & Park Avenue.

This is huge news, and the tips poured in yesterday from excited Kwik Meal fans on the East side who have always had to walk West for a taste of Rahman’s famous lamb pita… but even more exciting is the news that Quick Delight will have two menu items not available at either of the other two carts.

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5 vendors battled it out at the Fourth Annual Vendy Awards on Saturday night, and for the second year in a row, a Midtown cart was the crowd favorite, but failed to take home the Vendy Cup. Last year it was Kwik Meal… this year the Biryani Cart. Despite putting forward an amazing effort, and getting the most votes from the largest Vendy Award crowd ever, the Biryani Cart lost to the Soho based Calexico Cart- who were awarded the Vendy Cup by the tastebud-less distinguished judges. Kwik Meal was the judges’ pick for runner up.

I don’t want to say Meru and the Biryani Cart were robbed… but I kind of think the people’s choice award says it all. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Calexico Cart- and if they ever decide to move their burrito cart from 25th & Park into Midtown proper, I will be the first one in line for one of their awesome carne asada burritos. But man did I want the Biryani Cart to take the whole thing… and based on the plate of food they served- they really should have.

Food porn, dessert award and more, after the jump…  Read more »

My favorite event of the year has finally arrived!  http://streetvendor.org/vendys/“>The 2008 Vendy Awards are tomorrow from 3-7 p.m. in Dumbo, and it’s no secret who I want to take home the coveted Vendy Cup: Meru and the Biryani Cart on 46th and 6th Ave. I’d be happy with a keep-it-in-midtown Kwik Meal victory as well (they’re on 45th and 6th), but that cart has already gotten their fair share of accolades.  I’d like to see the Biryani Cart get their day in the sun.

Over at Serious Eats: New York we set odds for the event, and put the Biryani Cart’s chances at about the middle of the pack.  If the cart is putting their best food forward, I’d pick his Kati Rolls, biryani, and chicken tikka masala over anything the other four carts are serving.  But as we all know, the cart can be inconsistent- and the event will be packed, so the potential for being overwhelmed is there.

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I’ve gotten a lot of emails over the past few weeks asking what happened to Kwik Meal’s Muhammed Rahman.  The cart is still there (on 45th & 6th), serving up their famous lamb and rice platters, but Muhammed has not been seen for awhile- replaced by a woman who now appears to be running the operation during lunch.  Rahman famously used to work at the Russian Tea Room, before starting up Kwik Meal, where he has become widely known for his lamb, which is considered some of the best street meat in the city.

It turns out Muhammed has gotten back into the restaurant business, in an incredily unlikely location…  Read more »

It’s like all carts, all the time on Midtown Lunch this week.  Fresh off the heels of our massive Street-Meat-Palooza post comes two big pieces of street meat news.  First up:

The Rafiqi’s on 47th & Madison has raised raised the price of their street meat.  A combo platter is now $5.45.  I’m not sure if this is just this cart or all of them, but I do know that we paid $5 for a combo at the Rafiqi’s on 44th and 5th.  It seems weird that different Rafiqi’s carts would have different prices.  Considering they came in 2nd to last, nobody should care too much about this, although sadly it is probably a sign of more price increases to come.  It joins Kwik Meal as just another addition to our ever expanding Price Hike List.

Speaking of Kwik Meal…  Read more »