Now that the Super Bowl is out of the way, you’re probably sick and tired of fried chicken wings. Here at Midtown Lunch, we never get tired of fried chicken, especially when it’s covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. Many of you probably had traditional buffalo wings for the big game, but Korean fried chicken is not like Southern fried chicken or buffalo wings. The texture contrast and sauces make Korean fried chicken a different beast. A beast that I like eating. When I heard about Bon Chon opening up on 38th, I was really ecstatic until I heard about the 2 hour wait… After waiting for the dust to settle and giving Bon Chon time to figure out a better system, I decided to go check out their famous Korean fried chicken.

First let’s talk about the menu at Bon Chon. It’s a four-step ordering process. You pick the number of pieces you want along with whether you want ‘Drumstics’, wings, white meat (which is like chicken tenders), or mixed. I would list out all the possible price combination for the Midtown Lunch audience, but it’s way too complicated. On the menu, this part is displayed in a 4×3 matrix and the prices are listed as lunch prices. If you want dinner, add $2 to every price. So after you pick the amount of chicken, you choose a sauce (soy garlic or hot & spicy.) They allow you to mix sauces if you order a lot of chicken, but if you just get the 3 piece meal, you’re only allowed to order one sauce. Then after the sauces, you pick a side. Coleslaw, dinner roll, yellow rice, or french fries. On the day I went, they didn’t have yellow rice, and only had white rice.

So now you’re wondering what the fourth step is in this ordering process. The fourth step is for add ons… sort of. They have over ten things on this section, but they only had four available for now: fried calamari ($13), zucchini fries ($11), mini shrimp and onions ($14) and soy pot stickers ($10). Clearly if you want chicken plus something else and stay in the Midtown Lunch price range… then you’re out of luck for now. If you want to try some of the cooler sounding things on the menu, like bulgogi taco, you’ll have to wait a little bit. Call ahead before you go and confirm what the kitchen has that day. I think they still might be getting over the shit-storm stage of a recently opened restaurant.

I picked the $7 dollar meal with both drumsticks and wings and I got ‘em spicy. You get 1 drumstick and 4 wings, but they actually threw in an extra drumstick. Maybe they got so busy that they just started piling chicken into a container and shoving it out of the kitchen. The chicken itself is first rate. The skin basically acts like a hard cocoon for the moist meat. It’s not just any cocoon, it’s a crunchy one with a sticky and spicy glaze on the outside. I know many of you out there can handle the heat and prefer it when restaurants don’t hold back. I’m happy to tell you that the Hot & Spicy sauce delivers. It’s not unbearably hot or anything, but it’s definitely strong enough for you to notice. That’s where the pickled daikons come in handy. They give you a little cup of pickled daikons as part of the meal and it’s cool and refreshing. The french fries were nothing to write home about. They came crunchy like the chicken, however they weren’t seasoned. If you love thick cut french fries, then these obviously aren’t for you.

I had to wait 30 minutes from the time the order was placed to the time chicken was consumed. This wasn’t too much of a burden because they had TVs in the restaurant. Bon Chon has three flat screen TVs on the first level, and even more on the second level seating area. During the wait, I noticed people who just came in and picked up large orders and walked away with bags and bags full of food. The trick at Bon Chon is to call ahead and place your order, otherwise you’re going to be waiting because the fried chicken process takes some time.

Also, the real Korean fried chicken aficionados out there might have a favorite chain for this stuff, and might not like Bon Chon. I know there’s a Kyochon opening up sometime in the next fifty years. So we’ll see what their chicken is like when they open…

The + (What somebody likes this place would say)

• Korean fried chicken is awesome
• I need variety aside from Popeyes
• The potentially long wait doesn’t bother me

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• If they ever run out of chicken when I get there, I can’t wait even longer
• 1 wing is actually 1/2 a wing.  So you’re paying $7  for 3 full chicken wings, or 1 drumstick and 2 full wings.  That’s too damn expensive!
• I’d rather go to Popeye’s.  It’s cheaper, and quicker.
• Kyochon is much better…

Bon Chon Chicken, 207 W. 38 St. (btw. 7+8th), 212-221-3339

It’s been over a week since Ying Du on 38th btw. 7+8th was shuttered by the DOH, and no “live animal present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas” or “evidence of rats” is going to keep me away from my favorite take out Chinese place in the Garment District. Ok, so maybe I would have felt different if I had looked at the restaurant inspection before I went… but it doesn’t matter! Clearly they’ve fixed the problems if they’re back open, right? And my $5.50 order of head on salt and pepper shrimp and roast pork over sauteed noodles was most excellent.

Lunch’ers who ventured over to 38th St. btw. 7+8th today expecting a plate of roast pork over rice from Ying Du, or a plate of katsu from Go Go Curry were greeted by this scene.  Both restaurants were closed today, and converted into sets for “All Good Things” a new Kirsten Dunst/Ryan Gosling movie filming on the street. 

Ying Du as the “Times Square Deli” and Go Go Curry as a “Body Rub Parlor”, after the jump…

Starring Ying Du as “Times Square Sandwich Shop”

Also co-starring Go Go Curry as “Body Rub Parlor” 

Thanks to Lunch’er Steve, who forwarded along the photos.  He says both places will re-open tomorrow, and Go Go Curry will be giving out free topping coupons to make up for being closed.

If you have any news to report, or photos to send along, email them to zach@midtownlunch.com

Awhile back I posted a “Where to get Bubble Tea” Ask Midtown Lunch post, which yielded a few responses: Dishes (which is supposedly terrible) and Hing Won on 48th btw. 5+6th, which is not that bad. You can get in Koreatown on 32nd btw. B’way and 5th, but for those of us working in the heart of Midtown Lunch, there’s not much. I did however noticed the other day that Ying Du on 38th btw. 7+8th (formerly the 38th St. Restaurant and Bakery) is now serving bubble tea. For $2.50 you get a decent size cup, and the regular black tea version I had was pretty darn good (especially in the ridiculous heat,) and definitely better than Hing Won.

If you’re heading over to Go Go Curry today for your 3 free toppings coupons, you might want to check it out- it’s right next door.  Anybody else have a bubble tea suggestion?  Feel free to put it in the comments below…

More important than that though, Go Go Curry has decided to top their oh so giant and awesome “Grand Slam” with a newly introduced “World Champion Curry.” Check it out (in all its greatness) after the jump…

There’s so much about this flier to get excited about I had to post the whole thing. 1 pork katsu, 1 chicken katsu, 4 sausages, 2 shrimps and a boiled egg (over curry topped rice). At $25 I’m a little skeptical because the grand slam is half the price, but seems like more than half the food. Then again the Champion Curry weighs 5 1/2 pounds, and there are only 5 orders available each day. I’m sure they’re not skimping… You’d need to recruit at least two other people to make it a Midtown Lunch (and I’m guessing four people would be filled up this monstrosity), but I’d like to find the lunch’er who could polish one off on their own (and possibly video tape it). Any volunteers?! 273 W. 38th St. (btw. 7+8th), 212-730-5555

Super cheap Chinese steam table, Rong Bao Fast Food, on 38th btw. 7+8th, was mysteriously closed yesterday.  Not sure if this is permanent, but if it is, it’s no big surprise.  Given the choice between Rong Bao, and the newly renovated Ying Du directly across the street (formerly the 38th St. Restaurant and Bakery), I’d always go to Y.D.

How the DOH is pushing more business to the best sandwich shop in Midtown, after the jump…

Directly across town, the Department of Health shut down “Cafe Trend” on the corner of 39th St. and 3rd Ave.  Normally this wouldn’t be Midtown Lunch worthy news, but apparently the closing has created a ton of spillover for Milant, the tiny deli next door (and home to what I consider the best sandwiches in Midtown).  Truthfully, if you chose Cafe Trend over Milant to begin with, you’re a total idiot, and deserve to be inconvenienced.

In related news, Winter is not officially over until Milant starts serving their famous Gazpacho, which they told me would be coming sometime in June.

If you have any news, tips or recommendations, email them to zach@midtownlunch.com

Kare Raisu (Curry Rice) is an incredibly popular lunchtime dish in Japan, and while a number of Midtown Lunch places serve it (Yagura, 47th St. Convenience Store), Go Go Curry is the only place in Midtown where it is the specialty.  You can’t get anything else.   I wrote about it when it first opened, but didn’t give it a proper write up at the time.  With baseball season coming to an end, I figured it was a perfect time to really see what they’ve got, and give it a proper +/-.

The Katsu Curry (fried pork cutlet) is the industry standard, but they also offer chicken cutlet, sausages, & fried shrimp- and if you are anything like me, there’s only one option.  All of it.  And the only way to do that, is The Grand Slam- a $12.50 platter of everything Go Go Curry has to offer.

Here’s what a normal $7.50 order of Katsu Curry will get you:

The $12.50 Grand Slam after the jump…

Do you see how I sacrifice my body for you people?  I wish I could claim that I ate the whole thing by myself, but I had to bring help in the form of a co-worker.  And while I’m pretty sure many of you Midtown Lunch faithful would be able to polish one of these off yourself (and I’m very sure you all would have liked to have seen me try), technically the $12.50 Grand Slam is out of the Midtown Lunch price range, unless you split with someone else.

In a platter more than twice as large as the normal order, they start with a gargantuan mound of rice, and cover it in their version of Japanese curry, a sweet and very slightly spicy thick sludge of a sauce.  Hearty and tasty, it’s good- but very rich, and the type of thing that will have you digging for some un-sauced plain white rice three quarters of the way through your dish.

On top of that, they pile one fried pork cutlet, one chicken cutlet, two sausages, one fried shrimp (with a tartar sauce kind of thing on top), a hard boiled egg and some shredded cabbage.  It was as glorious as it looks.

There are only a few other toppings they have that don’t come served on the grand slam, but can be added to any order.  Fukujinzuki, a Japanese pickled relish is now on the menu, and can be added to any dish for $1, as well as Natto (fermented soy beans), Rakkyo (pickled shallots) and raw egg. 

As we scarfed it down, I was urged on by this nice looking young lady on the wall:

As well as the desire to not let down Hideki himself, who has his own shrine in the corner:

Hopefully Hideki will recover from his knee problems, and hit us a few more free topping coupons before the end of the playoffs.  I think I may have the perfect cure for him, and it only costs $12.50.

THE +

• The only place in Midtown that specializes only in Japanese Curry
• The cury is rich and very flavorful.  Sweet, and slightly spicy.
• The food comes out fresh to order, instead of prepackaged in lunchtime bento boxes
• The fried cutlets are crispy and delicious.  The pork is more flavorful (i.e. it’s more fatty), but if you are squemish about meat, go with the chicken which is white meat.
• They list the Katsu Curry as the best deal, but if you have a friend to share with, the Grand Slam is easily the best deal.  $6.25 a person, and you get a little bit of everything.
• They have a monkey as a mascot.

THE -

• For some, the curry may be too thick.  There are lighter Japanese curries to be had in Midtown
• If you don’t eat pork, nothing is safe.  I’m pretty sure the curry is made with pork.
• I’m still not exactly sure of the difference betwen the SM, M & L portions.  I think you just get more rice and meat in the same size container.  Medium is a pretty safe bet, I think. 

Go Go Curry, 273 W. 38th St. (btw. 7+8th), 212-730-5555

It’s May 31st, so today is the final day to enjoy any size dish of curry for $5 at Go Go Curry (38th St. btw. 7+8th Ave).  Starting tomorrow, every item will be its normal menu price ($7.00 and up).  On the plus size, you’ll be able to finally take food to go,  and toppings will finally be available, which include Raw or Boiled Egg, Rakkyo (a Japanese pickled shallot), natto (fermented soybeans), or cheese.  PLUS you’ll be able to use those Free Topping Cards you’ve been hoarding over the past month.  But that’s all tomorrow.  Today, it’s $5 curry!

For un-fat people not looking to stuff various foods with french fries, a picture like this might be hard to decipher.  I am not one of those people.  Thanks to Josh, I became aware of the very exciting information that Pick a Pita (on 38th btw. 7+8th) will stuff your falafel or shwarma sandwich with french fries.  Immediately this place went from “that shwarma place I heard was good and should probably try out” to “Pick a Pita.  The greatest place ever invented in the history of mankind”.

Apparently stuffing your shwarma sandwich or falafel in pita is commonplace in many countries in the Middle East… but for some reason I have not seen it done at any of the places in Midtown.  I’m sure there are places I have been to that will put french fries in your sandwich if you ask, but Pick a Pita doesn’t force you to figure this out for yourself.  They suggest it for you:

50 cents is a small price to pay for the greatest sandwich condiment of all time.  Sure, you can order french fries anywhere and put them on top yourself, but then people might think you are fat and disgusting.  Pay someone else to do it, and now it’s not your fault!  “Honey… it wasn’t MY idea.  They put them in the sandwich BEFORE they gave it to me!”  If that doesn’t work, I just go with the more accurate ”I’d be crazy NOT to get the fries stuffed into the sandwich!”

More food porn, and the +/- after the jump…

Besides the whole french fry thing, Pick a Pita is a pretty standard Israeli style falafel & shwarma place.  Tucked away on 38th St. btw. 7+8th, right now- the sign is covered in scaffolding.  Once you find the sign, you actually have to walk through some sort of weird loading dock/hallway to get into the small storefront.  They only have about 4-5 tables, so be prepared to take it to go if the tables are all filled up.

Pick a Pita has falafel, chicken & lamb shwarma, shnitzel and various kebabs all available in platter or sandwich form.  Not sure what to order?  Hover for a little while, and they will probably offer you a taste of the super tasty chicken shwarma cut straight from the hot spit.  I actually saw them give one lady a whole falafel ball, just to try.  A platter comes with 2 side orders, but if you order a sandwich- they pretty much allow you to stuff it with whatever you want.

On a mission, I knew exactly what I wanted without looking at the menu.  1 Chicken shwarma sandwich with french fries please!  “Do you want the fries on the side or in the sandwich?”  Look at my stomach buddy.  What do you think???  I also had them throw some eggplant, tomato & cucumber salad, carrots and cabbage in there, topped off with the fries and tahini.  The picture doesn’t really do the thing justice… all you can see is the tahini covered french fries.  I guess in the end, it is sort of fitting.

The chicken shwarma was flavorful and delicious, and the toppings were all great as well.  You have your choice of everything you could possibly want, including eggplant- which was my favorite.  But the real star of the thing was the bread.  Their pita bread is really fluffly and fresh tasting, unlike alot of the stalish, thin pita breads you find at falafel places in Midtown (Moshe’s & House of Pita I’m looking at you). The whole thing cost $8.00 ($7.50 for the sandwich, 50 cents for the fries)…  A little pricey for a smallish sandwich in pita bread, but considering how great all the ingredients were (and their willingness to stuff it with fries), I didn’t really mind.  As is the case in most places like this, the falafel is the much cheaper option.  $5.00 (plus 50 cents for the french fries of course).  Not as good a deal as Kosher Deluxe, but still a great option for your falafel or shwarma fix.

Despite the hype, the french fries didn’t really add anything to the sandwich- other than me being able to revel in my own fatness, exclaiming that I had a sandwich stuffed with french fries!  But such is life.  Sometimes food is more about fun (and making people think you’re disgusting) than taste.

THE +

• They’ll pretty much stuff whatever you want into the pita for you!
• Really tasty chicken shwarma, and good falafel
• Great selection of salads and veggies for pita stuffing
• The service is super nice, and they usually will give you a sample of something if the place isn’t too crowded and you are undecided.

THE -

• $7.50-$8.00 is a little pricey for a pita sized shwarma sandwich.  Usually for that price you can get a much larger sandwich on laffa
• In the end the french fries were a little limp & soggy, and didn’t really add too much to the sandwich
• The place is tiny, and there isn’t alot of seating (meaning you may have to take it to go)
• The hot sauce isn’t super hot

Pick a Pita, 247 W 38th St. (btw. 7+8th) 212-730-7482

Now located at 601 8th Ave (btw. 39+40th)

Last week, I found a place for lunch that made me feel that way, without leaving Midtown.  It’s Chinese, and in the Garment District, and eating there made me feel transported to a different country.  I’m not saying the food was the best, most authentic Chinese food I’ve ever had (far from it).  I’m saying that this place was a dirty hole, packed with people speaking a different language. I had no idea what I was ordering, sat at a cramped table with three people I didn’t know (who also didn’t speak very much English)… and I loved every minute of it. 

Just like most eating in Foreign countries, this place is not for everyone.  The food is hit or miss, the place is real dirty, and you don’t necessarily know exactly what you’re eating.  But the price is right (it’s super cheap),  and if you like meals to be adventures, this is as good as it’s going to get in Midtown.

Pictures, what I ate and the +/- after the jump…

On 38th St. btw. 7th & 8th in the Garment District there are actually two Chinese restaurants across the street from each other.  Rong Bao Fast Food and the 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery.  Both serve super cheap Chinese lunch from steamtables (3 items for $3.75), both look like they could have been transported from Chinatown, and it’s no real secret why both places are there (there are a lot of Chinese people working in the Garment District).  I chose the 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery for two specific reasons.  #1.  The word “Bakery”.  (That one is pretty self explanatory).  And #2.  The 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery has roast duck and roast pork (hanging in the window).  Rong Bao doesn’t.  Simple enough.

You actually have two choices when eating at the 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery.  The roasted items in the front window, or the items from the steam tables.  Either way, lunch is $3.75.  If you want the roasted items you can get 1 item over rice with a vegetable, or a combination of any two or three.  Roast pork, roast duck or roast chicken.  Unfortunately, because of the language barrier, I didn’t find this out until after I had ordered just roast pork- but if the pork alone was any indication, this station is a real winner.  It was awesome, they give you a ton of it, it comes with your choice of vegetable (I had bok choy) and it was freakin awesome.  It wasn’t warm, but even borderline cold it was delicious.  I don’t doubt that the duck is equally good (if you like greasy, Chinese roast duck).

The steam table is where things get a little more adventurous.  There are about 10 items to choose from, and nothing is labeled.  The people scooping aren’t much help either.  They can tell you chicken, pork or beef but other than that, it’s a real crapshoot.  Just point to what looks good.  Three items and rice for $3.75.  I went for the pork chop, and something that looked like little stewed chicken bits on the bone.  After I selected those two items, the lady steered me toward a choice of vegetable.  I’m not sure if I could have ordered another meat item as my third choice, but clearly they want you to get two meats and a vegetable so I didn’t push it.  They had a lot of veggie choices, including bok choy, chinese broccoli, string beans, cabbage and what I believe looked like eggplant, but I can’t be absolutely positive.

It was actually a tough choice because nothing looked absolutely amazing.  In fact, there are probably alot of people who would think it all looked disgusting.  There’s no Orange Chicken here.  No egg rolls.  No bail out dishes for that co-worker who doesn’t like chinese food (i.e. Beef w/ Broccoli).  It’s the real deal.  I feel like I got pretty lucky.  The pork chop was really tasty, and tender enough that you didn’t need to saw at it with a knife. The chicken was even more tender, having been stewed in a some sort of ginger sauce.  Sure I ate a big hunk of ginger, thinking it was a slice of chicken, but what do you expect.  It cost $3.75.

There’s also free black tea (to cut through the grease), and free soup out of a large metal container alongside the steamtable.  If you do take the soup, make sure you scoop it out of the container yourself.  If you take an already poured cup from the table, it might be cold (like mine was). 

And then, there is the bakery!  Before 10am and after 3pm the steam tables are replaced by all sorts of baked goods, like the kind you would find in Chinatown.  Coconut buns, custard buns, moon cakes, pork buns and custard cups to name a few.  Stop by for breakfast, or for an afternoon snack.  If you need a post lunch dessert, they have a limited number of items during lunchtime in a large oven behind the counter.  Chinatown prices apply!  (i.e. everything is pretty much 60 cents)

Now, here’s my disclaimer… so please read carefully.  NOT EVERYONE WILL LIKE THIS PLACE.  NOT EVERY MEAL WILL BE GREAT (OR EVEN GOOD).  For $3.75, places like this are very hit or miss.  Sometimes you will get the best cut of roast pork (or duck), sometimes your pieces may be too fatty.  Sometimes you’ll choose correctly (I liked my pork chop), and sometimes you won’t.  And there’s always a risk of stray bones, a giant piece of ginger, or the food just being too greasy.  That’s what you get for $3.75.  This ain’t Panda Express, cookie cutter, mall food court Chinese food.

This is a place for people who want their lunch hour to be a mini adventure, driven by fear of the unknown.  Enjoyment that comes from risk, and loneliness, surrounded by people all speaking another language.  Crammed at tables in the back, with strangers (no seat is left unused), eating food in a place that is exciting because it is dirty… if this sounds appealing to you- than 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery is your new lunchtime oasis.

THE +

• Lunch as a food adventure.  A little slice of Chinatown in Midtown.
• The roast pork is awesome.  If you want to try this place, but are unsure of all the unknown stuff in the steam tables, just order the roast pork over rice with bok choy or chinese broccoli.   It’s something anybody can enjoy (if you like pork).  If you are even less adventurous, I’m sure the roast chicken is good as well.
• The price.  $3.75 for three items and rice.  Can’t be beat anywhere in Midtown.
• The bakery items.  As good as Chinatown, and super cheap (60 cents apiece)

THE -

• To alot of people, nothing on the steamtable is going to look good.
• Nothing is labeled, and some of the people working there don’t speak very good English
• Everything is pretty heavy and greasy
• It’s going to be hit or miss.  You could have a great meal there on one day, and a disgusting meal there another day

38th St. Restaurant & Bakery (btw. 7+8th), 212-575-6978