Maoz Vegetarian, the European build your own falafel chain with branches in Union Square, NYU, and the UWS, opened their very first Midtown location a few weeks ago (on 7th Ave. and 40th Street). There is no shortage of falafel options in Midtown, but I have always been intrigued by Maoz- especially since Serious Eats: New York named it the best falafel in Union Square. So last week I headed over to give this new addition to the Midtown Lunch scene a try.

If you’ve already been to Maoz, I’m guessing this is no different than any of the other locations. Like any chain, the operation seems pretty streamlined and I’m guessing it’s the same from place to place. I had no basis for comparison, so on this visit was just a fat guy wondering if this was going to replace any of my other go to falafel places in Midtown. I like the idea of building my own sandwich, because layering is incredibly important to me- and so many places just don’t do it right. I was kind of excited to get to give the sandwich building a go.

First things first, the place is tiny. And the register is right when you enter the door, so if you are a Maoz virgin it helps to understand a bit about the menu. You can order your falafel ala carte (for $4.95) but if you do that, items like fried eggplant and hummus are extra (a travesty if you ask me!), bringing your total closer to $7. That’s the why the combo is clearly the best deal. You get a falafel sandwich (w/ hummus and fried eggplant already included) plus a drink and french fries for $8.75 (sweet potato fries are 50 cents extra.) Part of me thinks “that’s how they getcha!”, but another part of me loves french fries and a drink. Although usually I’m too cheap to order those extras, so I always appreciate a place that offers a combo deal to make the decision easy (are you hearing this Five Guys!?!)

Once you order, you are given your drink and sandwich- which at this point is just a pita pocket with falafel, hummus, and fried eggplant. It’s up to you to add the rest. As you make your way down the veggie bar, it’s self service- so you’re given free reign over the options like beets, carrots, Israeli salad, cabbage, chick peas, and more. There is some great looking stuff, but your pita is not that large- and since the falafel balls are already inside it is incredibly difficult to layer all the items properly. Plus you’ve got your drink to worry about, and the place is already packed- so there isn’t much time to really dilly dally. At the end of the assembly line there is tahini, hot sauce, and some more sauce options to finish things off.

Once you are completely done, they’ll wrap your sandwich up for you at the end of the line and give you your fries with a bag and napkins. It’s kind of fun, and kind of terrifying.

As for the taste, I was a big fan of the falafel balls- which are the cilantro/parsley green variety- and all the toppings were good and fresh as well. The fried eggplant is a great addition, and was far better than some of the fried eggplant you get on some Israeli salad bars in Midtown. The hot sauce packs a mean punch, so be real careful when putting that on (I would recommend trying to spread it on the side of the pita if you can get down in there.)

The fries, which come in a cone, are made to look like fresh cut fries (unpeeled at the tips) but they tasted like they are probably frozen at a central location and shipped around to all the Maoz locations. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good fries and very tasty- but won’t blow your mind.

As for the concept, it’s kind of fun making your own sandwich, and I like the free reign you get at the salad bar. But in the end, the place is packed, and you don’t get a ton of time to really think about what you’re doing. Add to that the fact that the pita is really small, and it’s tough to layer everything, and you start to appreciate the system at places like Kosher Deluxe (where they give you small side plate to load up on salad.)

In other words, it all tasted good, but I feel like the true measure of a perfect Israeli falafel (after the balls themselves) is the layering. If you order a falafel in pita, the assembly makes all the difference. Watching the guy behind the counter at Azuri Cafe (on 51st and 10th) is like watching an amazing chef as conductor. Each ingredient is added in small amounts, in a very particular order, so that as you eat through the sandwich all the flavors are perfectly balanced. I’ve always felt the downfall of places like Moshe’s (on 46th and 6th) is that the layering was off. Falafel balls at the bottom, salad in the middle, and tahini poured on top means the first half of the sandwich is all tahini and salad, and the second half is all falafel.

And Maoz is no different. As hard as I tried to move the falafel balls over, and get the different veggies down in there, it proved to be very very difficult. And having the hot sauce and tahini at the end is the worst. You need hot sauce at the beginning so you can spread it along the entire inside of the pita. Otherwise your first 4 bites are super spicy, and the rest of the sandwich is mild.

All in all I did like my sandwich, and the fries and lemonade you get with the combo make it completely worth $9. The food tasted good, and I will definitely be back. But Maoz also makes you more appreciative of the salad bar at places like Kosher Deluxe and Baraca (formerly Olympic Pita), and opens your eyes to how much skill it takes to make a truly perfect falafel sandwich.

THE +

• You get to build your own sandwich, and I love complete control!
• They combo meal is a good deal.  You get sandwich, fries and a large drink for $9 (far better deal than ordering ala carte.)
• The fried eggplant is a great addition (and completely necessary)
• Love the iced tea and lemonade
• Hot sauce is hoooooot!

THE -

• You get to build your own sandwich.  (Maybe this is should be left to the professionals)
• The set up makes it very difficult to layer the ingredients
• How is eggplant and hummus not included in a regular sandwich! Booooooo
• The place is tiny, so sometimes there is a bottle neck after you order and you’re waiting for your sandwich. Plus you can feel rushed
• One person can only handle one sandwich.  It’s practically impossible to build two sandwiches… so if you like picking up lunch for friends this is not the place for you.

Maoz Vegetarian, 200 W. 40th Street (on 7th Ave.) 212-777-0820

It looks like Sahara Grill, the old Turkish take out place on 40th & 7th that closed in January, is being replaced by a branch of Maoz Vegetarian- the European falafel chain. Maoz has locations all over the world, including three in NYC, but this is their first in Midtown; and while I haven’t tried it yet, Serious Eats:New York called it the best falafel in Union Square. The positives: you get your choice of some tasty looking toppings (like eggplant, hard boiled egg, avocado, or feta) and they have Belgian fries (the chain started in Amsterdam).  The negatives: another small, individually owned Midtown Lunch place is being replaced by a chain.

I doubt it will supplant Olympic Pita (on 38th btw. 5+6th) as my favorite falafel in the area- but it does set up the inevitable Maoz vs. Crisp falafel chain showdown.  Crisp’s second location is opening just down the street at the end of the week (on 40th btw. 6+B’way).  No word yet on when Maoz will be opening.

Yesterday it was Gourmet Magazine editor Ruth Reichl shining a light on Midtown Lunch’ing, this morning it’s the New York Times.  Sophie’s Cuban, one of the more popular lunch’ing options we have (and not just because of their free lunch grand openings), is reviewed in the $25 and under column in the New York Times today.  Considering that the newest location (40th btw. 7+8th) is across the street from their building, it’s not all that surprising.  Pete wells pays special attention to the pork and plantain sandwich, calling it “authentic sandwich bliss.”  He also mentioned the all too familiar sensation of having your “mind go blank“ shortly after eating it.  My brain is going numb just thinking about it. [NYT]

12:10 – Didn’t take too long to get into the restaurant

12:17 – Sitting in the top balcony eating my food.  Not a bad wait at all.  I’ve had almost everything else on the menu, so I went with the fish.  My favorite part was the sticker on the container that made it clear these were “sample” size portions.  Let that sink in.  They are saying the normal portions are larger than the massive amount of food you see in the container above… and then the greatest thing of all time happened:

A guy started walking around the balcony with a tray full of fried pork skin.  Um… are you shitting me?  Did I just die and go to some sort of free food heaven?

For more on Sophie’s multiple Midtown locations, go here.

Just got word that the Sophie’s Cuban on 40th btw. 7+8th (that we’ve been waiting for since April of Last year!) will have its customary, pre-grand opening “Free Food Day”, tomorrow- Wednesday March 19th.  The restaurant won’t actually be ready to go until late tomorrow afternoon, but they will be bringing in tons of food from their other locations to feed the hordes.

They expect to be ready to go at 11:30am, and will serve a limited menu of free food until it all runs out (they plan on making it until late afternoon, but with Con-Ed still being a question mark, and the food coming from another location, they cannot be positive).    

Unlike the perfect weather at their last grand opening, which made for long lines, tomorrow is looking to be rainy, meaning us die hard free food/Sophie’s fans should be in good shape.  (On the other hand it’s a very short walk from the New York Times building, and we all know how well journalists are paid… so it could be a long lunch.)

What “free food day” got you last March on 56th St., after the jump…

I doubt they’ll have oxtails tomorrow, with their “limited menu”, but whatever…  it’s free!  See you there…

And so the quest to find the best chicken parm sub in Midtown rambles on.  First, there was Tuscany Catering, the little hidden catering place/take out counter on 55th btw. 5+6th.  I was down with it, but my boss (the resident chicken parm expert) wasn‘t impressed- and a few commenters noted that it was just average.  The train moved on to 45th St., where we hit up Little Italy Pizza.  The bread was good, but the chicken was not up to par, unlike across the street at Park Italian- where the chicken is good, but the bread was weak the day we were there (apparently, their 1st string bread is much better than their 2nd string bread, and maybe we got the back up bread?).

Commenter Margot mentioned La Bellezza on 49th btw. Lex+3rd, and since then, I have gotten a few more recommendations over email.  Then, two weeks ago, Profiled Midtown Lunch’er “David” mentioned the Chicken Parm from a La Bellezza on 40th & 7th.  Same place?  Different place?  What is going on here?  I set out to discover some answers… and by that, I mean I used this as an excuse to eat Chicken Parm subs for lunch in one week.

What I discovered, and some chicken parm sub porn- after the jump…

The La Bellezza on 40th btw. 7+8th is actually Labeleca on the sign outside, despite being listed on Menupages and other sites as La Bellezza.  A small take out pizza place, I’ve walked by this joint a ton of times without going in.  But not today.  It was mission time.  It gets a little crowded during lunchtime, so if you want pizza just step to the left hand corner and order your pizza.  If you want subs or pasta step up to the counter on the right and order from that counter.

The pizza looked pretty weak, but luckily we were not there for the pizza.  The sub gets assembled behind the counter, and then popped into the pizza oven for a little toasting (and to melt the cheese).  The bread was much better than you’d expect at a little hole in the wall like this, and the chicken was very well seasoned.  Rather than one thick piece of chicken, this sandwich features two thinly sliced chicken breasts stacked up on top of each other.  The result, more crispy fried stuff in your sandwich.  Very nice indeed.  Good amount of cheese too.  The only downside (for some) is that they didn‘t put enough sauce on our sandwiches- but that is easily fixed.  (I actually like my chicken parm a little more dry, so I was down with it.)  Cost:  $6.00  Not bad at all.

With Labeleca firmly in the thumbs up category, I headed over to La Bellezza 49th btw. Lex+3rd, on a different day (I’m fat, but not a machine.)  La Bellezza III according to the sign, it was pretty much the same set up (although the pizza looked much better than Labeleca).  Order pizza at the counter on the left, sandwiches and pastas go straight to the counter on the right (don’t get caught in the pizza line if you want to order a sub.) 

They also confirmed that Labeleca and La Bellezza III were owned by the same people, but when I asked whose food was better, the guy said “Most people say it’s ours.”  Fair enough.  One chicken parm sub to test out this theory.

Once again, I was served two thinly pounded chicken breasts stacked on top of each other.  Good amount of cheese, good bread, and the perfect amount of sauce (i.e. a little more than the version at Labeleca).  The sauce was real nice, and not too sweet (the downfall of many chicken parm subs).  All and all, another thumbs up.  Total cost:  $6.50.   La Bellezza was even smaller than Labeleca, and even more crowded- so be prepared to be cramped and take your food to go if one of the 4 or 5 stools in the place is taken.  Same goes for Labeleca- although they have more stools. 

I’m not ready to call off the search for the best chicken parm sub just yet (I still have to hit up Mondello’s on 37th, Lazzarra’s on 38th and if all else fails, an “Out of Bounds” post about Manganaro’s on 9th Ave.)  But for now, La Bellezza III & Labeleca are where it’s at.

THE +

• Good bread
• Sauce that isn’t too sweet
• Very well seasoned, thinly pounded out chicken breasts (so they don’t get dried out)
• Not too expensive ($6-6.50) for a nap inducing sub

 THE -

• Labeleca can be a little dry sometimes (but you can always ask for extra sauce)
• Both places are tiny, and can get pretty cramped
• Neither have any tables, just stools- and there aren’t very many, so you have to be prepared to take your food to go.

Labeleca, 200 W. 40th St. (just west of 7th Ave.), 212-869-9605

La Bellezza III, 145 E. 49th St. (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-871-3223

Like fried chicken, alot is written about great hamburgers in New York City.  People argue all the time over who makes the best burger in the city.  Shake Shack and Burger Joint are always on the list, and new places seem to open up every week.  Then of course there are the expensive burgers, with truffles and foie gras and the such.  In the end, a $3 Big Mac tastes good, but it’s no competition for a real burger, made with quality beef.

Fried chicken is a whole different ball game.  I don’t care what kind of prejudice you have against fast food places, I’m telling you, Popeyes is frickin good.  If you want delicious fried chicken, you will be hard pressed to find some that tastes better than the spicy chicken at Popeyes.  Sure, your extra money might buy you better side dishes, a fancier atmosphere and organic chickens that were treated very nicely before they were dipped in batter and fried up crispy… but in the end, when you are just talking about taste- Popeyes can hold its own with the best of them.

Pictures and a +/- after the jump…

Alot of people don’t know this, but in many parts of the country (like New Orleans), Popeyes is an institution.  For those of us who grew up in the North East, or in my case- Miami (New York South) Popeyes was always thought of as the second rate chicken place.  New ones never opened,  so the franchises that did exist, were always old and in crappy locations, totally dilapidated, and they didn’t have popcorn chicken!  (I always went to KFC.)  In New Orleans, Popeyes is like Starbucks.  Everybody eats there, and most of the locations are suprisingly well kept.  And if there is one thing I’ve learned about New Orleans- they know their fried food.

Like most fast food fried chicken places Popeyes has two versions of their chicken (regular and spicy), chicken sandwiches, boneless strips, a few seafood dishes, an assortment of side dishes and of course- biscuits.  I went with the three piece meal (or as I like to call it, the “Fat Guy” special) with Cajun Rice and a biscuit.  The breast was a tiny bit dry (as breasts can be), but the spicy crunchy crust that covered the whole thing, made up for that.  The cajun rice was fine (meat filled dirty rice), and the biscuit of course was delicious.  You may say the “secret ingredient” is lard.

My co-workers got the boneless chicken strips, and the fried chicken sandwich- both of which came with a totally different crust than the fried chicken.  Very curious.  It was a lighter color than the fried chicken crust, and isn’t spicy- but I believe you can get a spicy version.  Both were good, but nothing special.  The spicy fried chicken is what makes Popeyes worth going to.

With a new location of a fast food place, you are always going to have some service issues- and this one was no different.  They have plenty of cashiers, so the lines move pretty quick, but it took about 15 minutes for the order of chicken strips to come out (I guess they didn’t have any ready)… but they fully made up for it by giving us some free chicken and biscuits for having to wait.  What I didn’t realize was that, extra chicken and biscuits is more of a curse, (especially when you are stupid enough to look up the nutritional information online after you eat).  I don’t know what is wrong with me.

Lucky for Popeyes, I didn’t notice any of these service problems, because I was too busy getting pissed at these three people for stealing the table I had been waiting 10 minutes for.  (They hadn’t even ordered their food yet, and didn’t seem to care when I told them I had been waiting 10 minutes for the table.  Fun fun.  I guess I was supposed to stand directly on top of the lady who was finishing her lunch, so I could sit down at the first possible second she was done…) And that is other the problem with the new location… seating.  There are only 5 or 6 tables, and they were all full (despite it being the first week open).  The manager informed me that they have the maximum number of tables allowed for a restaurant that does not have a bathroom for customers.  So, unfortunately you need to be prepared to take your food to go- a huge bummer if it’s cold out, and you have a long way to walk.

All in all, it’s a great re-addition to Midtown (there were a few Popeyes that existed over a year ago but are now gone).  Popeyes is delicious fried chicken…. but whatever you do, don’t eat the second biscuit (or a third piece of fried chicken) (or look at the nutrional information).

THE +

• Delicious, spicy, and crispy fried chicken
• Awesome biscuits
• Cajun flavored sides like Red Beans & Rice, & Dirty Rice
• It’s fast food, so it’s cheap

THE -

• They have regular fried chicken, but it’s the “spicy” chicken that sets Popeyes apart from the rest (so if you don’t like spicy, you may not be into it- although it’s not that spicy)
• The biscuits are made with lard
• Everything is super greasy (including the biscuits made from lard)
• You may not feel so great after lunch
• The nutritional information is bad
• There aren’t alot of seats at the location, so you may have to take your food to go… something you’d like to avoid with a food like fried chicken
• Service may be spotty

Popeyes, 240 W. 40th St. (btw. 7+8th)

For those of us longing to be in New Orleans right now for Mardi Gras, this will be have to be our consolation prize.  (It’s no “Mama’s” Chicken Box, but it will do!)  Spicy Fried Chicken, biscuits (made with lard), and red beans and rice.

Pics of the inside, after the jump… 

If you’re not a Popeye’s convert just yet, a full +/- is coming soon.  For those who have seen the light, I’ll see you there at lunchtime!