So for now, it looks like these guys are going to be around.  The question is, how is their new bulgogi dog and short rib tacos!?! (The answer, plus photos of the craziness, is after the jump.)

Every since the Kogi BBQ truck hit the streets of Los Angeles at the end of last year, Korean tacos have been all the rage.  It’s not a tough idea to grasp, and it’s not hard to understand how the city of L.A. gave birth to the concept (big Korean population + lots of Mexican taco trucks = Korean tacos!)  Since then, a few of us have been begging for Kogi to come to NYC- and even more recently at least one Kogi imitator has surfaced in the big apple. But this new cart is the first to bring them to Midtown.

I don’t think I was ever deluded into thinking these tacos would come close to equaling Kogi (and I was right), but they weren’t all that bad.  $6 for two, the “short ribs” (aka boneless galbi) get stirred up with chopped veggies and kochujang, the slightly sweet and spicy red sauce that usually gets poured on top of bi bim bap.  The mixture then gets put into two real deal Mexican corn tortillas that have been heated up on the flat top.  It’s not fine dining, but ends up tasting exactly how you would expect.  The red sauce gives it a good bit of heat, but the flavor of the meat is mostly masked by the “salsa”. Even so it was a tasty treat, and something different if you’re looking for a fun Korean taco lunch to tie you over until Kogi makes its debut in New York City at the end of the summer.

The Bulgogi Dog is another weird fusion food that has been popping up lately, although this one I think New York can take credit for (naturally.)  The first place I ever saw them at was New York Hot Dog & Coffee in the West Village, and once again the concept is a no brainer.  If the sound of chopped up Korean BBQ beef on top of a hot dog sounds good to you, you’ll like a bulgogi dog.  If it doesn’t, you probably won’t.  The Korean BBQ cart’s version gets topped with what looks like mustard and ketchup, but is actually mustard and (once again) kochujang.  The red sauce makes it pretty damn spicy, and like the taco the subtle flavor of the bulgogi is lost between the hot dog and sauces.  But overall it tasted exactly like you would expect.  (So, if you’re me, that’s to say “good”.)

Like I said last week, I don’t know if their bulgogi and kalbi is good enough alone to compete in Midtown (especially with the Bulgogi Cart just one block away serving practically the same thing.)  But the bulgogi dog and Korean tacos should be enough to distinguish them from the pack… at least until the Kogi truck gets here!

THE + (What somebody who does like this place would say.)

• I like bulgogi.  I like hot dogs.  Genius!!!
• I like galbi.  I like tacos.  Genius!!!
• They use the right kind of tortillas (corn)
• Really spicy from the delicious kochujang sauce
• Hot dog was nice and fat- and cooked on the flat top.  Not your average dirty water dog.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place is going to say.)

• Not the best bulgogi or kalbi you’re ever going to have
• The flavor of the meat is kind of lost under the strong flavors of the sauce (on the hot dog) and the salsa (in the tacos)
• The taco is just a cheap Kogi imitation, and not nearly as tasty
• Too spicy for me!
• $5 for the hot is fine, and $6 for tacos is ok- but they already raised the prices of their platters from $6 to $7!

Korean BBQ Cart, 50th btw. 6+7th

Related:
New Korean BBQ Truck to Serve Bulgogi Dogs & Korean Tacos

I’m always hesitant to check out carts when they first open.  So few know exactly what they are going to do from day one, and their list of offerings ends up morphing multiple times before they settle on a set menu.  (Anybody remember those white bread bulgogi sandwiches?)  So when the Happy Well Being House Cart popped up on 50th btw. 6+7th a few weeks ago, I decided to stand back and wait.  Their unconventional fried fish or grilled chicken with rice or potatoes menu seemed destined to be a flash in the pan.  When they added bulgogi a few weeks later, things started to seem a little more promising.  Once I found out they were related to the Downtown bulgogi cart that has been operating for awhile, I felt these guys were probably here to say.

And now that I’ve tried the food… I *know* they are.

A simple menu is always best when running a street cart, and their menu is as simple as it gets.  Choose between fried fish, grilled chicken or bulgogi, and you can have it served over white rice, fried rice, or potatoes.  No matter what you order it’s $6, $6.50 if you want it with a soda.  Naturally, I ordered one of everything.

The chicken, by far, is the least exciting option of the three.  It’s not bad, by any means, but it’s definitely the least exciting.  You get a ton of white meat chicken breast, grilled very well- although a tad bit dry (can’t be helped with fast food chicken breast), but you get your choice of sauces (BBQ, white sauce, hot sauce, or Korean bulgogi marinade).  We went with the white sauce, and a bit of bbq sauce.  Definitely a healthier chicken over rice option than most of the street carts in the area.  (And the only option that comes close to living up to the “Happy Well Being House” name.)  As for the potatoes, I will always take rice over potatoes, but if you love potatoes, this is huge deal for you.  No other cart serves up potatoes… so if you’re a fan, you should be incredibly excited for this option.  Not the best potatoes you will ever eat, but they are potatoes.  From a cart.  And they taste good.  What more could you want?

On to the bulgogi, which is marinated korean BBQ beef.  I don’t know if they listened to Daniel’s review of the Downtown Lunch cart, or what, but this bulgogi was much different than what Daniel got.  The beef was left in much larger chunks (traditionally bulgogi is a much much thinner cut) and there was some considerable char on the meat.  I got it over white rice (the only thing you should eat bulgogi over), and it was plenty sticky-despite some early adopters complaining that it wasn’t- so maybe they changed that as well? The flavoring was perfect, that slighly sweet subtle Korean BBQ flavor, and it was plenty of food.  The only real complaint you could make is that they don’t have kimchee (or any sort of Korean banchan) to go with the meal.  Oh well, you can’t have it all.

For comparison sake (I did promise a bulgogi smackdown) I got an order of bulgogi from the OG Korean cart on 49th btw. 6+7th and tried them side by side.  The Bulgogi Cart definitely offers a more “traditional” version of the dish (meaning it is very thinly sliced, and not charred at all), complete with kimchee and an ok version of japchae (which is hidden under the salad).  I also like their japchae (Korean noodles)/salad combo much better than the shredded cabbage you get from the Happy Well Being House cart, which was a bit too bitter for me.  But as for the meat itself, in matters of taste, quality of meat, and amount they give you- the H.W.B.H. cart kind of kicks the Bulgogi Cart’s ass, especially when you consider that the Bulgogi cart version costs $1 more ($7).  I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for… the kalbi at the Bulgogi cart is arguably better than both versions of bulgogi (although the Bulgogi Cart’s kalbi is more like flank steak than a traditional kalbi cut, which usually comes on the bone.)

Alright… now that that’s out of the way- we can get onto the star of the show.  THE FISH!  Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart (on 46th btw. 5+6th) has long been the fish frying master of Midtown carts, with nobody posing any sort of threat to their domination.  But that reign may be coming to an end.  In fairness, the HWBH cart is more an Asian style of fried fish (it seemed to be panko breaded), and they don’t do any sandwiches, or serve tartar sauce (a big Kim’s Aunt plus), but their fried fish is really freaking good.  And they give you a ton of it for $6.  We got it topped with hot sauce, and everybody agreed it was the best dish of the three.  Did I mention they give you a ton of fish?  Super crispy with a nice thick crust, and not an overwhelmingly fishy flavor (which is very important.)  We got this one on the fried rice, which was exactly like Daniel described the version they serve at their downtown cart- a weird yellow concoction with peas and carrots.  I would stick with the white rice or potatoes.

So all in all, I have to agree with all the Midtown Lunch early adopters who deemed this a worthy new addition to the neighborhood.  Until they add kimchee or japchae, I’ll probably be torn between their bulgogi and a kalbi box at the Bulgogi Cart- but if I want to mix it up with some fried fish, or a fried fish/bulgogi split (I wonder if they’ll do that!) the Happy Well Being House Cart is probably going to win out.

I’m sorry for doubting you Happy Well Being House Cart!  I think (and hope) you will be here for many years to come…

THE + (What somebody who likes this cart would say)

• They give you a ton of food
• You have many sauce options (white sauce, BBQ, hot sauce, Korean sauce)
• I like my bulgogi cut slightly thicker with a bit of char on it, so this is perfect!
• They give you a ton of food for $6
• I love potatoes, and want the opportunity to eat them from a cart
• The fish is super crispy, and excellent
• Did I mention you get a ton of food?

THE -

• They don’t make fried fish sandwiches, or have tartar sauce- so I’m going to stick with the Kim’s Aunt Kitchen cart
• Their “fried rice” is meh
• Their shredded cabbage/slaw thing is too bitter for my taste
• The bulgogi is not authentic
• They don’t give you any kimchee or japchae!
• If there is a line, it could take awhile…

Happy Well Being House Cart, 50th Street btw. 6+7th

To me there is nothing more exciting than the arrival of a brand new cart… especially when it’s as weird as this one! Meet the “Happy Well Being House” cart, which popped up on 50th street btw. 6+7th for the first time yesterday. Started by a Korean lady, and another girl (who I’m guessing is her daughter), the cart is serving up fried fish and grilled chicken, over rice or home fries for $6. They used to own an “American food” restaurant in Long Island. I don’t know what is “well being” about fried fish and hash browns but this cart is in the early lead for strangest cart of 2009.

I was already on my way to a different lunch destination, but thankfully they offered me a taste!

The chicken was pretty good for a cart (just plain white meat chicken with a really good char) but the fish was surprisingly even better. Crunchy on the outside, and not fishy tasting at all. I had it topped with teriyaki sauce (standard/sweet) and hot sauce (standard vinegary hot sauce, not that spicy) but you can also get it with white sauce or bbq sauce. I didn’t get to try the rice or the potatoes.

As fun as it is to see new carts, I can’t imagine this one will last too long… it’s probably a little too strange for the standard person in Midtown, and the menu is really limited (it’s literally just two things). But if you like fried fish (or home fries for lunch) and work in the area, I’d give it a try before it disappears!  It does say breakfast on the cart also… I wonder if they serve eggs and homefries in the morning. That would be awesome! Early adopters, let us know what you think the comments…

Life is all about expectations. Go into a meal expecting greatness, and 9 times out of 10 you’ll probably leave disappointed.  Go into a meal expecting to die, and you’ve got a good chance of walking out feeling like a winner. In those special cases, leaving without feeling sick is a pleasant accomplishment in and of itself. And that is how I felt walking into Tad’s Steaks on Thursday. I was scared. Real scared.

I would call Tad’s a fast food steak place, but that doesn’t really do it justice. It is a Midtown institution- if by institution you mean place everyone knows about.  If a restaurant has to be eaten in to qualify, than maybe institution isn’t the proper term.  In fact, while most people have a very strong (negative) opinion about Tad’s, few people have actually eaten there. See, there are three kinds of people who lunch in Midtown:

1. Those who have braved a meal at Tad’s, and come away sick or disgusted (a few people I know.)
2. Those who have braved a meal at Tad’s, and thought it was good enough to return (uh, only one person I know, and he accompanied me on this trip.) 
3. And everyone else.  The haters who have never been, but will not hesitate to tell you how terrible Tad’s must be.

I’ve always been a card carrying member of that last group. I didn’t need to eat at Tad’s to know it was terrible. Whether it’s the already poured glasses of wine, stacked on the counter, covered in saran wrap; or the interior that hasn’t been changed (or probably cleaned) since 1974, Tad’s is not very welcoming.  Even the $7 steak lunch special, which should be selling point enough (for its cheapness), ends up doing the opposite. Why is this so cheap? How can they make a steak so cheap?  You know what?  Scratch that. I don’t want to know.

A year and a half ago I wrote these words: “Got something you’ve seen in Midtown that you’re afraid to try?  Email me or post a comment about the place.  I’ll go, eat the thing, and write about it here on midtownlunch.com  Give me your best shot…”

I knew eventually somebody would make me pay, and 18 months later I found myself walking into the Tad’s Steaks on 7th Avenue btw. 46+47th.  See, I’m not sure that all Tad’s are created equal.  If you’ve ever walked by the Tad’s on Broadway & 51st you probably fall into the #3 category of people above. It looks kind of disgusting.  I mean, really disgusting.  There never seems to be anybody in there, and the whole place has the creepiness of a 70s slashes flick.  In contrast, the Tad’s on 47th is only slightly disgusting. 

Actually, maybe it wasn’t disgusting at all.  There were balloons.  And a line.  That’s right… a line.  Did you know that people actually wait in line to eat food from Tad’s?  9 people to be exact.  There were 9 people ahead of us in line, and since they cook all the steaks to order, so it ended up taking 15-20 minutes to get our food. And by that time, there were 9 people behind us. At this point, I admit I was feeling a lot less frightened.  Some of these people even looked like real pros (i.e. fat).  One guy had more on his tray than I eat in a whole day (I tried in vain to find that combo on the menu, but couldn’t), and the rest of the folks looked like they knew what they were doing. Hey, if Tad’s is good enough for repeat visitors to wait 15 mins in a line, it’s good enough for me.

Another misconception about Tad’s is that it’s cheap.  It’s actually not that cheap. (Well, maybe for steak it’s cheap.)  The regular menu is filled with steaks that are over $10.  And while nothing tops $20, I was surprised to find that unless you get the lunch special, Tad’s is actually out of the Midtown Lunch price range.  Lucky for us they offer the (mind boggling, possibly harmful to their reputation because you wonder how it is so cheap) deal.  $6.99 gets you a steak, baked or mashed potato, salad, and garlic bread. It just doesn’t seem right.

When you make it to within earshot of the grill, the cook will take your order, complete with how you want it cooked.  For the lunch special, you get your choice of strip steak or cowboy steak (which is just a skirt steak.)  My buddy (the one listed as a #2 above) got the strip steak, so for the sake of thoroughness I went with the cowboy, cooked medium.  Conventional wisdom would probably have you ordering your steak well done at a place like Tad’s (cook the the hell out of that possibly rancid meat) but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  Medium was my compromise. Raw steak goes on the grill, and 7-10 mins later you’re ready to go, every step of the spectacle there for you to watch (another strangely comforting aspect of Tad’s that you don’t get from most fast food chains in the city.)

Once the steak was done, it gets put on a plate with the potato and “garlic bread” (which is actually more like half of a loaf of Italian bread.) For 50 cents extra, they’ll give you a hearty scoop of grilled onions, which I consider to be a must, and after that you’ll get asked if you want gravy, which brought me to another realization. When it comes to Tad’s most people worry about getting sick from the meat. To them I say “Don’t be foolish!”  What you need to worry about is the gravy.  Of a completely unknown providence, the people behind the counter are willing to ladle the “gravy” over everything, and if you have ever tried it, you will find it hard to stop them. I’m not saying the gravy is the best thing you’ve ever tasted. I’m saying I don’t know if I would call it gravy. Maybe flavor juice is a better term.  Wait, juice is probably not right either. Um… flavor grease.  Yeah, that’s perfect. As much as you will want to, don’t drink a cup of the flavor grease. That is probably what will make you sick.

Passing by the pre-cut desserts and saran wrap topped wine (stay classy Tad’s!) was not a difficult decision. I chose my salad dressing, declined the tomatoes (which cost extra if you want them on your salad) and headed back to the depression zone eating area to dig in. First things first.  Garlic bread. Delicious. You may say the secret ingredient is flavor grease. Obligatory bite of salad (look Mom I’m being healthy!) and I was ready. First bite of skirt steak, sans onions to allow the true flavor to shine through. Nicely seasoned… good char… not dry in the middle. Wish it was bigger… but for $7 bucks what are you going to do. Second bite… add the onions… even better.

Fuck. I think I like Tad’s Steaks.

Seriously.  This place is not that bad. Is it the best steak I’ve ever had? Of course not. Don’t be a crazy person. But it wasn’t the worst either. And if you like skirt steak, it may be the perfect choice at a place like Tad’s. The fat is found along the grain of the meat, so it melts in and keeps the steak moist despite being blasted on the grill. It’s already a fairly cheap cut of meat, and tends to be slightly chewy anyway, so you don’t notice too much of a decrease in quality, and the price becomes a little more understandable. My buddy liked his strip steak all right, but if you’ve ever had a great strip steak, you might not be as into this thin piece of cheap meat. It’s clearly of a lower quality, and the fat can be found along the edges of the steak in the form of gristly bites of meat. It’s still worth the $7 though if you’re not into skirt steak.

The real test came after lunch, as I waited for the bomb to drop. Did I feel amazing coming out of Tad’s, dancing out into Times Square “On the Town” style? (Yes, I was in theater geek in Junior high.)  Uh… no. I felt like I had just eaten a gross lunch that consisted of a steak, baked potato, salad and a loaf of bread covered in flavor grease. But “sick” or “unhappy” is not a word I would use to describe my experience.

Finally, a few very important notes about Tad’s:

1. I cannot speak to the quality of all Tad’s locations. In other words, this review only stands for the 47th St. location. You step into 34th St. (and 7th) or 50th St. (and 7th) you are on your own.
2. The baked potato is a baked potato. They don’t give you sour cream, and their “butter” is those weird little packs of processed butter substitute (i.e. disgusting.) I know it may go against my previous warnings, but tell them to pour gravy over it. You won’t be disappointed. Unless disappointed means “slightly sick.”
3. I admit that maybe I got lucky. Food poisoning is a lot like Russian roulette, and maybe I just dodged a bullet. I also have been training for this moment for 2 1/2 years, putting lunch after lunch of questionable items into my stomach- turning it into the well oiled (pun intended) machine that you rely on day after day on this site.

For these reasons (and more) I will now indemnify myself of all blame for Midtown Lunch’ers eating at Tad’s because of this review. A message from my lawyer:

THIS MEAL WAS CONSUMED BY A PROFESSIONAL. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION. WRITER WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE INFLICTED BY A MEAL AT TAD’S STEAKS. WRITER ALSO APOLOGIZES THAT HIS STOMACH IS SO STRONG AND AMAZING.

Oh, and make sure you have low expectations.

Tad’s Steaks, Multiple Locations

• 761 7th Ave. (at 50th St.) 212-767-8348
• 701 7th Ave. (at 47th St.) 212-768-0946
• 152 34th St. (at 7th Ave.) 212-947-7760

In the ML Inbox: “Just to let you know, I saw the 50th st bento guy sitting in back of a police suv and the cops were wheeling around his cart. I wanted to take a snap for your blog, but i didn’t want to risk gettting tazed.” Please tell me somebody got a photo of this.  Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com  Also, somebody may want to go warn the Ecuadorian lady on 46th St.

Tried the new Qdoba today. More like Qdon’tbother. Blech! More Mexican food for people who’ve never been west of New Jersey. It’s like a Subway with tortillas and beans instead of lettuce and bread with big knives baked into it. I went for the “hot “ salsa and couldn’t even taste it. Also opted for the “3 Cheese Queso” burrito. I thought it would be three actual cheeses like a real Mexican place might provide… It was pump cheese. Pump cheese! Pump cheese belongs on your 2am, 7-11 nachos not on a friggin burrito!

Upside? The massive, albeit bland, burrito was only 5 bucks and it came with a sweet “I heart Qdoba” t-shirt and a fancy customer loyalty card. I don’t heart Qdoba but I do heart a big-ass, $5 dollar lunch on 50th St. (btw. 6+7th)

But wait, there’s more (not alot, but some things need to go after the jump to protect the children) 

Who do we have to blow to get a decent burrito chain to move into the city? These gringo burrito places have lines out the door. Isn’t there a grip of money to be made by someone who could manage to serve something remotely authentic? A Baja Fresh, a Wahoos Fish Tacos, even a La Salsa Fantastic!

Yes! What that guy said! Got a complaint of your own? Feel free to email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

In other chain burrito news, if you work on the west side and were jealous of the east side Qdoba alternative- the west side will soon be getting its very own Qdoba on 50th btw. 6+7th.  Huzzah! 

Have you seen a new place set to open up in Midtown?  Email the news, with or without a photo to zach@midtownlunch.com

With all the talk over Patsy’s (Patty’s?) Taco Truck making a two day appearance in Midtown, it’s not surprising that the two mainstay Midtown taco trucks have been mentioned a bit in the past week. There is the sombrero topped taco truck on 50th btw. 6+7th, and the previously sombrero-less Tacos/Burritos cart on 54th and Madison. I say “previously” because it appears as if this cart has come down with a case of sombrero envy…

I don’t know… but those two hats look pretty pathetic to me. If you can’t compete with the giant sombrero, why bother even trying? If you haven’t been to either of these carts yet, don’t get too excited. While they’re both ok, they bear more resemblence to a gringo family’s “taco night”, than something that could actually be referred to as Mexican. In other words, if you like nacho cheese, and hard shelled tacos you’ll love both of these carts. For those of us looking for a more authentic taco experience, we’ll keep holding out that Patty’s Taco Truck will return.

Related:
Tacos/Burritos Cart on 54th & Madison (no sombrero)
50th St. Taco Cart (with sombrero)