Midtown Lunch

You know what I say… the only good Chipotle is free Chipotle, and two more Chipotles opening soon in Midtown should mean two opportunities for free burritos.  The first one is on 45th Street btw. 5+6th and is tentatively scheduled to open on Monday July 14th.  Usually free burrito day is the day before the grand opening, but that would be a Sunday and very disappointing.  I’ll confirm as we get closer to the date… but let’s hope July 14th will bring gratis burritos.  Maybe that will make up for their grossly misleading calorie postings.  Signs for the second location have gone up on 50th and Park, but no date has been set for an opening.

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… Read more »

If you missed the one on the left this weekend, get the one on the right today in Midtown

It was a porktastic weekend for everybody who braved the heat and hit up the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend.  I stopped by for a bit on Sunday and enjoyed my personal favorite: Ed Mitchell’s whole hog sandwich.  A creation just as amazing as it sounds, he literally takes a whole pig out of the smoker, and chops it down into sandwich form (you may say the secret ingredient is the crispy bits of skin.)  If you missed it, and now you’re craving some ‘cue (there are alot of meat photos from Madison Sq. Park floating around flickr today) there really is only one for lunch today in Midtown:  the Daisy May’s BBQ cart on 50th btw. 6+7th. 

I though everybody knew about this pretty famous cart, but you’d be surprised.  They used to have a couple more carts on the east side, and one downtown- but it looks like those are gone for good, leaving 50th as your only option.  (Actually the last time a Daisy May’s cart was on the east side was for the filming of that new Adam Sandler “Zohan” movie.  Anybody see the cart in the movie?)

Seeing as how you probably won’t want to eat outside today (“Feels Like” 102° + 43% humidity = a very sweaty Zach), the cart does a real good job of packaging up everything to take back to your desk.  If you do eat outside,  you might want to snag one of their awesome sweet teas.  At $4, it’s a little pricey, but you get to keep the mason jar.

Lunch’er Shauna (who we have to thank for yesterday’s McD’s photo), also sent along this photo of the “Crepe Cafe” cart parked on 50th btw. 6+7th yesterday. Not to be confused with the Crepe Cart on 53rd btw. 5+6th, I know I’ve seen this cart somewhere- but it definitely wasn’t on 50th btw. 6+7th. Anybody eaten from it yet? The one on 53rd btw. 5+6th is ok, but nothing to write home about- and I’m sure no cart could be better than the crepe lady in the Cyber Cafe on 49th btw. 7+8th, but I’d still be curious. If you’ve tried it, feel free to post in the comments… and if you have news, recommendations or a photo to share, send it to zach@midtownlunch.com

Suspect: The Tibetan Food Cart “Shangri-la Express”

First Seen: Friday, October 19th on 50th btw. 6+7th

Last Seen: Friday, October 19th on 50th btw. 6+7th

Crime:  Serving up various Tibetan dishes for $4-5- including Momos, Tibetan steamed dumplings stuffed with meat and scallions.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of this cart, last seen hawking its wares across the street from the cart with the sombrero– please contact Midtown Lunch immediately by emailing zach@midtownlunch.com

It is not often I will write about food delivery.  I admit, it is probably something everyone would be interested in reading about (whether or not your favorite place delivers), but I don’t write about it because I never order delivery.  I don’t believe in it.  I am a staunch advocate of taking time to get out of the office for a little bit.  You’re supposed to get a lunch break.  You need a lunch break.  Use your lunch break. (Even it’s just to walk around for 20 minutes.)

But like all rules, there are some exceptions.  For example, when delivery is made to be fun!  Like in the case of Chiyoda Sushi.  Chiyoda is a place I’ve written about a few times.  Along with Yagura & Cafe Zaiya, it makes up the Japanese Trinity on 41st btw. Mad+5th., my favorite block for Midtown Lunch’ing.  Unfortunately it’s a little too far for me to make it down there too often-  but last week, I discovered (thanks to an email tipster), that they have delivery- and it’s fun!

Chiyoda has a special online delivery menu that is really fun to look at, even if you don’t want to order.  Each day they offer three different lunch boxes, and the schedule for the entire week is posted here (http://www.chiyodasushiny.com/bento_en.html).  But it gets better.  Not sure what one of the items is?  Each morning, you can click on the box and it will show you a picture of the item.  How cool is that?

The boxes range in price from $6 to $8 and there is no delivery charge, or tax- the only requirement is that your office orders a minimum of 3 boxes.  Don’t have two friends who want to order weird Japanese boxed lunches… there is still one more way to get your bento fix- and it’s the best part of the whole story.

The Chiyoda guy on the street with Bento boxes, after the jump… Read more »

There are a lot of reasons I choose to write about a place.  Being “Cheap” is a given… but other than that the first, and most obvious is the food.  A lot of the places I write about do something interesting- something that isn’t available everywhere.  Whether it’s the Indian Burritos at Kati Roll, the rice balls at Oms/b, the various ramen places, or the meat pies at Tuck Shop– these postings are most popular because they are destination lunches- worth walking that extra 5 or 10 minutes if you don’t work right near the place.

I write about carts because there are so many of them, and it’s hard to know which ones are good and bad.  Plus, a lot of people are scared of them… and would rather read about my suffering after eating at a bad cart- then experience it for themselves.  I don’t usually write about the deli/salad bar places, because there is one on every block of Midtown- and they bore me.  I will, however write about one if they are doing something different or interesting… like the Korean Food at Cafe Duke, or the Soups @ Dishes. 

I very very rarely write about fast food- so the next question is obvious… Why the hell would you write about KFC???  Well the answer depends on who’s asking.  If you haven’t heard yet, New York City is considering banning artificial trans fats from all restaurants in the city.  In light of this possible ban, KFC has taken preemptive action, phasing trans fats out of the fried chicken at all their Manhattan restaurants (it’s still in the biscuits) as of the first of this month.  They plan on rolling out the change in all of their restaurants Nationwide by April of next year.

Clearly this is topical.  People need to know if this new KFC, fried in trans-fat’less soybean oil is as good as it used to be!  Right???  I’m doing a service to the community.  How does the new chicken compare to the old chicken.  (The real reason I’m writing about KFC, pictures and a less than helpful +/- after the jump)

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Food carts are a funny thing.  Some people love them, some people hate them.  They are universally accepted for some things, like hot dogs, or pretzels but seem mysterious for other things (the term “street meat” comes to mind).  I’ve seen very few restaurants that specialize in the “Halal Food” you get at a cart, and there are not many carts that stray from serving some form of Gyro, Falafel, Hot Dog or Pretzels.  You’ve got your breakfast carts (bagels, donuts and coffee) which are popular for their price, and the fruit carts, which offer people who love to be healthy a chance to eat at a cart.  (Those people don’t tend to enjoy skillet fried lamb, covered in white sauce.)

Some carts are destinations (Hello Berlin Cart, Daisy May’s BBQ Cart, The Arepa Lady in Queens, or the Carts at the Ballfields in Red Hook), while others remain nameless, taking advantage of a highly populated corner of the city.  I love eating at carts.  It’s not because the food is so great, but it just seems like more fun.  There something about the immediate gratification, the fact that their kitchen is on the side of the road, and of course- weird meat sort of excites me (that didn’t come out right).  (My favorite street meat ever… the lady on the right selling street meat on a stick- in Bali)

A little over a month ago, I walked by a new cart near my office… Happy Teriyaki BBQ on 50th between 6+7th.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Teriyaki Cart before in Midtown… and because of my love of Asian food I was immediately interested.  Shortly after, I started to receive the emails… the first one said it was terrible.  Worst food ever.  But then I got two more, one that recommended the spicy pork and another that swore by the BBQ Tofu.  I’m always up for trying a new cart… so yesterday I headed over with my reluctant wife to check out this new cart.

What we ordered, the pictures and the +/- after the jump…

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The lack of good Mexican food in New York City is a well known fact.  You saw what happened when Midtown got a Chipotle.  It shows how pathetic our choices for Mexican really are.  In L.A. (where I used to live) taco stands are a way of life… and it boggles my mind that so few places in NYC are able to recreate something that seems so simple.  2 Soft corn tortillas, some good roast pork or chicken, and some salsa (preferably salsa verde).  If anybody wants a place to try after work, trek over to 10th avenue btw. 47th and 48th- Tehuitzinga is outstanding.

Anyway, I’ve heard rumors that Pampano Taqueria on 3rd Ave. is the only worthwile Taco in Midtown- but on this day I was on my back from a failed trip to the Burger Joint (line was too long) and decided to stop at this taco cart that some people from my work had eaten at.  And quite frankly, how could you blame me?  Could you resist a cart that looks like this one.  I mean, nothing says authentic quite like a giant sombrero with a picture of Speedy Gonzalez on it (aren’t there any Trademark lawyers in Midtown?).  But that’s typical Midtown for you.  Dumbing it down for the business lunch crowd… “Can you tell we’re not a halal cart by our big stupid looking Mexican hat?”  I wonder if you can see it from the top of Rockefeller Center?

Despite the sombrero, I decided to try the place out.  I love trying dirty, annonymous carts- and this one certainly fits the bill.  For $4 you get a Taco with Chicken or Beef, Spanish Rice and Beans w/ melted cheese.  $7 will get you the same combo with two tacos.  For the sake of comparison (and because I’m a fat bastard), I went with the two taco combo (one beef, one chicken).  The minute he started making my meal, I had a sneaking suspicion I was in big big trouble.

Pictures of the food, and the +/- after the jump… Read more »