Earlier this week, we received a tip from Lunch’er “Nick” about activity in the former Tomatoes space next to Chipotle on 52nd btw. 3rd + Lex. I went by for a look, and there does indeed seem to be a Cafe Today going up in that location. According to their website, they are a Portland, Oregon-based chain serving a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, etc. as well as offering corporate catering. Are there any Portlanders out there who can let us know if this is something to get excited about?

As much as I love Asian food of all kinds, there is one thing I can’t stand.  The Asian Combo Restaurant.  You know what I’m talking about.  The Chinese food restaurant that serves sushi, or the Vietnamese food place that serves pad thai.  I’m not talking about fusion cuisine, which is an entity all itself.  I’m talking about the restaurant that decides they are going to serve something for everybody- and inevitably ends up doing it none of it well.

So when Asian Station opened on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd, I was naturally skeptical.  In fact, I had written the place off knowing that it was probably too expensive for Midtown Lunch purposes. But once Lunch’er Joe forwarded along the all under $10 menu, I knew I’d have to check it out.  My cheap Asian food loving stomach won out over my combo restaurant hating brain.  And boy am I glad it did.

The lunch specials on the Asian Station menu are all in the $6-9 range (with shrimp being the most expensive option), and they come with your choice of soup or salad and rice.  The salad was fine, even though it had a slice of apple in it (weird), and the soups were good enough.  The miso soup definitely tasted like it was made in a Chinese food kitchen (not surprising since the owners of Asian Station are Chinese), but it was passable.  And the wonton soup and hot and sour soup were just fine.  Not the best soup you’ll ever eat in your life, but they were all easy to finish. (I will fully admit I chickened out on trying the “cream baby corn” soup.)

As for the lunch specials, let’s start with the Chinese food since that’s the nationality of the owners.  I have a well documented obsession with General Tso’s chicken (it put me in the hospital in college), so I couldn’t resist trying their version- even though it was advertised as “white meat chicken”.  I know this is a plus for some, but I think dark meat chicken has more flavor, so when it’s done right (i.e. without all the filler) dark meat General Tso’s is always going to be tastier and moister than white meat General Tso’s.  This version was crispy, had good flavor, and as advertised, the meat was white meat and easily distinguishable (no mystery meat here.)  For $7, it was definitely a success (although personally, I would have liked a bit more heat and a little bit of broccoli.)

I will always be skeptical of sushi from a non-Japanese restaurant, but Asian Station has a nice looking sushi bar- and the ever elusive 3 roll combo for $10.  Aoki (on 48th btw. Bway+8th) used to do this, before raising their price to $11 (along with the rest of the cheap sushi places in Midtown.)  My favorite threesome in a combo like this is eel and avocado, spicy tuna, and salmon and avocado- unless they do shrimp tempura, in which case I go for that instead of the salmon.  Asian Station does all four, plus another 20+ options.  As expected the rolls were on the small side, but I was more than happy with the taste and freshness.  Of course two of the options were cooked, and spicy tuna doesn’t really give you a good idea of the quality of a restaurant’s raw fish (quite the opposite, actually.  You’re probably eating their old/throwaway tuna.)  But at $10 for 3 rolls, plus a soup or salad, it’s not really much of a financial gamble to check out for yourself.

I think Thai food is always the toughest thing for these kind of restaurants to handle (the ones not run by Thai people, obviously.)  And even though it might be a cliche, I think Pad Thai is one of the best dishes to rate a place on- because it is surprisingly difficult to make.  (I can make a freakin’ awesome Thai green curry at home, but my pad thai attempts have been disasters.)  Most places will do crazy things, like add ketchup and lord knows what else to their Pad Thai.  But the good places use tamarind juice as the main flavoring, and will give you a slice of lime (not lemon), a scoop of crushed peanuts, and bean sprouts.  Asian Station hit all the right marks, and while it won’t be replacing any of my go to Thai places in the city, their Pad Thai is a really good version for Midtown.  We splurged ($9) and got the shrimp (which were huge), but you can get a white meat chicken version for $7.  With soup or salad, that is an amazing deal for Midtown.

Finally, as a wild card recommendation from the waiter, we tried the Malaysian Red Curry Chicken.  I have eaten Malaysian food a few times in my life, but I’ll admit I’m not an expert by any means.  And I have no idea what an “authentic” Malaysian red curry is supposed to taste like.  But this dish was really good.  It falls on the sweet side, with flavors not unlike what you would get in the curry sauce that comes with roti canai (or maybe a massaman curry?)  Spicier than the General Tso’s, but it was still on the mild side of spicy.  Perfect of for the person who likes a little kick, but doesn’t want their mouth burned off.  I’m sure you can request it spicier.

All in all everything we ordered at Asian Station was surprisingly delicious, and for a restaurant in Midtown this nice (the decor is hip business casual) it is super cheap.  Apparently the Chinese Chef did some extensive traveling throughout Asia, and it shows in a lot of his dishes. Plus the menu is long enough that I would need to go at least 3 or 4 more times to try everything that looks good (like Szechuan Crispy Shredded Dried Beef, $8; XO Sauteed Udon Noodles, $7-10; Beef Negimaki bento box, $8; and baby eggplant in garlic sauce, $6-9.)

I don’t think it will stop me from rolling my eyes at the next one of these places that opens, but Asian Station has at least proven that I should withhold judgment until after trying the food.

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

• The decor is super nice, and with lunch specials around $6-9 it is amazingly cheap!
• Something for everybody.  If you like sushi, and your coworkers want Chinese this is your place.
• The menu is like a greatest hits of Americanized Asian food (with sushi, Pad Thai, General Tso’s, Sesame Chicken, and a number of random curries)
• They have a number of vegetarian options
• They use white meat chicken
• Not everything is going to be super “authentic”, but at least it all tastes good

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

• F!@# that.  If I want Thai food, I will go to a Thai food restaurant.  And I want my sushi made by a Japanese guy!
• White meat chicken is flavorless and dry.  Gimme some dark meat!
• Everything is just a notch below being really excellent
• A little too hip for its own good.  I like my Asian food out of a dirty looking hole in the wall.
• Portions could be a little larger (although with the rice and soup you’ll end up full)

Asian Station, 155 E. 52nd (btw. Park+Lex), 212-421-2294

I’ll admit I completely dismissed Asian Station, the new semi-chic looking Asian restaurant that opened over a month ago next to Bombay Bistro on 52nd btw. 3rd+Lex. Aside from it being a little too cool for school, they didn’t have a menu in the window- and from the looks of it, there was no way it was going to be cheap enough for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes. I do love Asian food though, so I was excited to hear yesterday that their lunch specials are actually well under $10! That’s the good news. The bad news is, they serve Japanese, Chinese, AND Thai food.

Lunch’er Joe was kind enough to transcribe the menu for us. It’s after the jump…

Lunch comes served with soup or salad — white or brown rice

Crispy White Meat Sesame Chicken $7
General Tso’s Crispy White Meat Chicken $7
Szechuan Crispy Shredded Dried Beef $8
Malaysian Sambal White Chicken/Prawns $8/9
Basil Chicken $7
Ginger Chicken $7
Pad Thai Noodles with:

• Vegetables $7
• White meat chicken $8
• Jumbo Shrimp $8

Fresh Broccoli in Brown Sauce with:

• Vegetables $6
• White meat chicken $7
• Beef $7
• Jumbo Shrimp $8

Baby Eggplant in Garlic Sauce with:

• Vegetables $6
• White meat chicken $7
• Beef $7
• Jumbo Shrimp $8

Mixed Vegetable in Brown Sauce with:

• Vegetables $6
• White meat chicken $7
• Beef $7
• Jumbo Shrimp $8

BENTO BOXES:
All served w/california roll shumai, soup, salad, rice

Chicken Teriyaki/Salmon Teriyaki $8
Beef Terriyaki/Shrimp Teriyaki $9
Beef Negamaki $8
Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura $8
Sushi/Sashimi $10

SUSHI BAR:

Sushi Lunch (6pcs & california roll) $10
Sashimi Lunch (12 pcs) $11
Sushi/Sashimi Lunch (4pcs sushi / 7pcs sashimi & spicy tuna) $15

Maki Combo: two rolls = $8 three rolls=$10
I’m not going to list all of the roll choices, but there are 18

(….remind me next time not to transcribe the menu….)

Joe… you’re a good man!  So, reading over this menu I have conflicting emotions.  I love Asian food… but hate 3 kinds of Asian food under one roof.  I love General Tso’s chicken… but I’m weary of a place that advertises their “white meat”.  3 sushi rolls for $10 is a great deal… but do you really want to eat sushi from a place that also serves Pad Thai and General Tso’s. This place use to be a fairly mediocre cheap Chinese food take out place (called Asian Bowl) that also served weird looking sushi and bad Thai food.  If it’s the same exact food, in a redesigned space that does not bode well…

All the signals point to no, but my Asian food loving stomach points to yes  (and you know who always wins in that battle.)  If only my brain and gut could get together on these decisions.  Clearly I’m going to end up going and trying this place.  Any early adopters been to Asian Station yet?  Let us know how it is in the comments…

Asian Station, 155 E. 52nd St (btw. 3rd+Lex), 212-752-1142

If there is one thing that Midtown is not lacking in, it’s the all you can eat Indian buffet- and while we don’t really have any buffets that are under $10 anymore, there are still enough $11 buffets to make the $15+ buffets not worth it (as far as I’m concerned).  So, I never paid much attention to Diwan, the upscale Indian restaurant owned by the same people who own Jackson Diner in Queens- which apparently closed last September (Diwan, not the Jackson Diner- obviously).  I am interested, however, in this bit of news:  Diwan’s manager of 15 years, has gone on to open his own Indian Restaurant on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd called Bombay Bistro… and their lunchtime buffet is $10.95.  So, with the buffet team in tow, I headed over to this newly opened buffet to take it for a test drive.

The one thing that is apparent right away is that new restaurant = nice restaurant.  The buffet may cost $11, but the restaurant is as nice as a Midtown Lunch place is going to get… in fact, much nicer.  At night it probably looks like a modern upscale bistro from the outside (it used to be the Avon Bistro, so maybe they made no changes?)  Most importantly the food is the same quality as the decor.

As you know from my guide to beating the all you can eat buffet… the first plate is always a feeler plate.  I took a little bit of everything- and there was a decent amount to sample.  Goat curry (always like to see the meat!), saag paneer, some sort of chick pea thing, tandoori chicken, a chicken tikka masala kind of thing, these vegetarian kofta, and fried fritter things (that I’m guessing were made from chickpeas).  Everything was very tasty, and some of the major benchmarks were hit- for example, the saag paneer was not watery. They also had a shrimp dish (fancy!).

Another big benchmark: fresh hot naan brought to your table (still glistening from what I can only assume is ghee brushed over it.)  The tandoori chicken was a little dry, but it’s hard to fix that on a buffet- and by the time I ate, the goat was slightly picked over, so most of the pieces I got were more bones than meat- something that adds extra flavor, and normally I love- but a little tough to eat when you are trying super hard not to drop food on your two month old kid’s head.  I also really liked the vegetarian kofta, which were really tasty as well.

Despite being able to navigate the buffet with my kid strapped to my chest, I wasn’t able to take photos of all the signs on the buffet- or write anything down.  So you’ll have to make due with my vague recollections.  Just know this… if you’re into all you can eat Indian buffets, and you work on the East side- this one is top notch.  It’s wildly out of the ordinary for Midtown Indian food (aside from the shrimp, I guess), but the quality and variety is there (for now) and it is well worth the $11.

Bombay Bistro, 155 E 52nd St (btw. Lex+3rd),  212-593-5425

Full disclaimer: I am a pork lover, I am a foie gras lover, and prefer my bread toasted with melted lard smothered over the top. I eat dessert till no end, and then chase it with a beer or two. But every now and then, it’s rather interesting and fun to delve into the vegan world. Hence, my report on FreeFoodsNYC (which is not entirely vegan, or vegetarian for that matter.)

The new FreeFoods NYC is exactly what we don’t need in this economy: very fancy-smanshy, very-expensive organic, vegan, and raw food version of a standard Midtown deli. Regardless, it’s pretty tasty and I’ll confess to a growing addiction.

I’ve been coming here a few nights each week, picking my way around the absurdly priced $14 a pound cold buffet bar, the $8.50 smoothies and $7 slices of pie. I’ve tried to find a single item here that could be considered a bargain, or at least a very good deal. But alas, it seems I have nothing for you now.

But if you have a curious mind, and are willing to splurge for your midday meal, head for the buffet bar. There are a handful of interesting items, my favorite being the Raw and Vegan Tomato Lasagna. Two layers each of Pignoli Ricotta, Pistachio Pesto, and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce. Nothing like your typical lasagna, but nice change from the norm. The flavors are quite intense, the tomatoes, extra tomato-y, and the pesto, extra pesto-y. You get my point. That tiny wedge there cost me $8.

The “pizza” here is also raw and vegan. It’s made from an extra crunchy and thin flaxseed and herb crust. Topped with macadamia “ricotta,” spinach, tomato, and basil. I have no idea how they get the “ricotta” to be the way it is, but I sure wish they would sell the ricotta alone by the pound. I’d be happy smothering that on a baguette.

I find the vegan food here more enjoyable than the non-vegan dishes. The Portobello “Piccata” is an almond crusted Portobello mushroom wedge with arugula, pomegranate, and parmesan. It was cold and greasy. Deep-fried foods should never be served cold. Throwing pomegranate seed on top was pretty, but didn’t benefit the dish overall.

An unlisted special one night were little dumplings. The wrapper was made from coconut, very odd and somewhat enjoyable with it’s slightly chewy and distinctively coconut-y nature. Filled with chopped peanuts and a handful of herbs, it danced on the line of sweet. I prefer pork in my dumplings.

The sandwich, soup, and tossed to order salad bar runs adjacent to the cold buffet. I’ve eaten my way around this section at the FreeFoods NYC on 45th last spring, but a lot of my old go-to’s, like the roasted winter vegetable sandwich, and a slow roasted tomato manchego soup  are no longer there. Current sandwich prices run between $10 and $20 (!!! Granted, the $20 is for a lobster club, but still…). Salads are $11.75, and soups are $5/cup and $7.75/bowl.

For dessert, I often go with a smoothie. The “Curious George” is a fun one, made from bananas, cacao beans, young coconut, espresso, and cashew butter. I suppose it could totally be a meal on its own, but I subscribe to the belief of why eat less when you could eat more?

Go for the “Goji Groove” when you’re in a citrusy light mood. A blend of goji berries, mango, orange, young coconut, and cayenne. Ask the lady behind the counter to be extra generous with the cayenne pepper – it gives the drink an awesome kick. The smoothies are on the liquidly end, and since I prefer them super thick, I pop the smoothie in the fridge for a hour to solidify up.

I was not as big of a fan of the Raw and Vegan Pumpkin Pie as Harry but it was surprisingly reminiscent of pumpkin considering it was a NO PUMPKIN pumpkin pie. The pie was light, loosely packed, and aggressively flavored. Perhaps it was to compensate for a lack of pumpkin. The ingredients? Cashews, Pecans, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Thyme.

There are only two desserts in the refrigerated section, the “Pumpkin” tart and a Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart. I shall get around to that one.

One thing to avoid: the sweet loaves. Pictured above is the Caramelized Banana Bread with cinnamon sugar and cacao nidbits. Like all else, it’s severely overpriced at $3.75. The only difference is that this does. Not. Taste. Good. At. All. Dry, and dusty, the banana is faint, the cinnamon-sugar unidentifiable, and the cacao pieces simply misplaced in such a loaf.

Cupcakes are a better bet, though tiny and just as pricey as the loaves. The Pinot Noir-Chocolate with Salted Caramel Glaze is a dark and chocolaty two-biter. A fine way to end the meal if you’re feeling just a touch too healthy after all that raw and vegan business.

The loaves and cupcakes are placed next to the cash registered along with cookies and macarons. I’ve yet to have the cookies and macarons… perhaps I shall make a return trip tonight!

By the way, there always seem to be samples (of the dessert sort) to the right of the cash register. What I like to do is grab one sample when I walk in, and have another while they ring up my food, and a third right before I walk out the door. It makes me feel just that little bit better for eating such overpriced food.

Free Foods NYC (Two Locations)

• 150 E. 52nd St. (btw. Lex+3rd),  212-371-1945 
• 18 W. 45th St. (btw. 5+6th),  212-302-7195 

Photos and post by Kathy YL Chan

FreeFoods NYC, 150 E. 52nd St. (btw. Lex+3rd), -212-302-7195

There are a few stages that every Ikea shopper goes through.  First, denial.  You see the signs for the food and laugh.  “Who the hell would eat at Ikea?  That food looks gross!”.  Then, after a few times of going to Ikea (you never get everything done in one trip), the curiosity starts to seep in.  “Well, it is pretty cheap.  It can’t be that bad, right?  It’s just so damn cheap!”  Finally, you submit.  It helps if you forget to eat before going shopping- in which case you end up being starving after navigating through the gigantic store, with no other food options.

I went through all these stages, and when I came out on the other end, I had discovered a new weakness… swedish meatballs.  Covered in gravy and topped with lingonberries, they are perfect for anybody who loves the sweet and salty combo.  And at around $4 for ten meatballs, it couldn’t be any cheaper.  Awhile back I wrote about a fancy Swedish meatball sandwich at FIKA Swedish Espresso bar.  Super delicious (but expensive), I lamented that there was no equivalent to Ikea in Midtown.

After writing that, a tipster recommended that I check out F&B Gudtfood, a “European Street Food” chain on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd.  Founded by one guy from Germany and one from England, they wanted to start a place where you could get all the street food they enjoyed in their travels around Europe  Fancy hot dogs, fish and chips, frites with different dipping sauces, and of course- Swedish meatballs.

I finally made it over to F&B to see if I had found an Ikea replacement.  What they’ve got, pictures and a +/- after the jumpLike most non-traditional Midtown chains, it is slightly over-priced for the amount of food you get, but they try to make up for that in quality and unique selection.  F&B has definitely got the unique selection.  The bulk of the menu is their gourmet hot dog and veggie dog choices with 19 different topping combinations using fancy ingredients like guacamole, parmesan, sweet corn relish and sauteed peppers to go along with more traditional toppings like sauerkraut, grilled onions and chili.

They also had various “frites”, like truffle frites (which they claim to spray with truffle oil), cheese frites, classic french fries, sweet potato frites, haricot frites (green beans) and the two “entree” frites- the chicken frites, and the steak frites.  The chicken frites are like the chicken fries at Burger King, but better… although that’s just a guess since I haven’t eaten at BK in years.  The steak frites, are slices of beef served in a cup with french fries.  How could that be bad?

But alas, I was there for the Swedish meatballs- which come in two different options.  The entree order served in a cup for $5.95, or the Swedish Meatball roll, a sandwich for $3.95.  I went with the sandwich.  While the steak frites, chicken frites, hot dogs and fish and chips are offered as combos, you get no such luck with the Swedish meatballs- so I was ”forced” to order sweet potato fries ala carte, which cost $2.95.

The sandwich was tasty but an absolute mess.  They got the gravy all over the side of the roll, and more poured out when you bit into it- but it still tasted pretty good.  The lingonberries did their job too, adding that delicious sweetness that makes real Swedish meatballs so great.  (I don’t remember them having lingonberries with the Swedish Meatballs at my Bar Mitzvah…)  The bun was fairly small (like a fat hot dog size), but for $3.95 it wasn’t too bad.  But let’s put it this way, if this sandwich cost $2, I would say it was the greatest sandwich of all time.

When you hear “European Street Food” and see a great menu like this, there are two ways the place can be considered amazing. Either the quality of the food is so great you don’t mind paying the really expensive prices (The AQ Cafe),  or it’s so cheap you don’t care about the quality (Ikea).  F&B falls somewhere in the middle.  It’s not so cheap that you don’t care, but it’s not sooo expensive that you get angry about the food not being top notch.  In other words, it’s good- but it’s no Ikea.

In all fairness though, I should mention on the way out we saw someone eating a Chicken Frites Wrap which looked pretty amazing.  It might be the way to go.  But I’ll leave that for another day.

The + (What someone who likes this place will say)

• If you like traditional Swedish Meatballs (with the gravy and lingonberries) this is the cheapest place to get them in Midtown
• The selection of fries is awesome… (I love Sweet Potato Fries!)

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place will say)

• None of the food blows you away for the price. 
• I don’t like Swedish Meatballs
• The Swedish Meatball sandwich is too messy
• The Swedish Meatballs don’t come in any sort of combo, making it a little pricey to get fries and a drink with it

F&B Gudtfood, 150 E. 52nd St. (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-421-8600

F&B Gudftood Flickr Photo Page

So, you can imagine my confusion when I started seeing these new Chicken Bar’s popping up.  The first one, I saw on 8th Ave. and 45th St…. and then another on 52nd and Lexington.  Same colors… similar logo… it’s chicken.  Very strange.  I couldn’t believe that this new chain was clearly ripping off Ranch 1.  Did they really think that their chicken sandwich was going to be that much better to support 2 chicken chains like this in the city???  I decided a visit was in order, and last week I headed to this “Chicken Bar” with every intention of pitting it against Ranch1 in a “one on one” fast food chicken battle of death.  (I would have liked to have made it a 3 man battle royale, but sadly there is no Chick Fil-A in Midtown…)

Arriving at the Chicken Bar on Lexington & 52nd, I was reminded again of how similar the logos are to each other.  Both have got the yellow, red and white thing going… but the Chicken Bar sign is clearly newer- and a bit nicer.  I like the abstract, “hidden” chicken head in the Ranch1 logo, over the obvious big chicken in the Chicken Bar logo, but a vinyl awning can’t touch the class of a 3-D neon style sign.  Chicken Bar 1, Ranch1 Zero.

Both places have “employees” giving out $1 off coupons around the corner from their respective restaurants.  I think it’s pretty obvious who wins this one.  No offense to the lady on the right… I’m sure she cleans up real nice- but she is clearly not a gigantic yellow chicken.  Ranch 1 ties it up… One to One.

The truth is, who cares about the coupons, and the signs and the big yellow chicken (well, actually- I care about the chicken so that’s a bad example).  The food is the most important.  What I ordered, and conclusion of the fierce battle that will literally cause your brain to explode in disbelief…. after the jump.

Walking into Chicken Bar, it became clear that something was going on here.  Not only was the menu practically identical to Ranch1, but they even had a sign with the exact same slogan…  “Best Grilled Chicken on Earth”.  Total craziness.  I ordered the “Bar Original” which was the same price ($6.25) as the “Ranch 1 Classic” and came topped with a bed of greens, AND toasted almonds!!!  How could they steal the toasted almonds????  It’s the Ranch 1 chicken sandwich signature move.  It would be like Andre the Giant beating Hulk Hogan with the… signature move that Hulk Hogan used to do.  (What was the Hulkster’s signature move?  I remember he just shook his head “No”, like in a “You’re not going to beat me” kind of way… and then just body slammed the guy.  Was that his signature move?) 

And then it dawned on me… and the cashier confirmed it.  Ranch 1.  And Chicken Bar.  Are the same place.  That’s right. 

Oh, I’m sorry… did I just blow your mind???

I’m not sure exactly why… but Ranch 1 has opened four locations, re-branded as Chicken Bar.  So, it turns out the epic battle, is actually a draw… but there are a few differences that might make one better then the other for some people:

1. The Chicken Bar locations are newer and nicer.  The one on 52nd btw. Lex & 3rd has a nice, large seating area, unlike the Ranch 1 on 46th St. that shares space with a deli.
2. Even though the Bar Original Combo and the Ranch 1 Classic Combo are the same price ($6.25), a lot of the other combos on the Chicken Bar menu are slightly more expensive (by about 25 cents) then Ranch 1.  Strangely, the Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl Combo from Ranch 1, has been re-branded Dragon Chicken Teriyaki at Chicken Bar, and costs 20 cents less!  Very strange.
3. The Chicken and Cheese Combo at Ranch 1 is called the All-American Classic at Chicken Bar.  I guess they don’t want to remind people that they are eating cheese?
4. And the strangest change… the Chicken Philly Combo at Ranch 1, is now the Vivo Italiano at Chicken Bar.  Both come with Mozzarella, sauteed peppers and sauteed onions.  I guess people like Italy better then Philadelphia.
5. There’s no Popcorn Chicken at Chicken Bar, but they have Buffalo Wings (Ranch 1 doesn’t).
6. The French fries at Chicken Bar are a little thinner than Ranch 1 (like regular shoestrings) but they still taste like they come from real potatoes (and are sprinkled with a salty form of crack).
7. And for some reason, they don’t have a big yellow chicken handing out their coupons.  (Big mistake)

So there you have it… Ranch 1 and Chicken Bar are the same place.  If you knew all along, then I apologize… I’m just not that bright.  To read more about Ranch 1 (and by default, the Chicken Bar) check out the original Ranch 1 post.

Chicken Bar, Multiple Locations in Midtown

• 599 Lexingon Ave. (52nd btw. Lexington & 3rd), 212-230-1100
• 717 8th Ave. (btw. 45th & 46th), 212-245-5111

There are also 2 non-midtown locations

• 1273 1st Ave (at 69th St.) 212-734-0077
• 40-42 West 8th St. (at 6th Ave.) 212-358-1111

I tried Burritoville once before (the one on 9th ave.), when I first moved here from L.A.  Seeking a substitute for the burritos I could get on the west coast, I knew I wasn’t going to replace the real deal authentic burritos- but I was at least hoping to find a replacement for Baja Fresh (My go-to work lunch in L.A.  There was one across the street from my office, and I probably ate there 2-3 times a week). 

At the one on 9th ave. I got the “Holy Mole” burrito, and was pretty underwhelmed.  It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great.  I probably should have known that I wasn’t going to get a great mole from a place that felt the need to add funny names to their burritos.  I remember thinking “This place isn’t that bad.  I probably am disappointed because I just moved here, and I’m used to the good stuff.”

With that in mind, I returned to Burritoville- hoping to find a Chipotle substitute for when my Burrito addiction rears it’s ugly head.  Pictures, and the +/- after the jump…

Burritoville is not really an authentic Burrito place (when compared to places on the  West Coast).  It’s more of a Tex-Mex wrap place.  Part of the menu is sort of authentic, part of it tries to be authentic but fails, and part of it is just not authentic at all.

Here’s the part that is not authentic

• The silly names.  “Mystical Fresco” “Holy Mole” “Bob Marley’s Last Burrito”.  It’s just stupid.  Burritos are a perfect food… you don’t need a clever marketing scheme.  Do you really think a college kid is going to be like “Hey… the burrito is named after Bob Marley!  I love Bob Marley!  Let’s get a burrito!”.  Make a good burrito, with fresh and simple ingredients, and the people will come.
• The ”fancy” ingredients.  Trying to serve mole is commendable.  Jerk chicken, smoky grilled chicken, turkey sausage-  not so much.  These things have no business being in a burrito.
• No pork, lard, pig or pork products at Burritoville.  It should be a crime.

The part that tries, but fails

• Every burrito place should have free chips and salsa.  It’s a god given right when ordering a burrito.  You shouldn’t be forced to pay extra!  This is where Burritoville shines.  Free chips and salsa bar.  Unfortunately, the salsas are not that great- especially the salsa verde (or green salsa), which tastes like it’s made with horseradish.  I don’t know what makes it green, but it’s supposed to be tomatillos.  I know you’ve got tomatillos (they’re in the Mystical Fresco Burrito), use them to make the green salsa!!!

The part that is authentic

• Free chips and salsa
• For the tacos, they do give you the choice of soft corn tortillas.  That’s a good thing.
• They have Jarritos (Mexican soda) and Horchata (a delicious, sweet rice drink)
• They don’t put cilantro and lime in their rice.  :-)

With all that being said, my friend and I had a pretty good meal at Burritoville.  I got the Mystical Frisco Burrito (Shredded chicken in a slow simmered tomatillo salsa).  If it had been wrapped well, I would have enjoyed it a lot more then I did.  My friend isn’t a Mexican food snob like me, so he enjoyed his Chicken Tacos served in flour tortillas. 

 If you are looking for a Tex-Mex wrap place, that has something resembling a burrito on the menu- you will probably enjoy Burritoville.  If you are looking for a west coast burrito that will silence the people (like me) who say “There are no good burritos in New York”, this place is not going to do it.  On to the +/-  !!!

THE + (What people who like about this place will say)

• If you are a vegetarian, they have tons of vegetarian options and are very vegetarian friendly.  They have various tofu options, plus beans that are not made with any meat products.  (Most real Mexican places would be impossible for a vegetarian to get a burrito).  It’s also kosher friendly (since they don’t use pork products)
• They make everything fresh (nothing is canned) and with no preservatives.  This includes their tortillas, which are pressed fresh daily
• If you are not a burrito snob you’ll like this place
• I like free chips and salsa
• The lines are shorter then Chipotle
• They’re not owned by McDonalds

THE – (What people who don’t like this place will say)

• I like my burritos simple and authentic.  These burritos are neither.
• The green salsa is terrible.
• My burrito wasn’t wrapped well, but it could have just been that one time  (at least they are not meant to be eaten with a fork and knife)

Burritoville, Multiple Locations in Midtown

• 866 Third Ave. (52nd btw. Lex&3rd), 212-980-4111
• 152 E. 43rd. St. (btw. Lex & 3rd), 212-880-8300