If there’s one things I love about eating street meat in Midtown is that everybody has their own favorite spot for chicken and lamb over rice. Sure, some of the halal carts have become more famous- and Street Meat Palooza has crowned two different winners. But most people have their favorite spot (usually close to their work) where the guy knows your order, and makes it just the way you like it. And while it may not win any awards, it doesn’t make it any less worthy of being patronized.

So yesterday when Miss Softee (yes, that Miss Softee!) offered to take me to her favorite street meat cart, I immediately took her up on the offer.

Miss Softee (aka “everybody’s favorite Mister Softee truck driver”) is back from her vacation, but since the Mister Softee trucks hibernate for the winter, she’s not currently slinging soft serve. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t come back into Midtown every so often to visit her old friends. She introduced to me to one of them yesterday… his name is Habibi Muhammad (Habibi means “my beloved” and is just what Miss Softee calls him!), and he runs the “Halal Food” truck on the SW corner of 56th & 6th. She is all about the gyro on pita, but I went for my standard order: chicken and lamb over rice with white sauce and hot sauce.

You get your choice of rice (white, yellow, or spicy) but Habibi said the spicy was the best if you like spicy. It was pretty standard rice, with a good flavor… not as perfectly cooked as the basmati rice you get at Kwik Meal or the Famous Halal Guys Cart or as flavorful as the rice at XPL, but it wasn’t the crappy waterlogged rice you get at so many mediocre carts. It was somewhere in the middle. The best part of the platter was that Habib lets the meat cook on the flat top for a good amount of time, ensuring that the gyro gets crispy. This usually happens more often when you go to a cart late in the day, but Miss Softee assured me that his gyro is always crispy. It also had veggies which I surprisingly enjoyed- and Miss Softee swears make the platter healthy. Muhammad echoes that sentiment… he’s quick to always let you know that his street meat is “good for the heart, good for the liver.” (Is that a hangover joke?)

Anyway, I was definitely pleased with my lunch. Will it replace my personal favorites, or win Street Meat Palooza 3? Probably not. But if you like switching it up every once in awhile, the Halal Food cart on 56th and 6th is worthy of being added to your rotation. Especially if you like your lamb crispy…

Halal Food, SW Corner of 56th and 6th

Dean & Deluca seems to be opening more of more of these new lunchtime take out spots. At the end of last year they opened the branch on 48th btw. 5+6th (right around the corner from another Dean & Deluca location) and now another has opened on 55th 56th btw. 6+7th. But this one is kind of different… they’re serving burgers! Kind of exciting, and they looked pretty good being grilled behind the counter. Unfortunately, they are all over $10 so I think I’ll just stick with the Burger Joint or Five Guys. But there is a menu of under $10 sandwiches and hot panini that look kind of appealing- and completely different than anything they have the other Midtown locations.

For those D&D fans who work in the southern part of Midtown, there is a big Dean & Deluca that will be opening on the ground floor of the New York Times Building (on 8th Ave. and 41st Street) but no word on when that will be happening.

It seems like every day I’m posting one of these.  First it was the buffets, and then Del Frisco’s raised the price of their steak tips deal.  Now, the incredibly popular Burger Joint, “hidden” in the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel on 56th btw. 6+7th, has raised their prices.  That’s right- the hamburger that you voted “Best Burger” in the 2008 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, now costs $7 (up from $6).  The cheeseburger gets a $1 price hike as well (to $7.50) and the grilled cheese, french fries, brownie, milkshake, bottled water and a beer now cost you 50 cents more.  While soda and lemonade get a token 25 cent increase.  Apparently the whole pickle is the only item immune to the recession.

I’m sure it won’t effect the line of tourists you currently find packing the place everyday, but with Five Guys now open a few blocks away, and Goodburger continuing their expansion, this price hike could have an effect on their lunchtime business.

With the price of food all over the city going up, and a Burger Joint hamburger and fries now going for $10.50, are these places no longer Midtown Lunches, or is it time we adjusted the $10 cap for inflation?

What the good ‘ole days looked like, after the jump…

Thanks to Lunch’er “Terry” for the tip.  If you have a tip, news or recommendation, email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

The cart is named for its location, right next to Carnegie Hall, where John serves up Hamburgers, Chicken, Gyro, Steak & Shish Kebab, all cooked to order.  Which partially explains the line.  Ever since the NY Mag issue came out, the line at this cart has been out of control- and if you want a burger, you’ve got to go on the early side.  He usually runs out by 1:30.

What I got, food cart porn and a +/- after the jump…

John has got a decent size menu for a cart, but the burgers are the fan favorite, and the item which most of his regulars swear by.  He worked for years at Tony Dragonas’ famous cart on 62nd & Madison, so there is talk of how great his chicken and rice is- but it’s no match for the $3.50 hamburger (50 cents more for cheese).  A really decent size patty, it seems slightly bigger than the burgers served at Burger Joint & Good Burger.

He cooks the burger perfectly medium rare, and I have heard more than one person say that if they had fries at this cart, the Burger Joint would be out of business (it’s a very short walk away).  The burger does have a great flavor, and I think most of that is due to the fact that John cooks them on the same griddle where he cooks the sausage, and finishes them off on the same griddle where he cooks the steak, chicken and gyro.

I also tried the Combo platter just to see what the hype was all about.  $6.50 gets you a generous portion of any two meats served over rice and salad, topped with your choice of sauce.  The white sauce is usually the way to go at places like this, and there version didn’t disappoint.  It was very similar to greek yogurt, or tzatziki sauce, and was very tasty.  Their hot sauce is red, and not too hot, and a lot of people like the BBQ sauce as well.

The best part about the chicken is that it’s made from whole white meat chicken breasts that you actually see being cooked on the griddle.  The steak is also cooked to order, and is made from whole strips of steak.  Like the burger, the chicken and steak also get most of their flavor from the griddle which has been cooking different meats all day long.  There’s none of the Middle Eastern spices you get at a lot of halal chicken and rice carts, so if that’s your thing, you may not like John’s version as much.  I can say to avoid the gyro though.  It is not cut fresh off the spit, but comes in those pre-made frozen strips that I’m not a big fan of.

All in all Carnegie John’s is a great find, and one of the best, and cheapest burgers in Midtown.  The line can get long, but part of that is the fact that everything is cooked fresh to order.  Luckily, watching John work is pretty impressive, so you have something to do while you wait.  He is a machine on that griddle, and it’s amazing how he remembers who ordered what.  I don’t think he’s going to be closing down the Burger Joint any time soon, but it’s without a doubt a great Midtown Lunch.

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

• Everything is fresh and made to order
• The burger is ridiculously cheap ($3.50, $4.00 for a cheeseburger)
• He knows how to cook a Medium Rare burger
• Everything is tasty… flavored from all the different things that get cooked on that griddle during the day.
• If you like chicken and rice (with white sauce), but don’t want all those Middle Eastern spices- this will be your favorite.  It’s also chunks of white meat chicken cooked fresher than most halal carts, where the pile of chopped up chicken sits there all day long.
• Cheapest steak you’ll find in Midtown.  $6, and it’s made fresh to order.

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

• Everything is made to order, so it takes too long.  I don’t have time to wait during lunch.
• The quality of meat that goes into the Burger is not as high as the Burger Joint or Good Burger.
• I don’t like my burgers with any pink on the inside… and his usually come medium rare.
• They don’t have french fries!
• I prefer my chicken and rice to be halal style, flavored with Middle Eastern spices
• The gyro is not freshly cut off a spit.  It’s those frozen, pre-made gyro strip things
• The steak is not a great cut, so it’s a little tough
• The hot sauce isn’t hot enough
• If you don’t get there early enough, the burgers will run out

Carnegie John’s, 56th St. & 7th Ave.

First off, what kind of burger are you talking about?  Thick or thin? Cheap or Expensive?  If you ask me what my favorite burger place is, I would probably say In ‘n Out?  But it’s only the best when you compare it to other thin burgers… which are mostly found at fast food places.  Most people probably like thick burgers better then the thin patties… but there aren’t too many cheap, fast food places that serve the thick restaurant style burgers.  Then you have the expensive burgers… which are in a class unto themselves.  You know the ones… served at fancy restaurants, made with Kobe beef and stuffed with foie gras that cost a hundred billion dollars.  That doesn’t really appeal to me.  It’s a hamburger.  If I go to a fancy restaurant, I want a real meal.  Not a burger.  I don’t care what animal’s liver you’ve stuffed it with, and how much you massaged the cow before you ground it up… I’m not paying over $20 for a hamburger and fries.  Why stop at foie gras and truffles?  You start stuffing burgers with fried chicken or Chinese food, then you give me a call…

So in my opinion to talk about “the best” or compare burger places across genres is really useless.  If two places are right across the street from each other, and serve the same kind of burger at the same price- compare away.  In ‘n Out is better then McDonald’s.  But to compare Blue 9 Burger in the East Village to the burger at Spotted Pig is futile.  (BTW, if you are a fan of In n Out, and are ever in the East Village check out Blue 9.  It’s the closest thing to a good double double you’ll find in NYC.)

Lucky for us, when it comes to eating a hamburger, for lunch in Midtown, it doesn’t matter what you like- the choice for best burger is pretty clear and easy.  The Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien Hotel.  While I’m sure the name conjures images of some fancy burger served at an overpriced hotel restaurant with white tablecloths- here’s the best part.  It’s a dive, and it’s hidden smack dab in the middle of one of the nicest hotel lobbies in Midtown.

Pictures, the +/- and more after the jump…

It’s hard to call the Burger Joint “hidden”, because it’s become pretty well known (the lines can attest to that).  But the truth is, if you don’t know the Burger Joint is there, then you will never know the Burger Joint is there.  There’s no real sign, or windows looking in.  Just an unlit aisle, next to a large brown curtain with a little neon hamburger and an arrow pointing in.  If there wasn’t a line coming out the hallway, you probably wouldn’t even notice it walking through the hotel lobby.

Once you make it inside, you find one of the true hidden gems of Midtown.  The “kitchen”, if you could call it that, is a grill behind the counter where you order.  The menu is pretty small, and like it says “If you don’t see it, we don’t serve it.”  Hamburger ($6), Cheeseburger ($6.50), French Fries ($3), Grilled Cheese ($5).  That’s it.  There are milkshakes if you show up after 2:30 (supposedly that’s when the line dies down, but on a Wednesday at 2:30 it was still going strong for us).  A bunch of wooden tables to sit at, and a bar with some stools.  That’s about it.  Here’s a picture of the burger from their website:

Here’s the picture of the burger I ate:

I can’t decide which picture looks more appetizing!  Despite my horrible photography it really was delicious.  I won’t go too much into how amazing the burger is, or why it’s so good.  The last thing I want to do is draw the ire or attention of burger afficianados quick to tell me how much better some other place in the city is.  Listen pal.  We work in Midtown.  This place kicks ass.  I don’t care what you say…

But I will say this:  It’s a little thicker then a fast food burger (but still in the fast food vein).  If you like that, you’ll like this burger.  It tastes like it’s been grilled on a BBQ, because it has been.  If you like that, you will like this burger.  It tastes like it was cooked fresh, using really good beef, because it was and it is.  If you like that you will like this burger.  If you order it medium rare, the inside will be deliciously pink.  If you like that, you will like this burger.  Will you like it better then (insert your favorite burger place here)?  I don’t know.  Is it worth $9.50 for a cheeseburger and fries?  If the thought of eating at McDonald’s or Burger King (again, or for the first time) sickens you- then yes, it is most definetely worth it. 

Transcendant experience?  I couldn’t tell you, because I’ve never gotten that feeling from ground up meat, grilled and served on a roll.  For me, that “seeing god” experience is reserved for that 3rd plate at an all you can eat chinese buffet.  I must be a communist.  Feelings of euphoria aside, it is a damn good burger, and I’ll go back again and again.

THE +

• Tastes like a real hamburger, made with good meat, that’s been chargrilled on a BBQ

• Your lunch is causing the lobby of a super fancy hotel to smell like chargrilled meat

• Slightly thicker then your regular fast food burger

• They will make your burger medium rare if you want it that way (and it’s thick enough to make a difference)

THE -

• There’s no grilled onions.  I’m a big fan of grilled onions.

• For some $9.50 for a cheeseburger and fries is too much.  I understand.

• The wait.  It’s a pain in the ass.  Despite being a “hidden gem”, this place is pretty well known as it pretty packed for most of the hours that you would consider eating a meal that could be called lunch.  Best case scenario, get there right at noon or after 2:15.  Chances are you will still have to wait, but the wait will be shorter.

• It’s really small, and getting a table is like winning the lotto

 

***ADDITION***  Thanks to an annoynymous tipster we have discovered that you can not only call ahead and place your order- but when you arrive you can skip the line, go to the side of the counter to pay, and receive your food!!!

The Burger Joint, in the Parker Meridien Hotel.  Enter on 56th btw. 6th & 7th.  Look for the big brown curtain in the middle of the lobby.  (There is an entrance on 57th, but it’s easier to find the Burger Joint from the entrance on 56th).  212-708-7414