Newish Koreatown sake bar Kirakuya (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th, 2nd Floor) is now open for lunch and serving special sets. Options under $10 include udon and soba noodle bowls served hot or cold and rice bowls with tempura or unagi. Check out a close up of the menu after the jump…
Posted by ultraclay at 8:30 am, July 1st, 2010 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, Japanese, Kirakuya.
Last week we reported that New Jersey’s QBA Cuban Kitchen truck had started making appearances in Manhattan, and according to the schedule on their website they’re hoping to make it a permanent Tuesday and Thursday thing (on the SE corner of 48th and 6th) Excited about a new truck in the face of NYC’s coming food truck apocalypse, I immediately headed out to welcome QBA to the neighborhood, and to see what they had to offer.
Posted by Jeremiah White at 11:45 am, June 28th, 2010 under 48th btw 5+6th, Latin, QBA Cuban Kitchen Truck, Review.
The Trini-Paki Boys cart (on the SE corner of 43rd and 6th) is well known to Midtown Lunch’ers. It’s mostly famous for their Pakistani version of chicken over rice, topped with Trinidadian pepper sauce- but Zach was pretty excited to discover that they also served biriyani, dahi bala, polourie, samosas, and most importantly doubles.
I discovered doubles in my college days through a Trinidadian ex-girlfriend. It’s been years since we’ve been on speaking terms, but doubles are still a fond memory. So a week or so ago I finally got a chance to check out the Trini Paki Boys cart for myself- and for once skipped the street meat in favor of a double.
After the jump, some doubles porn and a little background on the whole “Trini-Paki” thing.
Posted by ultraclay at 10:00 am, June 9th, 2010 under 43rd btw. 5+6th, Cart, Indian, Review, Trini Paki Boys Cart.
A few weeks ago Lunch’er “Chris6Sigma” was kind enough to check out the Korean Noodle Soup cart on 49th btw. 6+7th and report back. This week he has turned his attention to Arirang in Koreatown, and sent in this report:
Being ‘a chicken’ is a multilateral term, but is usually used in negative connotations. e.g. “The French were a bunch of surrender monkey chickens during WWII” or “What are you McFly… a chicken?” Similarly, ‘tasting like chicken’ is a phrase reserved for bland and unimaginative cuts of protein.
At Arirang (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th) the chicken… tastes like chicken. Americans have gotten so used to battering and deep frying their birds, smothering them with sauces, gravy and a heavy hand of spice, we’ve forgotten what chicken actually tastes like. In the process of commoditization and modernization, the once noble fowl has become so bland that it’s an unspoken requirement that a chicken be heavily seasoned or sauced to make it palatable.
However, the chicken soups at Arirang taste cleanly and boldly of chicken. Sheer poultry flavor, savory, fragrant, familiar, and yet exotic for those who grew up eating skinless boneless chicken breasts deep fried or smothered in mushroom gravy or some other Midwestern concoction.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:00 am, May 19th, 2010 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, Arirang, Korean, Soups.
Walking by the old Wilshire State Bank (on 32nd btw. 5+B’way) the other day, I found myself surrounded by a cloud of plaster and debris. The doors were open to the site of the upcoming Koreatown food court, so I peeked in for a moment to get a photo of the space. It looks like there’s a lot more work to be done demolishing the interior, but you can sort of see how the space is going to come together on the first floor, at least. It looks like most of vendors will be on the left, underneath the mezzanine. The stairs in the back look a little rickety, so there’s a chance they might do some crazy Kyochon-style stairway to get to the upper floors. I don’t know the first thing about construction or design, so I can’t really speculate beyond that.
The big news, though, is the rumors about who might be moving in.
Posted by ultraclay at 8:30 am, April 27th, 2010 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, Korean, News, NYC Cravings.
After a giving up fried foods for Lent, I had a post-Easter hankering for falafel, so I headed over to 46th street to hit up Moshe’s Falafel just back from their Passover hiatus. While waiting to place my order discovered that they’ve raised their prices across the board.
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Posted by Brownie at 8:45 am, April 9th, 2010 under 46th btw. 5+6th, Falafel, Kosher, Moshe's Falafel.
It’s no secret that Midtown Lunch has traditionally had a bit of an Asian soup bias… aka Zach just didn’t eat non-Asian soups. And while I can respect his assessment that the majority of soups in midtown are overpriced and not terribly filling (I’m looking at you, Hale & Hearty!), I’m a soup fan, and try as I might, I can’t live on ramen alone. Though the dine-in menu at Dervish Turkish (on 47th btw. 6+7th) is pretty much out of the Midtown Lunch price range, they make a mean Red Lentil Soup that’s available for take out and it’s well under $10.
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Posted by Brownie at 10:15 am, April 7th, 2010 under 47th btw. 6+7th, Soups, Turkish.
Food Court Alert! With all the restaurants on 32nd Street, it’s practically already an outdoor food court, but now there’s going to be a real one, with at least 10 different vendors inside. This could be the biggest food court news since they closed the one in the Manhattan Mall (or A&S Plaza as some of us still think of it). With all the lights and signs on 32nd Street it’s pretty easy to miss the new sign that popped up in the former home of the Wilshire State Bank, right across from Woorijip. (I would have missed it too, if the words “Food Court” hadn’t drawn me in!) I made a quick call yesterday to the realtor to get some details. (What can I say, we love food courts.)
Posted by ultraclay at 9:30 am, April 6th, 2010 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, Food Gallery 32, Korean, News.
With standing room only and walls the color of your bright yellow pickled daikon, E-Mo (W.32nd St. btw. 5th Ave and B’way), which means “aunt” in Korean, serves up homestyle, made-to-order kimbap from a tiny storefront in Koreatown. E-Mo is by far the most popular place to get “Korean sushi” in Ktown. A cheap, hole-in-the-wall, you’d think it would be a Midtown Lunch classic, but surprisingly hasn’t had its own coverage… ’til now. And come on Zach, it’s secretly a caloric brick.
Posted by Jenn Sit at 11:50 am, March 24th, 2010 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, E-Mo, Korean.
Grill 44 (on 44th btw. Lex+3rd) joined the kati roll revolution back in 2008 by adding ‘Indian burritos’ to their usual stream tray assortment of samosas, curries, lamb vindaloo and tikka masala. Now 44G is packing even more into their tiny storefront by serving a South Indian menu. It’s always dubious when a restaurant adds too many different items to one menu, but 44G seem to be pulling it off. I’m not a dosa expert by any means, but my taste buds know flavorful delicious food… so I set forth to expand my horizons.
Posted by Mamacita at 11:45 am, March 18th, 2010 under 44th btw Lex+3rd, Grill 44, Indian, Vegetarian.
