Midtown Lunch

 

Yesterday, I was very disappointed to get this email & photos

Hi there,

Menchanko on 45th at Lex – BIG FAT YELLOW NOTICE:

“Closed by order of the Board of Health”

Yikes!

I suppose it’s about time.  It has been almost a year since a Midtown Lunch commenter posted this:

I have always liked this place, but today I found a dead cockroach in my rice bowl. They had the nerve to give us the bill. There has to be the last time I pay for a cockroach lunch.

I don’t care what anybody says.  I still love the place.  Maybe I’ll just stick to the 55th St. location and their 26 (two points below passing, and no mention of vermin, as of June ’07).

Close-up of the dreaded yellow- after the jump… Read more »

 

Tomorrow is the last day for the Rock Center Farmer’s Market.  I will miss it.  It was nice to be able to see some fruits and vegetables in their semi-natural state, as opposed to what we’re used to here in Midtown.  If the two could talk I imagine their conversation to go like this:

Farmer’s Market Vegetables: “Aren’t you jealous?  I get to appear in my natural state, and be purchased close to home, by people who truly care about food.  They are going to take me home and do something really special with me.”

Midtown Vegetable: “That’s lame.  I get to travel thousands of miles from where I grew up, only to be chopped up, made to look a lot prettier than I actually taste, and then combined with 5 other friends on top of a pile of lettuce and eaten by some rich Midtown business person!  That’s much more exciting…”

Top whatever sandwich you have with some fresh cheese, add a piece of fruit to your lunch, or pick up some stuff to make dinner with.  I did my final walk through yesterday, and picked up some fresh basil and grape tomatoes… which last night got turned into this (photo after the jump) Read more »

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  I don’t know who Kim is, or his Aunt, but they have a pretty awesome cart.  I first wrote about this place months ago, when the Bulgogi Cart first appeared on 49th St.  Brand new, and so full of promise, I was excited for Bulgogi Sandwich, and cheap Korean food from a cart.  And then, it disappeared.  Frantic, I found myself wandering the streets in search of something… and by coincidence, Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart had just hung a handmade sign, touting their very own bulgogi.

I tried it, and remembered thinking it was good, but not as good as it could be.  It turned out to be better than the actual Bulgogi Cart on 49th, but not as good as the version Cafe Duke serves on 51st.  Even so, it was from a cart- and Kim’s Aunt Kitchen earned a place on my list of return lunches.  They had a pretty extensive menu of fried seafood, and random Chinese dishes like Lo Mein, but the draw for me was definitely the Bulgogi.

Flash forward a few months, and the cart gets picked by NY Mag as one of the best carts in NYC… for their Fried Fish Sandwich.  Fried Fish Sandwich you say?  Methinks it’s time to revisit Kim’s Aunt.  So back I went for the $3.50 fried whiting sandwich… or what I now come to think of as “The Best Bargain in Midtown”.

Fishy sandwich porn and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

 

 

While Pinkberry continues its quest for Frozen Yogurt World Domination (according to Eater, two more locations are opening soon in Midtown), blatant rip off Yogurberry quietly opened inside of the Cafe Duke on 41st & Broadway yesterday.

The menu, prices, and general concept are exactly the same.  As for taste, I don’t really know since I’ve never eaten at Pinkberry (and only ate the Yogurberry because they were giving away free samples).  My thoughts on the subject of the new Frozen Yogurt Craze are perfectly summed up 1 minute and 56 seconds into this amazing Gakwer Video.

A few months ago I got an email tip about a Halal cart that also served fried shrimp.  It didn’t occur to me how weird that was until I finally got around to checking out the cart and saw their sign for “Halal & Seafood”, which if you believe some interpretations of the Koran, would essentially be the same as a cart putting up a sign that says “Kosher & Pork”. 

While some might think Halal means “Chicken & Rice from a cart”, the actual translation just means permissible under Islamic law.  While it is usually used to describe food, the word can actually be applied to anything.  Haraam is the term used to describe things that are forbidden under Islamic law.  Certifying meat Halal has to do with how the animal is slaughtered, with blood and pork being 100% forbidden.  The rules dictating what is halal are very similar to the Kosher laws, although the two terms are definitely not interchangeable.  Seafood is up for debate as different sects interpret the Koran differently.  While most agree that fish is halal, some Muslims feel that shellfish is haraam, because they are bottom feeders, and the Koran strictly forbids eating predatory animals. 

That being said, I am not Muslim, and if a cart wants to throw some fried shrimp on top of that plate of chicken and rice, I’m all for it!  What I got, a +/- and cart porn after the jump…  Read more »

The new Jiannetto’s Piza Truck is parked on 48th btw 6+7th. There are “No Parking” signs everywhere, so I’m not sure how long he’s going to last at that location… but as of right now, Midtown West has got it’s very own pizza truck! He claims they will be at that spot for good, but we’ll see. If it moves, i’ll let you know…

Related: Two Well Known Carts Getting New Locations in Midtown
Related: Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck

This photo comes from the wonderful Variety Cafe (48th btw. 5+6th), a place I haven’t eaten in since they were shuttered by the DOH last July.  Thankfully I have co-workers who drag me to generic delis, so I can experience something like this:

Isn’t Peter Luger a renowned Steak House?  Why is this sandwich made with chicken?  And more importantly, I don’t know what Peter Luger Sauce normally tastes like, but the red gloop they put on this sandwich is 100% Cocktail Sauce.  As anybody with taste buds could imagine, cocktail sauce and fresh mozzarella don’t go so great together.  And for the first time in history, I actually couldn’t physically finish a lunch I had paid for.  Disgusting.

Do you have reason #413 for not eating at a Generic Midtown Deli?  Post the photo to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com or just post a comment below.

Well, the line at Carnegie John’s has finally died down enough for me to try it.  NY Mag wreaked havoc on the Midtown cart scene last month when they released their street cart issue.  It spotlighted some Midtown Lunch favorites (The Jamaican Dutchy, Hallo Berlin, Kim’s Aunt Kitchen & Kwik Meal), but also opened my eyes to a cart I had never heard of.  The legend that is Carnegie John’s.

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… Read more »

 

 

Crappy Chinese food fans rejoice!  The space in the Rock Center Councourse formerly inhabited by Manchu Wok will be re-opening as… Manchu Wok.  Apparently it has new owners and will re-open in the next week (or two).  I’m not exactly sure how franchises work, but I’m holding out hope that the quality will improve for those rainy days when I don’t want to go outside and walk to the far superior Hing Won, one block away.

In much bigger news, Cinnabon will be opening a location in the Rock Center Councourse sometime in the near future.  This is terrible news for us fatties who do everything we can to avoid things like the amazing scent of freshly cooked cinnamon filled, glazed buns, that will no doubt permeate the entire food court area.  The Rock Center Councourse might just have to banned permanently from my list of Midtown Lunch’ing options, just to avoid the tantalizing smell.

If you have info about places in Midtown opening or closing, send it to zach@midtownlunch.com

Got this message from the Grand Central Partnership this morning:

As of this morning, the city continues to maintain a restricted zone, comprised of the area between East 40th St and East 43rd St and between Vanderbilt Ave and Third Ave. Individuals are not permitted to enter the restricted zone. Individuals who are already in the restricted zone are permitted to stay where they are. As clean-up work progresses, the City will work to shrink the size of the restricted zone.

Additionally, the following streets remain closed to vehicular traffic at this time:

– Lexington Ave from East 34th St to East 57th St
– Third Ave from East 38th St to East 42nd St
– Park Ave from East 34th St to East 54th St
– East 42nd St from Park Ave to Third Ave
– Vanderbilt Ave from East 42nd St to East 47th St

I have confirmed that Oms/b (45th btw. Lex+3rd) opened this morning, but then decided to close. 99 Cent Fresh Pizza on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd and the Sophie’s Cuban on Lexington btw. 40+41st are both closed for the day. The other Sophie’s locations have expanded their delivery radius for the day to make up for it.  Call whichever one is closest to you.  Also, the Treats Truck will not be parking at 38th & 5th today, as previously planned.  Check www.treatstruck.com for updates.

Milant (39th btw. Lex+3rd) is still open, as is the entire Grand Central Concourse Food Court, Blarney Stone (3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th), Famous Chicken Place (3rd btw. 38+39th) &  KushiQ (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th).  If you have any added info, post it as a comment below or email it to zach@midtownlunch.com