Popeyes Returns to Midtown and Yum Thai set to re-open
The hits just keep on coming in ’07. I walked by this amazing sign last week on 40th btw. 7th & 8th:
That’s right, Popeyes is back baby! When my wife first started working in Midtown, there was a Popeyes in the 40s btw. 5th & 6th (I think it was on 46th). But by the time I had started working there, it had disappeared (literally… I think they tore the whole building down). Very disappointing. Sure, there are other places for fried chicken in Midtown- but none that are as cheap, spicy, or with biscuits that are so delicious, they leave you wondering whether the main ingredient is biscuit or butter.
Anyway, if you are sick of your desk job, and looking for a move into the chicken and biscuits field, they are hiring. Just call 347-534-5478. A call to that number revealed that they plan on opening within two weeks. I’ll be there on Day 1 with a bib on (you don’t want to get beans and rice on your work clothes).
There’s other good news in that same area of town. I’ve gotten a few worried emails and comments about Yum Thai (44th btw. B’way & 6th) being shuttered. Fear not cheap Thai fans- they were only closed for renovations and plan on re-opening tomorrow (Thursday). Though to be safe, I may wait until Friday or Monday before trekking over there.
And now for my first installment of “Restaurant Tips from a guy who knows very little about the restaurant industry, but knows this”:
Tip #1: If you are going to temporarily close down your business (for whatever reason), but plan on re-opening, put a sign up to let your customers know that you are not closed forever. Even if the sign has poor grammar, and you get made fun of on a blog, you will still get your point across…
Posted by Zach at 8:35 am, February 7th, 2007 under 44th btw. 6+B'way, Fried Chicken, Soul Food, Thai.
From the moment I heard that you could get fried chicken served on a waffle, I knew it would be good. How could it not be??? Fried chicken. Good. Waffle. Good. Syrup. Always good. I had heard that Amy Ruth’s in Harlem (116th btw. Lennox & 7th) is one of the best places to go for this amazing treat, but I haven’t found time to make the pilgrimage. Well, I guess they got sick of waiting- and have now decided to bring the Chicken & Waffles to me! The owners of the famous, always a line out the door Amy Ruth’s in Harlem, have opened Ressie Mae’s Soul to Go in Midtown, across from the Port Authority (on 8th Ave. btw. 39th & 40th.).
Every city I’ve lived in has had some form of delicious chicken for lunch time. In Boston, there is Boston Market. The chicken is decent, the sides are eh, but man- is that corn bread good. In Los Angeles it is 
Nothing gets New Yorkers going like a good Hamburger post. You could argue about the best burger forever, and there would never be consensus. It all comes down to what is most important to you? Size? Value? Quality of meat? Toppings? Fries? Location? I don’t know what is most important to me. I’d like to think it’s value, but the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is no deal, yet because of the quality of the meat, and the cool “hidden” location, I seem to ignore the price. Prime Burger is one of the older places in Midtown, makes there burger with quality meat, and has a great atmosphere, yet but because you have to order from a menu, and the burger comes totally plain I didn’t like it as much because the value wasn’t there. When the Prime Burger post went up in September, a lot of people commented on it, pointing me towards “The Blarney Stone”, a place where atmosphere and value come together in a gigantic burger, where the quality may not be good enough for some- but was good enough for me! 
This was the first comment… and at the time, I sort of ignored it because it sounded like an Irish Pub, where you had to sit at a table and order from a menu (not really a Midtown Lunch kind of thing). The Blarney Stone is an Irish Pub, and there are tables- but there are no waiters. You order from a counter, and then take your food to one of the tables in the back.
Two very important details in this comment (aside from the $4 price tag). First, my burger was cooked a noticeably perfect Medium rare. Second, they give you a ridiculous amount of cheese. It’s only 50 cents, and they really don’t skimp. I don’t know if you can tell from the pic, but the thick white layer above the burger is actually cheese. I can’t be sure, but I feel pretty confident in saying there could possibly be an unheard of, 2 to 1 meat to cheese ratio. 
I don’t often eat at (or write about) generic fast food chains, but every once in awhile something will catch my eye, and I just can’t resist. This blog was practically launched on my reporting about the craziness surrounding the opening of Chipotle in my building. I also wrote about the one 
I think it started back in Junior High when Burger King introduced the first and original Bullseye BBQ Burger. Man, that thing was awesome. It seems commonplace now, but doing that cross promotion thing with Bullseye was total genius (I’m pretty sure I forced my mom to buy that sauce for years afterwards). I remember seeing it on the menu and ordering it for the first time. Two bacon cheeseburgers, side by side- covered in Bullseye BBQ sauce. How could it be bad? And then one day it was gone. Oh boy was I pissed. And yet- even now, all these years later I forget that anger, and get suckered in once again; falling in love with these crazy menu items that disappear without warning, leaving you wanting just one more taste… (Has anybody had that fried chicken finger wrapped in a tortilla that McDonald’s has? I really want to try it but I know my wife won’t ever let me live it down)
Who says 4 posts about a mediocre Bulgogi cart is overkill??? (Clearly you didn’t see me the week 
They have Bulgogi (Korean BBQ’d beef) or Chicken, served with rice, & salad for $5. But here’s the real kicker… they throw in a drink for free! (Soda or water) It is a pretty amazing deal. The menu has spicy and non-spicy versions of each of the two dishes posted, but if you order it “spicy” they just give you a cup of red hot sauce to pour over it yourself. They also give you a very small cup of kimchi (fermented cabbage), which is a real nice touch.
Ever since 
But, I am still a little bit desperate- so with no $10 buffets left, I decided to up my price to $10.95 and check out Sukhadia’s, a Vegetarian Indian Buffet on 45th btw. 5th & 6th Ave. Now, I am not an Indian food expert, and I am not exactly sure what kind of Indian food Sukhadia serves- but I can say this… if you are looking for Tandoori Chicken, or some sort of Tikka Masala with Naan- you are going to be very disappointed. In fact, if you are looking for meat at all, or even any of the standard Northern Indian dishes you find at most American Indian restaurants, you are going to be disappointed. I believe the cuisine is mostly from the area of RÄjasthÄn, but you can find Northern and Southern Indian food at the restaurant, in addition to Jain dishes (a religion/philosophy from Ancient India whose followers are vegetarian).
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You show up at an Indian Buffet, and it costs $10.95 and they got no meat, it’s going to make you say 
There are some things that are such an awesome deal they supercede quality. In fact the occurance is so rare, that when you find the deal, you are so excited, you forget what the thing you’re eating even tastes like. The under $10 buffet. Steak & Eggs in Vegas. Taco Bell in the old days. And of course… 99 cent pizza. Pizza is everywhere in New York. Good pizza is everywhere in New York. But you never see a slice below $2. And in Midtown, the price is sometimes jacked up to a ridiculous $2.50 a slice. Nevermind wanting toppings or a drink. The pizza is good… but a lunch ends up costing you $7… for pizza. Enter 99¢ Fresh Pizza to save the day!