Hello,

I recently read about Margon’s whopping 60 violation points on
8/24/11. Then, the restaurant re-opened on 8/31 and only had 11
violation points.

I want to eat it but am pretty grossed out (60 is the worst I’ve ever
heard of). What’s your honest take?

Thanks,

Margon Fan

Honestly? Don’t even give it a second thought.

The DOH regulations contain so many rules that have absolutely nothing to do with how good (or clean) your food is.   Steam table places are particularly susceptible because they are required to keep food heated to a certain level… but the truth is, what would you prefer?  An empty bodega where food sits at the proper temperature, untouched for 15 hours; or a super popular place like Margon, where the steam table might not be kept at the proper temperature, but the food is always fresh and the turnover is high?  Because the former is preferable to the DOH. And even if you do trust that the DOH inspections are true barometers of a restaurant’s cleanliness, then you should feel confident eating at Margon now that it’s received an 11.

In the end, the only thing you really need to know about Margon is that it’s awesome.  A place wouldn’t stay in business as long as Margon, with as many customers as Margon, if it made people sick.  And to be completely honest (you asked for it!) if evidence of live mice or live rats in restaurants really bother you, you should probably think of moving out of NYC… because they outnumber us.

Disagree? Feel free to sound off in the comments.

Related:
Margon Closed For “Emergency Repairs”

Sad Margon news from Lunch’er Ed today:

My coworker and I wanted some oxtail on Thursday from Margon. I had just been there the week before and got my fried chicken morsels on. So this past Thursday, we go there braving the rain (non-Irene related) and they had a sign on the door that said they were closed because of a power outage. What was weird to me was that they had newspapers covering all the windows as if they were renovating the inside. We thought no worries, we’ll just try again tomorrow. We settled for El Rey Del Sabor on 43rd. We go back Friday, and again it is closed. Not Happy. This time we settled on Sophie’s on 45th which was a decent substitute. So figuring, they are bleeding money, they HAVE to be open Monday.

We go back and it’s closed again. Only this time, we spot the Health Department Order tucked away on a side window. Looks like they racked up 60 points on the inspection last Wednesday. Hopefully, they come back soon. Can you find out when they plan to reopen and get their reinspection? Because frankly, all restaurants deal with these issues and I just need my oxtail.

They were hoping to reopen today, but it looks like that didn’t happen. Maybe tomorrow? (Keeping our fingers crossed.)

Photos courtesy of Nick L.

Fall is upon us. The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting nippier, and suddenly lunch time has gone from merely a break in the day, to a necessary means of warming and comforting ourselves. It seems that many Midtown lunchers agree that soups are the perfect cold weather comfort food, and I wholeheartedly concur. And what’s more comforting and familiar than a bowl of hearty chicken soup?

When it comes to chicken soup, Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th) has a fine version, which can be paired with their famous Cuban sandwiches, for the ML friendly price of only $9. For this price, I’ve always considered this combination to be one of the best soup and sandwich combos in Midtown. Find out why after the jump.

The bulk of Margon’s buzz centers around the aforementioned Cuban sandwich, as well as their extended steam tables offerings of roast chicken, pepper steak, oxtails and pernil. I wouldn’t dare to presume that Margon’s Cuban sandwich is the best in the city, though I’ve no qualms with making this sandwich part of my weekly lunch rotation. Like any good Cuban sandwich, theirs is a hearty fistful of ham, salami, gooey melted cheese, creamy mayo and the zing of mustard and a pickle, encased in an ever so slightly crispy roll.

While Margon’s Cuban sandwich has been extensively profiled, their chicken soup seems to have slipped under the radar. It’s time to change that.

The chicken soup has a viscous broth, always with a light sheen of oil enshrouding crude bits of bone-on dark meat chicken and chunky nubs of potato and yucca. The rich chicken broth is bolstered by the starch from the yucca, and is pungent with garlic and fragrant with coriander, parsley, and annatto. Some may find the bone-in chicken to be disagreeable, however, half the fun and the flavor comes from winnowing the tender morsels of chicken straight off the bone. In short, this is a powerful soup that will stick to your ribs and warm your soul.

Despite my huge appetite, I often struggle to finish this entire combination of food, though it’s simply too good to let any go to waste. At $9, Margon’s soup and sandwich combo is certainly fit for a King, a Dictator, or any Midtown Luncher that craves a good bowl of hot soup and a filling sandwich.

Margon, 136 W. 46th St. (btw. 6+7th), 212-354-5013

Fork in the Road put together a list of their 11 favorite octopus dishes in NYC today, and we were super excited to see that Margon’s octopus salad was number 2!  Not too shabby for an old school Cuban lunch counter on 46th btw. 6+7th.  (It even beat out the infamous octopus and bone marrow pasta from Marea!)

They’ve also been recently added to the Not For Tourist Guide, and I’m kind of into their one line description.

Nice.  We do like it.  (Margon… and the description.)

Related:
Margon & Sophie’s Make NYT Best Cuban Food List
Original Margon Review (11/15/06)

For the second year in a row Midtown lunching was woefully underrepresented at Choice Eats, but Margon-the Cuban/Dominican diner on 46th btw. 6+7th- did us proud with a huge spread of some of their best stuff.

A plate of my three favorites is after the jump…

Chicken chicharrones, octopus salad, and fried plantain. Awww yeah.

Beyond Margon, SmorgasChef was the only other place with a Midtown location (they took over the old AQ Cafe space on Park & 37th, when that place moved to 58th & Broadway.) Their Swedish meatball with lingonberries, and smoked salmon was fine.

Some of our favorite out of bounds spots were there though, like Baoguette (on Lex btw. 25+26th) which served mini versions of their sloppy bao and pork banh mi. Delicious! There was also chopped liver on toast from Eisenberg’s Sandwich shop (on 5th btw. 22+23rd), and Tiffin Wallah (on 28th & Lex) was there for a second year in a row.

Beyond the Midtown stuff, my favorites were probably the manty from Cheburechnaya in Rego Park and the chiles rellenos tacos from Tortilleria Nixtamal.

The place was packed, and a lot of the food ran out early (Momofuku Bakery I’m looking in your direction…) but nobody left hungry (or sober) and for $35 it’s kind of hard to complain! You can read more coverage on A Passion for Food or Serious Eats: New York.

I love it when Midtown Lunch places use my photos.  I guess real photographers would probably not like people stealing their work, but for an amateur like me it’s kind of an honor. Awhile back, the Biriyani Cart (which was recently nominated for a Vendy Award) used two of my photos on their signage, and now someone pointed out that Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th) put one of my photos on their take out menu.  Don’t know how appetizing that looks in black and white… I think I prefer it in color.  Either way, anything that causes more people to eat at Margon is alright in my book. (Although it would be nice to get a free lunch out of it… hint hint.)

Thick and creamy, it tasted exactly as described.  They make them to order in a blender next to the sandwich counter in the front, so I’m guessing it may take awhile during lunchtime crush.  If you don’t want to deal with the madness, do what I did: make it your late afternoon snack.  At $3.75 it’s not cheap, but it’s pretty refreshing, borderlines as a dessert, and is certainly preferable to the new (crap) smoothies at Starbucks.