In case you missed it on Eater yesterday, our very own Blondie & Brownie scored a book deal this week!  The project is tentatively titled “New York ala Carte” and will be a “guide to the city’s gourmet food cart scene, with more than 60 recipes from New York’s top vendors.”  We don’t want to give away all the secrets, but I think it goes without saying that many of our favorite Midtown Lunch vendors will be highlighted (and you might see the names of a few more ML contributors popping up to help with the project.)  As the project starts to come together we’ll be sure to fill you guys in before anybody else, but for now you can get a few more details about the book over on their blog, and make sure to congratulate them in the comments.

Followers of The Bistro Truck on twitter may have noted with concern the recent tweets saying that yesterday was its last day on the road for a while. Yesterday afternoon, a notice when out from their PR folks saying that chef Yassir was heading to Morocco to “gather inspiration” and that “big plans” and “exciting news and updates” would be coming when he returned.  Zagat Buzz apparently received the email and speculates about a potential brick and mortar launch. We can’t say either way, but have no idea how we’re going to manage 2-3 months without that delicious mixed grill platter.

It appears that the just barely out-of-bounds Cafe Niagara (38th btw 8+9th) has sold its last serving of Sri Lankan specialties. Customer pleas for help apparently couldn’t save them as the storefront has been shuttered for multiple days. I’m sad to see this Midtown oddity go, but not at all surprised. It was always empty and as thrilled as I was when I first stumbled upon it, my subsequent visits were never as exciting or satisfying. I actually bumped into a guy coming out of the restaurant who said he was “looking at the space.” I would have pumped him for more info but he did not seem interested in talking to “the media.” Now we’ll just have to wait and see what moves in next. Maybe Las Poblanitas will come back. I know that would make a lot of Lunch’ers happy.

Sure enough, all the signage for burgers is gone, the grill where there were once sizzling patties of beef is now barren, and the counter space in the back is once again just a staging area for uncooked pizzas. I haven’t been able to get in touch with the owner to see what is up with the burger operation, but I can’t say I’m surprised by this development. I think I can count on one hand the number of people I saw patronizing that back counter. It seems a waste to not make better use of all that space back there though. Maybe they’ll give the fried chicken they serve at some other locations a shot next!

Related:
2 Bros. Pizza Trying Out New “Burger Bros” Concept

The Biryani Cart empire appears to be expanding its borders beyond 46th and 6th. Their Juicy Wings cart, which hasn’t actually been serving wings since February, is now set up 2 blocks south on the SW corner of 44th & 6th serving traditional favorites like biryani, street meat and kati rolls right next to My Biryani, a cart heavily “inspired” by Biryani Cart.  The  move will surely result in some “friendly” competition, but when I stopped by the much less well-known My Biryani was actually serving more people in its usual spot than the recently relocated offshoot of the original. It will be interesting to see how lines compare as more people realize they can get Biryani Cart food two blocks away, presumably with less waiting.

Spring is here! As usual, New Yorkers everywhere are seeking out any and every excuse to spend time outside. This week, we’ve got a bunch of Flatiron news on that front, with four new opportunities to enjoy lunch in the great outdoors.

First up, Mad. Sq. Markt, the collection of food vendors from all over town in Worth Square across from Madison Square Park is starting up again today. Every day until June 3rd, you’ll be able to try out food from more than 20 food sellers. Here’s the full list from the Madison Square Park website:

Asia Dog, Bar Suzette, Breezy Hill Orchard, Calexico, Carnelian Knoll, Chameleon, Cookie Panache, Eataly, Engage Green, Goat Town, Hong Kong Street Cart, ilili, Karma Living, kudu-lah, Marquet, Momofuku Milk Bar, Nunu Chocolates, P&H Soda Co., Piccolo Café, Resto, Roberta’s Pizza, Sigmund Pretzelshop, Stuffed Artisan Cannolis, Selen Design, Spices and Tease, The Filling Station, Yumi Chen Designs

I know where I’ll be eating every day for at least the next week.

Calexico is on that list, but it turns out that they’ll be sticking around even after the market is over. They showed up for their first day in their new Flatiron spot yesterday (on 24th and Broadway) and had over a dozen people in line before they even opened. The guy taking the orders said that they signed a contract with the park to be there daily for the next year from 11am to 9pm.

If you’re a Midtown South luncher who can’t quite make it down to Flatiron, but want in on the outdoor fun and possibly a beer, FoodParc is turning their backyard into a beer garden. Grub Street reports that it’ll be called BeerParc and will include the traditional German options of sausage and beer served by Edi & The Wolf as well as Thai fried chicken from Soi 29, barbecue goodness from Fatty Cue and seafood from Ed’s Raw Bar. BeerParc is scheduled to open on May 18th.

Also on May 18th and a bit out of Flatiron Lunch bounds, Zagat is hosting a “Food Truck Frenzy” featuring some of our favorite food trucks, including Souvlaki GR, above. Tickets are $12 before Monday and $18 on the day of the event.

Other vendors include:

Bian Dang, Big D’s Grub, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Bistro Truck, Cupcake Crew, Desi Truck, Endless Summer Tacos, Joyride Truck, Kelvin Natural Slush Co., Korilla Food Truck, La Cense Beef Burger, Mexicue, Patacon Pisao, Pizza Moto, Souvlaki GR, Steak Truck, Sweetery, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck & More

Common sense says that any event like this is going to end up being a shitshow, but I’m betting that 21st and 22nd Streets between 10th and 11th are going to be inconvenient enough that the crowd won’t be too bad. Here’s hoping!

Got any news or tips for a fellow Flatiron Luncher? Let us know at editor@midtownlunch.com.

I don’t know what it is about burgers this week but out of nowhere I noticed this sign up announcing a new burger shop coming to 36th Street, just off of 6th Avenue. It’s in an old salon space next to a pizza shop. There’s no real hint as to what type of burger shop this will be, but we’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled.

I noticed Hing Won had a Grade Pending sign up in their window dated Thursday. I assumed that even though Hing Won was back open, this couldn’t be very good news. A visit to the DOH site reveals that Hing Won scored an astronomical 70 on an inspection last Monday (is that a record?). But don’t let that discourage you… just two days later, their re-inspection got a measly 11! That would put them in the A range. What a comeback story!

Regardless, we don’t think most of Hing Won’s customers care too much about the grade in the window (we sure don’t!)

So click through to check out F&W’s spin on these ML classics; And though we encourage everyone to try these recipes at home, we urge you to resist the temptation of bringing your leftovers to work for lunch.