Midtown Lunch

After my out–of-control delicious tongue taco experience in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I was ready to get back on the lengua train here in Midtown.  Easiest place for that? The El Rey del Sabor cart.  If you haven’t been yet (there are now three of them in Midtown), what the hell are you waiting for? There’s one on 60th and 3rd Ave., 49th and 3rd, and 43rd and 6th.  I decided to hit up the one on 49th, because it gets the least amount of love! (And yet the highfalutin, more expensive Pampano Taqueria across the street, is a mob scene. Figures.)

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I don’t usually eat lunch in Midtown on the weekends (why would you!?!), but occasionally it will happen.  Like on Saturday when I found myself in Koreatown buying ingredients to make homemade kimchi.  I stopped in to pick up a little lunch at Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th) and noticed something I had never seen before: korean blood sausage (or soondae.)  Nice.  It was in the refrigerated section in the back, so it wasn’t as good as it would have been had it been warm (I don’t like microwaving things) but the flavor was still good.  Made with cellophane noodles, the blood flavor was actually pretty mild (overwhelmed a bit by the intense garlic flavor.)  I’m guessing there are much better versions of this to be had on 32nd street, but all in all it was a fun treat, and not nearly as offal tasting as you would expect.

Related:
Woorijip Gets a Makeover, Still the Best Cheap Korean on 32nd

What does 3 years of hardcore Midtown Lunch’ing do to a psyche?  For one thing it alleviates all food fears. I will pretty much eat anything at this point.  (Except for a sandwich from Walgreens… but that has nothing to do with fear.)  I feel kind of proud thinking back on some of the ways I’ve sacrificed my body in the name of of this site. Eating at Tad’s Steaks after being dared by a reader gave me a sense of personal accomplishment, although no dare was necessary to get me to try that street ceviche from the Ecuadorian lady on 46th Street (although some called me insane for that one.)  I admited to being incredibly frightened of the Kashmir Buffet.  but surprisingly less scared of the jury duty tripe lunch from that Chinatown cart (in fact it was a revelation.)  But all those seem like child’s play compared to this…  a liver sandwich- from a Midtown Halal cart.

Remember that cart with the liver sandwich I posted about back in February (on 55th & Madison)? Well, I finally tried it on Tuesday… and amazingly, survived to tell the story.

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Last week I got an email from Lunch’er Kyle asking me if I had tried the new chocolate corn bread muffins from Piece of Chicken, the just out of bounds soul food take out place on 45th btw. 8+9th Ave. where almost everything on the menu is $1 to $3.  Why no.  I haven’t tried the new choclate corn bread muffins, was my reply.  Clearly I needed to revisit Piece of Chicken, and see what was going on.

To be completely honest though, I had ulterior motives.  Chocolate corn bread muffins sounded pretty good, but what I really wanted to try was the fried chicken and waffle and fried chicken livers, two items on the Piece of Chicken menu which always seemed to be sold out every single time I stopped by for like two weeks straight last year.  Well, it’s been awhile- but I returned to Piece of Chicken a few days ago, and both items were available.

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I had mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I know a lot of you don’t pay attention so here it is again, just in case (because lord knows I don’t want anybody to miss out on this).  In honor of Scotland Week there will be a cart giving away free haggis hot dogs on the corner of 52nd & Broadway, today and tomorrow from 11am to 5pm.  According to the NYDN Blog it will be at the Continental Airlines Billboard.  Free sheep’s innards for all!!!  This should be good.  See you there…

Photo Courtesy of NY Daily News

While I was in London a few weeks ago, I got to eat at the Mecca of Offal, Fergus Henderson’s St. John’s Restaurant.  Pork fat, pig’s head, bone marrow, and ox heart were the highlights, and you can read all about my meal, complete with photos at Serious Eats.  With Fergus in NYC this week, promoting his new book “Beyond Nose to Tail“, and that truly decadent meal still fresh in my mind, I thought this might be the perfect opportunity for a list of the Best in Midtown Lunch entrails, organs and animal bits that don’t often get used.

Best Oxtails, tripe, sweetbreads and more- after the jump… Read more »