So when they tweeted on Friday that the special for the day was polenta, I had to check it out- even if the sky was dumping tons of water.

For $9.95 I got the pork schnitzel with the beets and feta salad and the delicious polenta, which they really need to add to the permanent menu. It was seasoned well and the caramelized onions gave it that extra flavor (though I kind of wanted just a little bit more onions). The texture was nice, smooth and creamy, and most importantly it was good comfort food. I’m wondering what other special menu items they’ll be cooking up next?

Keep track of special items from Schnitzel & Things via ML Twitter tracker or @schnitznthings

Schnitzel & Things, 723 Third Ave (btw. 45+46th), 347-772-7341

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed to discover that they were no longer offering the Schnitzel salad–delicious fried bits of schnitz over greens? Now that’s a salad I could get behind!

Instead I was drawn to one of their special sides: polenta with caramelized onions and feta ($3), so I decided to go with the sides platter (your choice of 4 sides for $7.95) for my meal. In addition to the polenta I picked chickpea salad, red cabbage salad, and braised sauerkraut. I’m a Southern Italian, not a Northern one, so polenta isn’t something I have all that often. I initially imagined it would be schnitzified–how good would that be?! But it was prepared in the traditional way by boiling the cornmeal and it then appeared to be lightly pan fried. I found it to be pleasant and smooth, the caramelized onions and feta took it to the next level of salty, savory goodness. The chickpea salad, tossed in a balsamic dressing was my next favorite of the sides. While this might not be the best choice for lunchers with really big appetites–I was hungry a few hours later–if you have a lighter appetite or want the opportunity to try more sides, then the side platter is worth a shot.

Keep tabs on Schnizel & Things via the ML Twitter tracker or @schnitznthings.

Schnitzel & Things, 723 Third Ave (btw. 45+46th), 347-772-7341

Now that my new office is just a few steps away from the Schnitzel & Things’ shop (3rd btw. 45th+46th), I don’t have to run around the city looking for the truck (WIN!) It also means my intake of fried goodness will jump exponentially. When you have a storefront, there’s definitely more room for you to play around with the menu, so when Oleg and family opened their new place (on 3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) they added few new items to the menu including 1 non-schnitzified item on the menu, the grilled ginger chicken (I know the bratwurst isn’t technically schnitzified either but they do deep fry it). The grilled ginger chicken has always been on my mind and finally I got the chance to try it.

I got the grilled ginger chicken as a sandwich($8.50). For the bread, I had a choice between toasted and not toasted (new to me), I got the toasted. Then for the filling I had spicy mayo, the grilled ginger chicken, lettuce and tomatoes and sauerkraut.

This was quite good. The heat from spicy mayo was great and then the sauerkraut really gave the whole sandwich a nice tangy-ness to it. The chicken was nicely grilled but I think the flavor of the ginger sort of got lost in the sandwich (I will have to try it as a platter next time).

The grilled ginger chicken is a nice addition to the all fried menu but my heart (and stomach) will always belong to their chicken schnitz platter with potato salad and cucumber salad.

Schnitzel & Things, 723 Third Ave (btw. 45+46th), 347-772-7341

Veal, pork, chicken, cod. These are the proteins that people think about when they think of the thinly pounded, breaded and fried lunches at Schintzel & Things. And if you’re a true fan, you also know about the infamous Schnitz Burger. But on my latest visit to the truck (which is still doing major business even with the recent opening of the storefront), I was intrigued and seduced by the idea of an eggplant schnitzel.

It’s been mentioned on Midtown Lunch in the past and I’ve seen it on the truck as a regularly featured special, so I figured I should forego my usual veal and give the eggplant schnitzel a try. And while I know Oleg Voss and his crew do a fantastic job with all the vegetable side dishes, like roasted beets with feta and cucumber salad, I was a bit less confident when it comes to frying up a piece of eggplant. I had visions of greasy and mushy aubergine segments.

What I got were two very thin slices of eggplant with a beautiful breaded crust. It was far less greasy than I expected and still had the usual crisp salty light coating all the schnitzels enjoy. My only complaint was that there wasn’t a whole lot of eggplant here. Even with the two vegetable sides, this schnitzel didn’t fill me up like the heavier meat platters do. I generally think of Schnitzel & Things as being overly generous when it comes to portion size, yet here I was craving more.

The flavors were slightly similar to an eggplant parmesan, of course, but instead of gutbomby cheese and tomato sauce, they substitute clean and light flavors like lemon and Sriracha mayo. The exterior was perfectly crispy and the flesh tore away super easily to reveal tender meaty eggplant.

Schnitzel & Things permanently offers eggplant in the store as well and while it’s not the same monster meal as their carnivorous meat schnitzels, it still has lots of flavor and lively textures. And because I got so much flack from readers re: the last thing I wrote about, I did some in-depth research and I’m pleased to report that eggplant is not on any endangered species list.  So everybody can enjoy it!

Schnitzel and Things Truck usually parks in Midtown on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays but be sure to check @schnitznthings or the ML Twitter Tracker to confirm. And their storefront at 723 Third Ave (btw. 45th & 46th) is open every day except Sunday.

After the announcement a month ago that Cucpake Stop was closing, it was dead air silence- but over the weekend, their Twitter account came back to life with a flurry of activity. The trucks (and their bakery in New Jersey) will be re-opening tomorrow minus founder Lev Ekster, who “negotiated the transfer of his ownership interest in the company to his partner Richard Kallman”.  Whatever that means.

Be sure to check the daily announcement of Robicelli’s flavors and as always you can keep track of the Cupcake Stop Truck’s whereabouts on their twitter account, or check out the ML Twitter Tracker.

While veal, pork and the Schnitz Burger might get all the play here at Midtown Lunch, this is another schnitz. A Lenten Friday friendly schnitz. A cod schnitz.  The cod schnitzel was one of the very first things I ordered from Schnitzel & Things when they first hit the streets in July of 2009. Available at the truck and S & T’s brick and morter as both a sandwich ($8 on the truck/$8.50 at the store) and a platter with two sides ($10 on the truck/$9.95 at the store). The cod is tender and not overly fishy and the breading gives it a wonderful crunch. While the sandwich will run you more than a filet o’ fish or a fried fish sandwich from Kim’s Aunt, it’s a high quality fish and price-wise it is on par with the Oyster Bar’s fish sandwich options. If you don’t mind paying a little more for your fried fish lunch, this is a good one to try.

The truck is on 52nd and Lex today, or you can head over to their new storefront.

Yesterday, Schnitzel & Things finally became a bonafide brick-and-mortar (3rd btw 45th+46th), and the line was out the door. The new space allows for a larger menu, a much faster line, and cookies! Though I wasn’t there as early as the third customer, Donny, I did make it over before the lunch rush to get my schnitz on.

The larger menu includes all the regular items available on the truck plus some of the more popular specials: veal, eggplant, and grilled ginger chicken. And now, if you so choose, you can get a schnitzel salad ($7.99) that includes any one schnitzel and four vegetable toppings. (Our kind of salad!) Other new items include sweet potato fries, and cranberry compote as a condiment. All of the prices are within a 50¢ range of their price on the truck.

With the truck staying in for the day, Oleg was manning the counter. Though I could have easily gotten all crazy and gone for the eggplant schnitzel or the schnitzel burger, I’ve been craving straight up breaded chicken lately. Add in the fact that their platters are massive and often cause me to  fall asleep at my desk, I decided to go with a nice sandwich on Ciabatta ($8.50).

But if you were to get a platter or wanted sides with your sandwiches, there are a good number of options available.

And don’t forget to pick up a sweet treat care of the Treats Truck.

Ah, Schnitz! Fried thin goodness. If you’ve had schnitzel from the truck, you know exactly what to expect. A good number of my co-workers did make their way over, many of whom had never visited the truck. Almost all liked it, with the one complaint being that it’s a tad on the salty side. (No complaints here though.)

They will be offering delivery next week, with a $15 minimum. Prefer your schnitz to be mobile?  The truck is back today, and as always you can follow it on their Twitter @schnitznthings, or on the ML Twitter Tracker.

Schnitzel & Things, 723 Third Ave (btw. 45+46th), 347-772-7341