We received sad news in the comments last week. Sam, the halal cart vendor on 35th Street, near 6th Avenue suffered a heart attack while setting up for business Thursday morning and died shortly afterward. Last year, his cart caught my attention due to his method of mixing the sauces in with the meat when on the griddle. The technique helped get him a respectable 7th place in last year’s street meat-palooza.

More importantly though, Sam was warm and friendly to all of his customers. During my visits to the cart, he flirted with the ladies, joked with the guys and put everyone at ease. Days after I wrote the post about his cart, he had it printed up and displayed it proudly for all to see.  His hospitality and pride in his work will be greatly missed.

Photo Courtesy of Detroit Publishing, Library of Congress, Circa 1900

Yesterday we linked to a Crain’s report that has revenue from some food trucks down a whopping 70%, a fact that undoubtedly has to do with food truck owners struggling with unclear laws, a barrage of parking tickets, and other difficulties that make operating their small businesses much more difficult than it should be. Yet this is nothing new, just the latest batch of regulations and restrictions street vendors have had to overcome for centuries.

Since vending from pushcarts has always been a great way for new immigrants to get a start in their new country, the food has changed with the wave of immigrant groups that have come through this city. The earliest street food was not hot dogs or pretzels, but in fact oysters and clams. At one time, this was the food of the masses and even the poorest citizens ate oysters for dinner. As European immigrants continued to come to New York, the street food changed to hot corn, pickles, knishes, and sausages. In the 1970’s and 80’s, it was predominantly Greek souvlaki and kabobs being sold from carts. And then as the Muslim population increased, so did the halal carts which now make up most of our lunches here in Midtown.

Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress, Circa 1915

The first law regulating food carts was known as the Thirty Minute Law, wherein a pushcart had to re-locate every thirty minutes. That was a difficult law to enforce (especially in the overcrowded poorer neighborhood of the Lower East Side) and the law was probably disobeyed more than it was obeyed. In fact, the very first pushcart market was established on Hester Street in 1886 when four Jewish peddlers decided to stay put for much longer than 30 minutes. These markets grew in popularity across lower Manhattan. While many organizations made attempts, there was little regulation at these markets and corruption, uncleanliness, and chaos ran rampant.

Photo Courtesy of Gordon Parks (Library of Congress), Circa 1943

During the Depression the faces of the vendors changed as many people were out of work and took to selling the iconic 5 cent apple from a pushcart. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that during another low point in our economic history, we’re seeing lots of native born citizens taking to the street selling everything from ice cream sandwiches to grilled cheese to Korean tacos.

Moore Street Market; Photo Courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library

Around that time, Mayor LaGuardia attempted to put a ban on street food and lose the open air pushcart markets. He established indoor public markets (like the Essex Street Market) and sought to “legitimize” vendors by having them work in a stationary enclosed space. The vendors would now have to pay rent, they were forced to vend in close quarters with their competition, and their customers would have to come find them. Needless to say, this wasn’t a very popular idea and ultimately, of course, street vendors were thankfully not eliminated.

More recently, Mayor Giuliani tried a similar approach in the 90’s to “clean up the streets”. He effectively closed more than 100 new streets to vendors and proposed re-locating vendors back into open air puschart markets. This didn’t work in the ’30’s and it didn’t work back then.

Despite what Crain’s hints at, food vendors are not going anywhere in this city. They’re culturally, economically, and culinarily important. But while the type of food sold on the street continues to evolve, the battle between lawmakers and vendors remains eerily familiar.

Interested in taking one of Brian’s tours? This is just part of the information you get, in addition to six food samplings. Check out urbanoyster.com to find out how to purchase tickets.

It’s not all that uncommon that I run out the door without something to eat in the morning so I was pretty excited to see that Potbelly in Rock Center is now serving breakfast. And even more excited to see that they had steel cut oats. I’m a big steel cut oatmeal fan and I usually splurge for the oatmeal at Jamba Juice, so I had to see how Potbelly stacked up.

Let’s just say it was a big disappointment.  I’m guessing that someone at Potbelly must have misread the recipe because instead of a pinch of salt these oats were crazy salty. How salty? Let’s just say I’ve had cheap ramen with less sodium. If I had tasted this on the premise I would have demanded a refund on the spot, but I was already back at my desk and soon too wrapped up in work to return my oatmeal. Aside from the saltiness issue, I found that the Potbelly oats were just generally overcooked and lacked the toothsomeness that I’ve come to expect from steel cut oats.

While I’m not the biggest Jamba Juice fan, I do think if you like steel cut oats they do a great job. The oatmeal is available all day (a plus for if you’re looking for a cheap afternoon snack or if you’re like me and enjoy breakfast for lunch) and the staff at the Rock Center does a good job cooking it so that it’s never been gloppy, runny or dry in my experience (and the oatmeal texture doesn’t seem to vary as much based on time of day at the Rock Center branch).  And it’s never ever tasted like a salt lick.

Has anyone else tried the oatmeal at Potbelly? Was my experience isolated? Should I give them another shot?

• This 30 Great Sandwiches list includes a few from Midtown [SENY]
• Tabata is the best of the latest NYC ramen newcomers [Village Voice]
• Five Guys’ grilled cheese sandwich is not bad [SENY]
• Margon puts potato sticks on their steak sandwich [SENY]
• Robert Sietsema doesn’t like MomoMilkBar’s Thanksgiving croissant [FITR]
• Hide Chan Ramen is almost just as good as Ippudo, without the wait and the noise [Gothamist]

Yesterday, more than 50 winning lunchers joined us for a free meal at Koreatown’s Food Gallery 32 provided by the fine folks at Google Places. Blondie, Brownie, Chris and I snacked on some great food and met more than a few of the winners.

If you didn’t make it, follow the jump for a few of the dishes that we ate there.

Ojingeo dupbap – Spicy squid over rice

Mul Naengmyeon from Noodle 32

Korean Pork Ramen also from Noodles 32

Ojingeo spicy spaghetti from Pastel

kimchi soondubu jjigae from Hanok

Ojingeo Bokkeum from Hanok

…and some sort of tofu dish that Brownie picked up to go for her mom.

It was great to see so many of the different dishes available at Food Gallery 32, I’m certainly going to give a few of them a try on upcoming visits.

Thanks to Google for the free food and to all who participated (also to Chris for identifying most of the dishes for me). If you came through let us know how you enjoyed it in the comments.

Back in August, Clay got a sneak peek at KalBQ, located inside the Atomic Wings on Lexington bw 23rd and 24th Street. Now that it’s been around for a few months, we thought it was time to check out some of the food and see how it stacks up against some of the other Korean fusion options out there.

I’ve only tried Korean tacos from food trucks, so I was excited to actually eat them sitting down for once. The atmosphere here is total fast food dive and the smell of hot sauce from the spicy wings pervaded the air. I almost decided to forgo the Korean food and get down and dirty with some atomic wings. Instead I checked out the KalBQ menu, which features traditional Korean platters of kalbi, bulgogi, or grilled tofu; a selection of bibim rice bowls; and a handful of ramen noodles. Yet I was most excited by their Korean Mexican fusion items – namely the tacos, sliders, and quesadillas.

The menu stumped me a little because nothing sounded big enough for lunch. The cashier recommended four tacos for a good size meal – that would come out to a total of $12 before tax. Looked like I wasn’t going to get out of here without exceeding the ML limit. I ordered a Kimchi Taco, a Ssäm Steak Taco, and some sliders. It seemed like I would need all that to be full and I decided to splurge in order to try as much as possible.

As I ordered, the cashier asked me a series of ridiculous questions. “Do you want cheese?” “Do you want kimchi?” “Should I put on the sauce?” He explained to me he had to ask specific questions with each order and he thought it was as weird and silly as I did. He seemed embarrassed to have to go through this whole ordeal. I was impressed when the same guy came by to check on my meal and asked for feedback. It may have been the best customer service I’ve ever had at a fast food restaurant. Either that or he was suspicious because I was taking photos of the tacos.

I ended up having more food than I expected. The kimchi taco (I picked chicken) was much larger than most tacos. Instead of two small tortillas, this was wrapped with a single larger one. It was easier to eat but I think it took away from the flavors of the stuff inside. The chicken was on the dry side and lacked strong flavor. It was topped with pretty good kimchi, some cheddar cheese, and their secret taco sauce, which was really a smoky aioli of sorts. It reminded me of Korilla’s signature korilla sauce, but with less complexity and a stronger mayonnaise aftertaste.

The sliders were also bigger than the name implies. They came two to an order for $7, which probably would not be quite enough on their own for lunch, but could work with an extra taco. The sweet and soft buns reminded me of the ones they use at White Castle. The first slider contained bulgogi, which was pretty tender and well-seasoned, but didn’t have much spiciness or sweetness. The spicy pork slider fared better with a spicy red sauce and nice chunks of pork. Both had a generous helping of crunchy kimchi and shreds of cheddar cheese. They were by no means difficult to eat.

The Ssäm Steak Taco was a little more difficult to eat – literally. It was impossible to pick this up with my hands without losing all the ingredients. Instead of a tortilla, it’s wrapped in lettuce and a sesame leaf. I had never even heard of a sesame leaf before, but its citrus tang reminded me of shiso. Upon further research, it turns out they’re the same leaf! The kalbi was cut into cubes and I found it a little tough. Although flavorwise, I thought this was the most successful, with a nice balance of sweet and spicy. The carb-less taco was garnished with what I believe was Asian pear slices, which added a nice fresh crunch.

It might be possible to get your fill of the food here at under $10, but it’s a shame you can’t mix and match items. Overall, I thought the Korean Mexican dishes were decent. I do prefer the slightly more refined versions from Korilla BBQ and Kimchi Truck, but here you won’t have to wait in enormous lines, which is a nice change of pace.

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Surprisingly great customer service
• Korean tacos without the line!
• Pretty good flavors and filling
• The portion sizes are bigger than expected

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Some of the meat is tough and dry
• This is fast food, but at slightly expensive prices
• Not spicy enough
• The smell of spicy wings gets in the way

KalBQ, 36 Lexington Ave, between 23rd and 24th Streets

Ok you filthy alkies listen up! As you should know by now the big news this week is the
4th Annual NY Craft Beer Week. That’s right, I said this week, and since you are reading this on Friday I’m willing to bet a freshly pulled cask ale that some of you were ignorantly filing paperwork or screwing around on Facebook when you could have been drinking some prime shit! Well, all is not lost my friends. I have some end-of-beer week suggestions for you even if you’re stuck in midtown. So for God’s sake, put down that PBR tonight and clean your self up, it’s fancy beer time!

The official beer of the 4th Annual NY Craft Beer Week is collaboration from Shmaltz Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing, and Ithaca Beer Company called Geektoberfest. It is a blend of six barrel-aged beers originally brewed in New York. Geektoberfest is being served in many locations throughout the city. A full list can be found here.

Rattle ‘N’ Hum
R&H will be bringing a trinity of breweries in tonight with Greenport Harbor, Ballast Point, and Two Brothers. All will be offering their best cask ales and an opportunity to meet and greet with the owners. The main event with peak on Saturday when R&H will serve a bounty of NY state beers and cask ales for only $5. Brews included are Great South Bay, Greenport Harbor, Barrier, Rooster Fish, Bronx Brewery, Ommegang, Empire, Chelsea, Lake Placid, Keegan Ales, Crossroads and many more.

Stag’s Head
In celebration of the Yankees versus the Soxs, Stag’s Head is also going NY vs. Boston brews. They’ve stocked up on NYC’s and Boston’s best craft brews including Cape Anns, Harpoon, Sam Adams & Wachusett vs Kelso, Sixpoint, Captain Lawrence and Chelsea.

The Pony Bar
Pony Bar will be hosting the Great Adirondack Brewing co. tonight starting at 6pm featuring conversations with the brewers and many exclusive pours will be available.

Tap Room
Tap Room is going all Big Apple this Saturday with 40 taps dedicated to NY state beers.

Manchester Pub
Not only does Manchester Pub serve craft ales, including Geektoberfest, they are having a hot wing eating contest that is open until November 24th. Winner receives a 10 person open bar party.

The Limelight’s new incarnation of shopping destination and snacker’s paradise hasn’t quite worked out as well as I’d hoped. Grimaldi’s finally showed up, but the promise of pizza by the slice never materialized; the Limelight Grill, which served sausages, sandwiches and burgers made for a nice outdoor lunch at a decent price, but has since been replaced by Todd English’s Crossbar. Even most of the sweets stands that were inside have shut down. Still, I was in the neighborhood after dropping off film from my South America trip and decided to wander through to see what’s new inside. What I discovered was that Jezalin’s, the little gourmet deli inside is offering some lunchworthy options that either weren’t there before or I just never noticed.

Looking at the sandwich menu, I almost walked away. It’s full of interesting looking options that nearly all cost more than $10.

It might be worth it on these full sized baguettes, but it’s still a little rich for my blood.

Then I noticed these smaller sandwiches on display on the counter. All at $7.99, they have some of the same combinations (see the Big Ham vs Little Ham), but scaled down. I was intrigued.

On my first visit, I had the Roast Beef Americano, topped with American cheese, mixed greens, tomatoes and my choice of dressing or condiment. At the suggestion of the lady behind the counter, I had it with horseradish and a bit of mayo.

Also at her suggestion, I had them warm it up for me on the press. I generally prefer hot sandwiches to cold, so I appreciate the option. I hadn’t expected it to be quite so flattened though. Regardless, the bread was remarkable. Crusty and chewy and pretty much just right.

While I was happy to have the beef warmed and the cheese melty, there is the very minor gripe that the greens did wilt a bit under the heat. It’s not a huge sandwich, but I was surprisingly filled up by it when I was finished.

As a backup, I had eyed a few of these sides that are available as well. Potato salads, lentils, macaroni salad and more are sold for around $5 each.

I enjoyed the sandwich enough that the next time I was in the area, I decided to return to try out another sandwich. This time it was the Taste of Milan, filled with salami, provalone and spicy pickled peppers. I asked for it with a little oil and vinegar, which added some more tang to the peppers and a silky texture to the overall experience.

Again, they pressed the sandwich to warm it up, but this time I asked them to do it a bit lighter than before. The bread kept more of its shape and there was more chewy bread to enjoy.

Salads aren’t really my thing, but there’s also a salad bar at Jezalin’s that allows you to design your own salad.

I don’t often go to gourmet delis and in the end that’s what Jezalin’s is. The food was good, if pricier that I’m usually looking for, but you probably aren’t going to get a better sandwich for less. If I want an overstuffed hero or cheesesteak, this is not the place I would go. Still, I am in the neighborhood a lot and occasionally might want a sandwich with good quality ingredients that’s filling but not bursting. For that, I’d definitely return to Jezalin’s.

The +: (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• -I like gourmet delis
• I like good quality ingredients
• I don’t need a huge sandwich

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I prefer sandwiches that have to be measured by the foot.
• I also want it to cost $5 and come with a snappy jingle.

Jezalin’s in the Limelight Marketplace, 656 6th Avenue at 20th St.

We’re coming down the home stretch to this year’s Vendy Awards, which are taking place next Saturday on Governor’s Island.  Last week the Dessert Finalists were announced, a few days ago we found out there was a New Jersey category added this year, and just a few minutes ago Grub Street released this year’s Rookie Finalists.  And here they are (you may recognize a few from the streets of Midtown!)

• Korilla BBQ
• Eddie’s Pizza Truck
• Taim Mobile
• Comme Ci Comme Ca
• Eat Here Now Now Eat Here (a new cart beneath the Highline)
• Sunrise Grill (A Jamaican Truck that started in Midtown, but now parks in Washington Heights)

You will able to read more about each of these nominees on the Vendy Award website later today.