Midtown Lunch

So far in 2014 I haven’t eaten a lunch that made me super excited to write about it. That all changed on Wednesday when my original lunch idea fell through and I impulsively stopped by Veronica’s Kitchen cart because their roti has been on my “to eat” list for ages. Yes, we’ve sampled the jerk chicken before, but let me tell you, it’s superb in roti form and you get a huge amount of food for a mere $6.  Read more »

There are many delis and other eateries that I’ve walked by many times but never bothered to step inside. That’s usually OK, but sometimes you find a gem that you would never tell existed from the outside. Corte Cafe at the corner of Lafayette and Duane streets is such a place, advertising only “international foods” on its awning. A step inside shows the usual salads and sandwiches, but you can also get fried chicken, a torta or a variety of Caribbean food. It was the latter that piqued my interest since the area around City Hall is lacking in the food of the islands.

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We’ve won some and lost some in the Caribbean food options in the Financial District lately. The standbys of Trinidad & Tobago and Veronica’s Kitchen carts are still around, and lately Sunrise Grill and Nio’s Trinidad Roti trucks have been parking near each other on a stretch of Broad St. between S. William and Beaver. However, R. Retha’s cart seems to be on its way out, although I’ve seen it still parked at the spot at S. William and Beaver with a “For Sale” sign taped in the window. That’s still a pretty solid lineup.

I’d tried the namesake roti at Nio’s and also their doubles which many of the FiDi places don’t offer. What I hadn’t tried was the dinners with peas and rice that they have on offer, so one day on a whim I went up to the window and ordered just that.

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There are some carts in the Financial District that you kind of have to be lucky to catch, and such is the case of R. Retha’s. The cart – formerly the called Jamaican Dutchy, parking in Midtown – materialized downtown at the corner of William & Beaver before it was seen being towed away with a yellow sticker meaning it had been shuttered by the Department of Health.

Then there was word that the cart had returned, but every time I’d walked down in search of curried meats with some peas and rice, it was nowhere to be found. Had it disappeared again?

The good news is they’re still parking in the Financial District (or at least they were on Monday in the pouring rain), but you have to test your luck to see if they’re there. And if they are, might I suggest some curried goat?  Read more »

Some possible good news for all of you fans of Caribbean food: R. Retha’s Cart is reportedly back at its spot on Beaver St. at S. William. We got word from reader “Broadway luncher” yesterday that the cart, which was formerly the Jamaican Dutchy transplanted from Midtown – was spotted back in its old spot after an extended absence starting in the summer of 2012, and temporary replacement by a random street meat cart. I’d noticed the spot was completely empty a couple of weeks ago, so it’s good to hear R. Retha’s came back to claim it.

It’s not often the starch is the star of the show at lunch time, but that’s what I found when getting one of the mini meals at the Trinidad & Tobago cart on Whitehall (btw. Bridge & Pearl). The cart has stayed in its regular spot despite the fact that many office buildings in the area are not open. Nio’s Trinidad Roti truck has started parking up Whitehall St. across from the Bowling Green subway station, but the cart drew me to it with a shorter line and promise of stew chicken.

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We lunch’ers in the Financial District aren’t exactly hurting for Caribbean food options. It used to be there were only a couple of choices – Veronica’s Kitchen or Trinidad & Tobago carts – and the one you frequented depended on where you worked. Then there was something of a surge in options recently with Nio’s Trinidad Roti Truck resurfacing at Water & Pine and R. Retha’s cart parking at William & Beaver until it got shuttered by the Department of Health. Another truck that was somewhat slippery to catch was Sunrise Grill which I’d sometimes seen at Water & Broad, but they weren’t there every day. But yesterday was my lucky day, and Sunrise Grill was there, there wasn’t much of a line, and hunger was setting in. Jerk chicken and a beef patty seemed to be in order. Read more »