Midtown Lunch

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve walked by Pasha’s street meat cart in front of the Chase Manhattan Building on William St. (btw. Liberty & Cedar). In addition to the street meat, they also sell hamburgers and almost always have a special of curry chicken over rice on tap.

When a hankering for some street meat hit, I decided to finally fulfill my curiosity about how theirs stacks up, and find an interesting cooking method at play at Pasha’s. Let’s just say if you really like white sauce, this is your cart.

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The Luckyim Thai cart had a rough past couple of weeks. They, along with at least four other carts, were ousted from their spot on Liberty St. at Broadway by the installation of a Citi Bike rack. After a day or two, three of the carts moved around the corner to Nassau St. (btw. Liberty & Cedar), and I decided to go try another dish from Luckyim Thai.

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Two weeks ago some of the carts in the plaza on Broadway between Liberty and Cedar streets came to park in their usual spots, only to find there was one of the new Citi Bike stations there instead. The Biryani House cart relocated across the plaza, but a few others that park on Liberty St. were left wondering where to go, and asked the Street Vendor Project for help.

It looks like the 99% Vegetarian, A-Pou’s Taste and Luckyim Thai carts have moved to the other side of the building to Nassau St. between Liberty and Cedar. No word on whether this is a temporary or permanent relocation, but at least now you know where to find some of your favorite carts.

I wasn’t sure what to think when I got an e-mail from Luncher Rajeev a few weeks ago telling of a new cart called Gangnam Style on Chambers St. (btw. Greenwich & West). I figured it was some young upstarts looking to capitalize on the popularity of a song that will not be mentioned here for fear of it being stuck in all our heads for two hours. It is the second  Korean food option in Downtown Lunch boundaries named for that song.

It turns out a name can be deceiving, and Gangnam Style is not an annoying marketing tool for mediocre food, but churning out some great Korean meats served by a nice couple, at prices that are hard to beat.  Read more »

Have you ever wondered what a pulled pork breakfast sandwich mash up might taste like? Well, you can get pulled pork sandwich on a homemade English muffin at the GoGo Grill cart that’s been parking at Bowling Green. While the sandwich has a couple of flaws, I think you’ll forgive the unconventional bun used here.  Read more »

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one confused on Monday to find a newly installed Citi Bike rack in place of the row of food carts normally on Liberty St. at Broadway. This is not the first time these vendors have struggled to maintain their spots, but this is permanent.

The rack is fairly long, with no room on either side for a cart to set up, leaving a smoothie vendor, 99% Vegetarian, Biryani House, A-Pou’s Taste and Luckyim Thai carts all without anywhere to park. The affected vendors turned to the Street Vendor Project for help, and it sounds like they are unsure what to do next, but you can show your support for them on Thursday.  Read more »

When Midtown Lunch contributor Brian clued me into a new cart serving Malaysian food in the financial District late last week, it just happened to be when I was heading out the door for lunch and I changed my plan of what to eat that day.

Mamak showed up at Hanover Square between Pearl and Water streets at the top of last week, with plans to be there daily. Their specialty is rendang stew, of which you may have eaten the beef version at some point in your life. There are three kinds on offer at this cart, but you’re going to break the $10 barrier for the privilege of trying them.

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