Midtown Lunch

Some sad news from Lunch’er Yury yesterday afternoon, who sent in the above photo of R. Retha’s Cart which got the Department of Health yellow sticker treatment on Wednesday. He took it during lunchtime when the Jamaican food cart that parks at William & Beaver was getting towed away. When I walked by this morning the truck wasn’t in its spot so it looks like it’s off the streets until they fix whatever issues need fixing. To those who work in the area, please let us know if you see the cart back in its spot.

When the Jamaican Dutchy cart migrated down to the Financial District from midtown I was a little surprised because this neighborhood used to be a lunch dead zone. That’s changed and we now can boast three Caribbean carts serving roti and various meats over rice and peas. And judging by the lines, those working in the land of chain lunch spots are happy to have another cart option. I stopped by to try their jerk chicken, which I think is a good measure of any Jamaican cart. Read more »

A couple of days ago a post in the forums about a sighting of the Jamaican Dutchy cart on William St. (at Beaver) caught my eye. I didn’t have time to go investigate, but I didn’t have to because yesterday the midtown site confirmed that yes, the cart had moved downtown, but you may recognize it by the sign for “R. Retha’s” and the Jamaican flag waving above. There was a huge line when I walked by yesterday so it seems you guys didn’t need my help in sniffing this one out. As you can see, they have all of the good stuff but I’m interested in how it stacks up against old-timers Veronica’s Kitchen and the Trinidad & Tobago cart.