Midtown Lunch

I’ve had nothing but hits with the sandwiches at French Cafe Gourmand on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau) and the other day when pressed for time I stopped by again to sample another of their creations that one of you Lunch’ers had recommended.

That would be for the Indian sandwich, aka, the French version of a chicken curry sandwich. It is delicious.

Read more »

If you are a fan of several kinds of Asian food jumbled into one, this truck’s for you. Sweet Chili NYC hit the streets at the beginning of the week in Midtown, serving protein + salad + rice plates with influences of Thai, Vietnamese and other Asian foods. The chef on board is a Top Chef finalist from season 4, if that means anything to you, and according to their Web site, all of the plates contain something “sweet, spicy, salty…and crunchy.”

According to their online schedule, the location today is to be decided, and they’ll be at the World Financial Center at S. End and Liberty on Thursday, and parking on Varick at Grand Friday.

Three months ago a handful of food carts at Liberty St. & Broadway in the Financial District came to park on a Monday morning and found a long Citi Bike docking station in their spots. The Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center was fighting on the vendors’ behalf, but the Department of Transportation will not be moving the rack.

The affected carts have found new spots that are in some cases less visible than at the large plaza on Broadway between Liberty and Cedar streets. Biryani House moved across the plaza, while the smoothie cart, 99% Vegetarian, A-Pou’s Taste, Luckyim Thai and the new Cocina Mexicana relocated around the corner on Nassau St. Hopefully they will get to stay at the new location.

Do you like fancy grilled cheese sandwiches? Too tired of waiting for Gorilla Cheese or Milk Truck to make their stops in the Financial District?

Dough Re Mi, which opened last week on Water St. (btw. Broad & Coenties Slip), will make your cheese and bread dreams come true. The only thing that may give you pause, as it sometimes does at the trucks devoted to grilled cheese, is that you can spend $10 on a single small sandwich.  Read more »

Light on the carbs and breaded meats! Via SENY.

• The little Cosmopolitan Cafe‘s sort of closing. [Tribeca Citizen]
• Chinese food + espresso drinks. Sign me up! [Eating in Translation]
• Barbarini‘s moving to higher ground. [DNAinfo]
• It took Mamak seven months to perfect its menu. [FitR]
• Sunrise Mart has a rice burger?! [Eater NY]
• Do you have a buffet game plan? [SENY]

Halal carts also dabbling in Indian food have sprouted up all over the Financial District (OK, mostly in the northern part of the neighborhood), bringing us kati rolls and biryani alongside the usual lamb/chicken/falafel trinity.

I spotted a new entrant called Quality Biryani on Water St. at John last week and decided to stop by for lunch. A sign taped to the street side of the cart advertises that they have Bangladeshi food, likely vying for the business of cab drivers.

Read more »

It’s been awhile since something new has been added to the cart lineup at Broadway and Liberty St., or the newly relocated ones at Nassau & Liberty.

Yesterday, I spotted a new one next to Luckyim Thai, called Cocina Mexicana. They have the mostly standard lineup of tortas, burritos, tamales, quesadillas and guacamole and chips, ranging in price from $3 to $7 for the more substantial items. The menu is a bit shorter than a couple of the Mexican food trucks that park in the Financial District, but that’s to be expected as they have less space to work with.

You can expect a report soon, but if you’ve already checked out Cocina Mexicana, leave a comment about what you thought of the food.