Midtown Lunch

With all the talk of vendor wars and cops and news coverage and planters I feel like I’ve lost site of one of the most important things… stuffing my fat face! And at the end of last week I took advantage of some time spent hanging around the new El Rey del Sabor cart (on 43rd btw. 6+B’way) to do just that. When I originally ate at the El Rey del Sabor cart on 60th & 3rd, I didn’t try the beef- but I’m told it’s changed since last year. I decided to try that, in taco form, with some of their chipotle sauce (also new since last year.)

The chipotle sauce was pretty awesome (almost like a Mexican BBQ sauce), and packed a nice bit of heat. I liked the beef too. And for $2, it can’t be beat. (I think it was $2… maybe $2.50. I can’t remember.) I still prefer the salsa verde overall, but that’s why you get more than one taco! (And by more than 1, I mean 3.)

Related:
The New El Rey Del Sabor is Serving Authentic Mexican Food From a Cart
El Rey Del Sabor Round Two: Mole, Tamales, and a Spicy New Creation You Won’t Want to Miss

I usually don’t even bother going past the falafel/schnitzel/shawarma station at Kosher Deluxe (on 46th btw. 5+6th).  Most of their menu is over $10 (aka too expensive for my tastes) and without the free salad & pickles bar… why bother?  Well this new deal being advertised in the window kind of changes everything: $9.95 gets you 1/2 a sandwich, cup of soup, fries *and* a fountain soda.  That sounds pretty spectacular.  Is there anybody out there who has ventured past the pickle bar, into the depths of KD, who can let us know if their sandwiches, soup or fries are any good?  (Although, even if they’re just ok, it’s still a pretty great deal.)

Related:
Kosher Deluxe (aka the beauty of the laffa- and free salad bar!)
Kosher Deluxe Offers Up A Schnitzel Primer

I guess I was too optimistic yesterday about Kosher Oasis’ connection to the Brooklyn location of Burgers Bar. Lunch’er “Matthew” sent in this email to set the record straight about the popular Israeli chain, and its Brooklyn franchise:

“Hey Zach, Just wanted to say that you shoudn’t even mention that Brooklyn Burgers Bar and Burgers Bar in Israel once had an affiliation. Burgers Bar in Israel is hands down the best burger in the world. My favorite food in the world is melted cheese on anything, so u can imagine the disappointment when I found out no cheese (in Israel)… and still I think it’s the best mass produced burger in the world. Makes In N Out seem like silly kids stuff. Best. Burger. Ever. They have like 20+ sauces for burgers/fries, and have different burger consistencies… usually some beef/lamb combo is the house option. Its insane. Brooklyn Burgers Bar is nothing of the above. Just FYI. I don’t want anyone trying Brooklyn BB and then skippin’ over Burger Bar if they travel to Israel. You could get arrested for such a crime. I kid.”

Well I don’t know about the In N Out = Kids stuff claim, but that’s good to know. Although, I can see a connection between what Kosher Oasis is serving- and what you describe above. The burger did almost taste like it was a combo of lamb and beef (or at least was seasoned to taste that way.) And they did have three specials sauces (garlic mayo, chimichurri, and hot sauce.) Although as a big fan of sauce, I could see how a sauce bar with 20 options for burgers and fries would be incredibly exciting… and sorely missed if it didn’t make to the US franchise.

Related:
Eating Through the Menu at the New Kosher Oasis Cart

I wanted to play down the Portland carts vs. New York City carts part of this morning’s post about Mayor Bloomberg, but in typical underdog fashion dieselboi from Food Carts Portland is looking to turn it into a fight “discussion”. The truth is, some arguments aren’t even worth having- and I think this might be one of them, right? Don’t get me wrong… Portland is an amazing food city, which has experienced a cart explosion over the past few years. And in that time PFC, which is one of my all time favorite blogs, has been there to cover the action. The city boasts some pretty spectacular looking street carts, with pretty much every kind of food you could possibly imagine being offered (we would kill for some Thai food from a cart in Midtown!)

But in the end it’s not really a fair fight…

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I try my best not to be too negative on this site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to vent. Every once in awhile I’ll share some of the more angry useful emails I get in a post called “Airing of Grievances”. (If the Eater Complaints Dept. would like royalties, I’ll be happy to pay up…)

The Baja Fresh Opening Soon on B’way & 41st. Photo courtesy of Lunch’er Harry

Zach,

I’ve had enough, I like you too much and I can’t stand for you supporting Baja Fresh anymore. Friends don’t let friends support Baja Fresh. You’re making a fool of yourself. I told you long ago that this is not the “west coast Baja” you’re used to. I told you, that they’d been in Jersey for years now running a sinister operation of 9$ flaccid burritos, where they push the envelope of rice to meat ratio every time, probably just to test a customer’s breaking point. I would never in a billion years succumb to openly compromising my foodie reputation and associating myself Baja Fresh as a fan. However, just for you, I did [last week], and for the sake of being a cheapie who likes deals that rip off my arch nemesis (i.e. my failed attempt to win a free Yushi lunch). I tried printing the page at work but it would have been about 5 pages long since the stream of comments was so long. I decided to just bring in my phone and show them evidence that I actually went through the hassle of becoming a fan and writing a comment.

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The new Kosher Oasis Cart has had an interesting first couple of months. It first appeared on 44th street (btw. 6+7th) at the end of last year, but then like a mirage (or oasis?) it reappeared on 47th, only to disappear and reappear again a few times throughout August. It seems to have settled in over on 47th Street (btw. 6+7th), but it was forced to move somewhere else on Wednesdays (possibly related to the intimidation reported by the local news?)

But what about the food?  I headed over recently to sample a few of their menu items. (And by “sample” I mean stuff my fat face with pretty much everything they make.)

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The Mayor & Contessa Brewer Eating Street Meat. Photo Courtesy of Eater.

Who would have guessed it but the mayor likes spicy street food! Eater reported on Friday that Mayor Bloomberg visited the Calexico Cart down in SoHo and enjoyed a steak burrito extra spicy while being interviewed by NBC.  According to this article in the New York Post he was being asked to respond to comments made by the Mayor of Portland claiming that their street food is better than New York’s.  I’ve got no comment on that (!?!) but was really surprised to see Bloomberg enjoying some street food.  I always assumed he was in the Guiliani camp when it came to vendors (good old Rudy would have been happy to have seen them all disappear), but it’s good to hear he was defending our vendors against Portland.

As for what he really thinks?  I emailed Sean Basinski from the Street Vendor Project (the non profit organization that runs the Vendy Awards and advocates for vendors here in NYC) to get the lowdown…

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The news about Onya, the Japanese udon chain owned by Muginoho (the Japanese company that owns Beard Papa) keeps getting more and more exciting.  We reported that they would be moving into the old Cafe Zest space on 47th btw. Lex+3rd back in August, and the more we’re hearing about the place the better it sounds.  According to the owners it will be the first restaurant in New York City to serve freshly-made, authentic udon from Osaka, Japan- going so far as to say that they will do for Osaka udon what Ippudo has done for ramen from Fukuoka.

I guess that means it’s different then the udon served at Udon West (on 46th btw. Lex+3rd).  The description of the restaurant sounds different enough… the first floor will have quick bento lunches in the front, a small dining area in the back, and an open kitchen where you can watch the noodles being cut.  Sit down dining will be available on the 2nd floor.  Even with all that, everything on the menu is well under $10, and looks awesome.  Check it out after the jump…

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