Midtown Lunch

I’m always up for trying a street meat cart that comes recommended by a reader, so when Lunch’er “Matt” sent in that account of Kebab Express (on 55th and 6th) I knew eventually I would have to try it (at the very least, as part of Street Meat Palooza 3!) But once I saw the YouTube video, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. If these guys spent half as much time on their food as they did making that video (it’s 7 minutes and 20 seconds worth of photos) it couldn’t be bad, right!?

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The 2010 Winter Restaurant Week kicks off on Monday, and as we reported a few weeks ago they’ll be promoting the two week event by sending a food truck out to sell soups from some of the participating restaurants. They announced the truck’s schedule today and it looks like it will be parked in Midtown (on Broadway btw. 51+52nd) from January 25th through the 29th. The truck will feature two to three soups a day, and may include “lobster bisque from Blue Water Grill, roasted butternut squash soup from Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur, Mexhattan clam chowder from Dos Caminos Park, tomato and fennel soup from Tribeca Grill and coconut and galangal soup with organic chicken and straw mushrooms from Kittichai. Each serving will cost $6 and come with bread from Tom Cat Bakery.” Plus they will donate $1 from every soup sold to the Haiti Relief Fund at the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

Following the first week in Midtown, the truck will be parked in the Flatiron District Feb 1-3rd (on 5th Ave. btw. 18+19th) and in Tribeca on Feb. 4-5 (on Greenwich btw. Warren+Murray).

Related:
Restaurant Week To Feature Soup Truck
My Restaurant Week Lunch at Hatsuhana

A few weeks ago somebody mentioned in the forums that you can often find churros being sold in the subway station on 53rd and Lex. Well last week, I was passing through there during lunchtime and sure enough… churros! 2 for $1, and despite the freezing cold weather they were surprisingly fresh tasting. I got mine around 1:30pm, so they were not warm (obviously) but were surprisingly still soft on the inside. The pushcart usually doesn’t show up until Noon, and they’re are on the subway platform (so you have to pay the fare), but if you’re taking the E or V to or from that station and are lucky enough to spot some churros action, don’t make the mistake of walking by. It’s only $1!

Related:
Forums – Subway Churros Ladies

Last night the Wafels and Dinges Truck episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay aired, and for anybody who knows how tough it is to make the perfect Belgian waffle the result comes as no surprise. Our good friend Thomas straight up schooled Bobby Flay, who made a tasty topping but couldn’t quite master the texture of the perfect liege waffle. Unlike the bread pudding Throwdown with the Dessert Truck, or some of the other episodes I’ve seen where Bobby’s talent as a chef gave him an advantage, it was pretty obvious from the crowd comments who was going to win. Congrats Thomas on your big win! You can celebrate the victory today with a waffle on 46th btw. 5+6th (and saying “Bobby Flay” gets you a free dinge.)

And check out the video highlights from the episode, after the jump.

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Have you ever thought to yourself “Gee, I wish a Midtown street vendor would make a slideshow out of cart and food photos, set it to music (preferably a 7+ minute song) and post the whole thing to You Tube!”  If so, your prayers have been answered.  Kabab Express (on 55th & 6th), the cart that Lunch’er “Matt” clued us into last week has done exactly that.  And unlike the laughably bad  Jamaican Dutchy YouTube videos, which were mostly under a minute long, this one clocks in at a massive 7 minutes and 20 seconds.

If you can actually make it through the whole thing, you’ll be treated to a view of every angle of the cart, plus fresh veggies that are magically transformed into a pita sandwich (you might say the secret ingredient is the star wipe.) Also of note is the photo of lamb chops.  Does this cart serve lamb shanks!? (That actually would be awesome.)  At the very end they give you their phone number so you can save time by calling in your order… but that doesn’t happen until you’ve already wasted 7 minutes watching the damn video!

Check out the masterpiece after the jump…

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Tickets for my favorite event of the year have just gone on sale today… the Village Voice’s Choice Eats. This year’s bash will be on March 22nd at the 69th Armory (on Lex btw. 25+26th) and tickets are $45 for general admission, and $75 for VIP… although there are limited number of early bird tickets available now for $10 less. 23 of the restaurants have been announced, and even though only two three are from Midtown (Xie Xie, Mantao Chinese Sandwiches, and Toloache) it’s already shaping up to be a stellar lineup. To purchase the discounted early bird tickets before they run out, click here>>

Related:
Margon Does Midtown Proud at Choice Eats
Margon Does Us Proud at Choice Eats (Again)

Felt some major pangs of jealousy this morning reading about the new Downtown location of Bon Chon chicken on John St. As for our Bon Chon (comng soon to 38th btw. 7+8th), somebody in the new Downtown location told me it might be open at the end of this week, if not next week. As for the new branch of Kyochon coming to 5th btw. 32+33rd, the plywood might be down but they don’t plan to open until next month. In the meantime, there is still Mad For Chicken (the spot on 5th Ave. btw. 31+32nd that used to serve Bon Chon) but it’s not exactly fast food.

Related:
More Korean Fried Chicken Coming Soon to Midtown & Downtown
Mad For Chicken is So Not a Midtown Lunch… But Damn That is Some Good Chicken

As much I love meat on a stick, I admit I haven’t been back to Kushi Q (on 3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) since they first opened almost 3 years ago. I liked it enough, for a fast food-under $10 yakitori spot, but it’s always tough for me to revisit a place. What can I say? Midtown lunch is a tough a gig. :-)

But when I heard they had opened a new location in the CitiGroup Center basement food court (on 53rd btw. Lex+3rd), I figured it was a good excuse for some fast food meat on a stick action… and it turns out they’ve made some positive changes in two years (go figure!)

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