Midtown Lunch

Now that Downtown has its very own section of the site, what are we going to post on Fridays at 10am? Answer… how about a new column devoted to those lunches just south of the ML boundaries. Every week we’ll post about a lunch in Murray Hill south, Gramercy, Flatiron, and everything in between… or as we’ll call it from now on: Flatiron Lunch.

The Bistro Truck is such a tease. When Zach posted about their opening last year, he mentioned that they might come up to Midtown eventually. Nearly a year later and we still get no love. So, after spending all winter drooling over the tweets about their specials, it was time to take matters into my own hands and hop the bus down 5th Avenue.

Except for some recent difficulties that have left them renting someone else’s truck, they have been showing up to the same spot on 5th Avenue near 17th Street pretty faithfully. That’s just bad news for Midtowners because they serve some great Moroccan specialties along with burgers, frites and regularly changing specials that I’d love to have closer to the office.

Some more on the menu and the food after the jump…

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Yesterday I headed over to check out the Dosa cart on 39th Street and 7th Avenue that “TheFatBaron” had posted about in the forums a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found. I asked one of the Halal vendors and he said the cart was there around 3 weeks ago but he hadn’t seen it since. With the turf wars that are all too common in these parts, we can’t help but wonder if the cart was forced to move by one of the other vendors in the area.  Then again, the weather hasn’t been very nice to unprotected vendors so maybe we can expect them back on the corner next week?  Has anybody seen this cart?  Let us know in the comments.

• Craving a midtown macaron fix? [Midtown Eating]
• Brick Lane’s phaal wins out for the spiciest place to torture a friend [Midtown Eating]
• Nothing says bar snacks like some good ole dried squid [Midtown Connections]
• This list of San Francisco food destinations would make anyone want to pack their bags! [Miscellaneous]
• Any chance the Happy Well Being cart will ever make a midtown comeback? [Midtown Eating]

Listen, we would be pretty excited if a truck parked outside our office selling gravy and cheese curd topped french fries, but there’s something about this story that’s a little laughable.  Fork in the Road reported this morning that T Poutine, in the Village, has closed up shop because they couldn’t get a liquor license. But they plan on reopening the restaurant somewhere else- and in the meantime, “we’ll probably get some food trucks around to keep spreading the Canadian poutines!”

Sure! Why not?  “Get some food trucks”. You know… because getting a food truck license is soooo easy.  We so want to get our hopes up for this, but our prediction: never going to happen.  (And if it does it will be short lived.)

Related:
News Flash: New Street Vendors Are Finding It Difficult to Make Money

I can’t exactly say why, but we here at Midtown Lunch have always been big fans of seafood from a cart. Cheap fish sandwiches, fish and chips, fried shrimp, tilapia… even Zach has continued the tradition in L.A. by eating sushi off of a truck. I recently spotted this sign at the cart on the Northeast corner of 39th & 3rd Ave. Since this isn’t a regular cart of mine, I have no idea how long they’ve had this, or if it’s a contender for next year’s Lenten Lunches. Or, after searching ML, whether or not this cart is any good at all. (They weren’t nominated for Street Meat Palooza 3 either, results coming soon btw.)   Sadly, I had already eaten lunch when I walked by… but it is totally calling to me right now.  Has anybody taken the plunge?

And the first item to be schnitzified by the Schnitzel & Things Truck is… proscuitto and ricotta! (They amended the tweet to note that there isn’t actually rice in the fried balls.) They’re parked on 48th and 6th… and we’re guessing these are going to go fast. Godspeed freeloaders. Godspeed.

Related:
What Would You Like to See Schnitzified?

We didn’t get too excited over the opening of the new Heartland Brewery in Port Authority (on 41st and 8th Ave.) but this could change our minds!  As a grand opening special they’re offering your choice of entrees (New York Reuben, HB Burger, Grilled Chicken, Chicken Ceasar Salad, or a Taco salad) plus a homemade soda and french fries for $9.95.  A HB Burger or reuben plus homemade soda and fries for $10?  Sounds good to us… the only catch is you have to sit at the bar to get the deal.  Even though they’ve been open for a month, and it’s a “grand opening special”,  the hostess at the desk said the lunch special is something they might keep going for a while.  From her lips to… uh… whoever owns Heartland Brewery’s ears.