Midtown Lunch

From Lunch’er “Blondie”: “I just passed Profiled Midtown Luncher “Alan Colmes” walking west out of the Fox building on 47th.  First thought, wait…that’s Alan Colmes.  Second thought…I wonder if he’s going to the Evergreen Diner. Turn around, and the man is strolling in to pick up some take out.  I think he needs to check Midtown Lunch more frequently!”

Related:
ELECTION DAY PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Alan Colmes”
Quality vs. Company: The loneliness of Midtown Lunch’ing

So as painful as it is to say, this is my last week of full time Midtown Lunching. Don’t worry… the site isn’t going anywhere, but I’m moving to L.A. so this week I’m making sure to hit all the places I’ll miss the most. A “Farewell Lunch Tour” if you will. Here’s where I’ll be today…

It’s no secret that I’ve always been down with the Jamaican Dutchy cart (on 51st and 7th Ave.)  Since the very first day they opened, almost 3 years ago, I’ve been a fan of their jerk chicken, sweet and sour chicken, oxtails, and curried goat- despite the long waits. But it wasn’t until a lunch back in October that my feelings for the Dutchy went from schoolboy crush, to complete and total adulation. It was the first day I tried their stew peas.

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Here’s an interesting development… it’s been months since the Wu Liang Ye on Lex btw. 39+40th closed, amidst a legal battle in which they were accused of being owned by the Chinese govt. and mistreating their employees. Well, the restaurant has reopened as “Mapo Tofu” and claim to have completely different owners and better food (natch) than the original.  The lunch menu actually looks amazing, and kind of supports their claim.  It’s filled with far more authentic Sichuan specialties than the Wu Liang Ye menu, and is already receiving good reviews on Yelp.

Check out the lunch menu after the jump…

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Last week we reported that Kwik Meal owner Muhammad Rahman’s brother had returned to 45th and 6th, parking his Fahima Halal cart next to Kwik Meal in an attempt to siphon off some of his brother’s business. The prices are slightly cheaper, but it doesn’t seem like many of Kwik Meal’s fans are taking the bait… although one Lunch’er said they tried the cart when it was parked on 42nd, and found it to be “nothing special”. But by the looks of things, Fahima Halal is trying to change all that by adding stuff that Kwik Meal doesn’t serve- like Bombay Biriyani, and stir fried noodles. Of course with the Biriyani Cart and Trini Paki Cart just one and two blocks away respectively, (and Utsav serving a delicious Biriyani from their take out counter on 46th) it will be tough for Fahima to make inroads into the already awesome 6th Ave. biriyani game. But I’m willing to give it a try… early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.

Related:
Kwik Meal Family Feud Reignites
Kwik Meal Kin Stirs Up Weekend Vendor War

Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot of new Japanese spots popping up in Koreatown?  Haru Hana opened a month ago on 32nd btw. B’way+5th serving ramen, udon, sushi, and katsu- and now Izakaya Moku has opened on the same block.  Fork in the Road filed an early look at this new place, praising the yakitori and okonomiyaki– but the exciting news is that unlike most Izakaya (which are after work places that don’t tend to open until after 5pm) this place is open for lunch.  Plus they’re offering 20% off their lunch menu through the end of Feburary.

Check out the lunch menu after the jump…

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45th Street’s loss is Midtown North’s gain today! The Treats Truck was forced out of its normal Wednesday spot this morning by a movie production, so instead Kim decided to park on 55th btw. Park+Madison. (Thankfully it didn’t effect the Kiwk Meal cart, so I got my farewell lunch!)  You can find the Treats Truck right next to the Papa Perrone Truck until 3:15 this afternoon, and if all goes well it might end up being a regular spot for the Treats Truck… so get out there and support!