Midtown Lunch

Your resident shiksa goddess has finally made it to Quick Stop Kosher (aka the kosher waffle truck) the other day. It was hard to track them down; first there wasn’t a Twitter, then they went to serve Mt. Sinai and on a religious fast. But I finally got my chance to have some falafel, and a waffle for lunch- even though it came with quizzical looks from their kosher patrons. For extra Jewish points, they now serve the layer-challenged Moshe’s Falafel (whatever that means. Maybe they buy all the ingredients from Moshe’s?)

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When I heard that Yummy Yummy Kosher Veggie Bar, the new falafel place on Lex. btw 55+56th, featured a free salad bar, I knew I wanted to give them a try. Cramming that little container at Olympic Pita (38th btw. 5th and 6th) full of pickles and cabbage is one of Midtown’s greatest pleasures as far as I’m concerned. So I headed to Yummy Yummy to check out their contribution to Midtown’s crowded falafel scene.
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Falafel Sandwich from Azuri Cafe (on 51st btw. 9+10th)

Serious Eats: New York posted the results of their big falafel taste off yesterday, and, in what is quite possibly the least surprising win of all time, Taim took home the top prize. I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m just saying Serious Eats loves Taim, and if Vegas had taken bets on this contest you probably would have had to wager $1,000,000 to win $5 betting on Taim to win this one.  Midtown held its own though… Azuri Cafe (technically out of bounds, on 51st btw. 9+10th, but we’re claiming them as our own!) came in 2nd, Maoz (on 40th & 7th) came in 4th, Pick a Pita (on 8th btw. 39+40th) came in 5th, and Olympic Pita came in 6th.  It’s worth noting that even SENY admits that Taim’s falafel is not perfectly constructed, leaving you with falafel-less bites at the end, which as far as we’re concerned is the biggest sin a falafel sandwich can commit (we’re looking at you Moshe’s!) and where Azuri Cafe excels (seriously, the guy is a falafel maestro with the layering.)  But there’s no shame in 2nd (or 6th for that matter!), and at least they all fared better than Moshe’s, Meze Grill, and Crisp who were all eliminated before the finals.  Check out the complete results here>>

Related:
2009 Readers’ Poll: Best Falafel

There have been some conflicting reports in the comments about Nanoosh’s free lunch giveaway today. Some have said that they were told the event is invite-only. I walked by to check it out and was flagged over by a guy working the door. As far as I saw, he was inviting anyone walking by to come in and try some out. When I left, the guy at the door said they’d be serving until 3pm.

The line was long, but went by fairly quickly, considering. Check out some scenery and food shots after the jump.

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Word is that yesterday afternoon, Nanoosh– the new Mediterranean counter on Madison btw 33+34th- was giving away free lunches to hype up its big opening day tomorrow (Weds).  We’re hearing word from a fairly reputable source that they’ll be back at it this afternoon from noon to 3pm. Not sure exactly what they’re giving away (samples?  complete lunch?) but I got there around 2:30pm yesterday and it was all over, so for hardcore freeloaders we suggest going early.

Not interested in waiting on line for the possibility of free food? If you don’t mind spending a couple bucks, so long as it goes to a good cause, Nanoosh will also be open from 5:30 to 8:30pm tonight serving a main, a side and a (non-alcoholic) drink for $10 to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Related:
Nanoosh Hummus Bar Expanding South

With the opening of Pizza By Cer Te and news about Hello Pasta, the area by E 55th seems to be getting a whole lotta food action lately! Thanks to Lunch’er Apikoros18 for pointing out the kosher place Yummy Yummy (on Lex btw. 55+56th) that’ll soon arrive too! Looks pretty mysterious so far – just a storefront plastered with “Falafal bar, free salad bar, coffee bar, hummus, bourekas, soups”. No indication about how soon it’ll open, but as soon as we know- you’ll know.

After a giving up fried foods for Lent, I had a post-Easter hankering for falafel, so I headed over to 46th street to hit up Moshe’s Falafel just back from their Passover hiatus. While waiting to place my order discovered that they’ve raised their prices across the board.
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Have you ever been kind of jealous of the winners of Zach’s various cart tours?  Even though I work in midtown and can hit the great midtown carts anytime I want, there’s something to be said about the fun of taking on a bunch of them at once.  To really do it right you need strength in numbers, so when I learned that a couple of my friends from Seattle, would be in town and free for lunch during the week, I started plotting potential food adventures.  Both of them regularly read Blondie & Brownie and they were jealous of the midtown cart/food truck scene.  The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that we should try to hit as many carts for as many different types of foods as possible and with that in mind, may a present Brownie’s Cart Canyon Tour: 10 carts/10 cuisines/$10 a person…

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As much I hate Chipotle, there is no denying that their model has proven to be incredibly successful. The chose your protein, carrying method, and toppings, assembly line structure allows for the high volume, quick service that a popular lunch destination in Midtown needs to be profitable. Meze Grill (on 8th Ave. btw. 55th+56th) opened their “Middle Eastern Chipotle” back in August, and it looks like Pump Energy Food is moving in that direction as well. But my favorite new ode to Chipotle has got to be Naya Express- the new quick service Lebanese spot on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th. It’s got the same assembly set up, and customizable menu… but with one noticeable difference. The food is really tasty.

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Maoz Vegetarian, the European build your own falafel chain with branches in Union Square, NYU, and the UWS, opened their very first Midtown location a few weeks ago (on 7th Ave. and 40th Street). There is no shortage of falafel options in Midtown, but I have always been intrigued by Maoz- especially since Serious Eats: New York named it the best falafel in Union Square. So last week I headed over to give this new addition to the Midtown Lunch scene a try.

If you’ve already been to Maoz, I’m guessing this is no different than any of the other locations. Like any chain, the operation seems pretty streamlined and I’m guessing it’s the same from place to place. I had no basis for comparison, so on this visit was just a fat guy wondering if this was going to replace any of my other go to falafel places in Midtown. I like the idea of building my own sandwich, because layering is incredibly important to me- and so many places just don’t do it right. I was kind of excited to get to give the sandwich building a go.

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