Midtown Lunch

This isn’t a typical Midtown Happy Hour, but it’s still great news for anybody who is a big fan of Kelvin Slush’s booze filled slushies…

It’s easy to forget about The Tap Room in the Whole Foods Columbus Circle. It opened in late 2011 as a bar to have a drink and maybe a bite to eat while in a Whole Foods–a sort-of weird concept, but, given the lack of decent bar options in the area or in the Time Warner Center, not the worst idea. I imagine many shopping companions find themselves stopping by here. Well now they will have a new drink option: Kelvin Natural Slush boozy slushies are on tap.

They’re even served up in special Kelvin branded glasses. They are currently offering an apricot shandy and a white sangria straight from a slush machine, both fruity and delicious. This one was the $5 12 oz version, boozy enough to get you a little buzzed and refreshingly cool after my short walk in the summer heat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear they are doing styrofoam cup to-go versions, so you are stuck getting brain freeze while watching ESPN.

Whole Foods Columbus Circle, 10 Columbus Cir (btw W Central Park & B’way). 212-823-9600

On Saturday we gathered together at City Winery with a couple hundred of our closest friends to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Midtown Lunch (yes, we too are surprised this thing has been around for 5 years!)   A great time was had by all thanks to the amazing food (provided graciously by Kwik Meal, The Biryani Cart, Cer Te, Ma Peche, Food Gallery 32, El Rey del Sabor, Tri Tip Grill, Wafels & Dinges, Miss Softee & the Rolling Cones, Kelvin Slush, and Momofuku Milk Bar) and the endless drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and GuS’s soda.

Check out the highlights, after the jump…

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It seems like only yesterday we were complaining about freak snow storms and seriously crummy weather, but signs of spring are emerging, whether it be the start of baseball season, OMG RAMPS!, or the Kelvin Slush Truck making its glorious return. I noticed their tweet that they’d be re-launching this weekend, and tracked them down to inquire if they’d be coming to Midtown anytime soon.

First, the good news – barring any serious weather set-backs, they mentioned that they are back for good for the year. However, they were non-committal on any Midtown visits, so we’ll have to keep our eyes on twitter and hope they grace us with their presence. Oh, and my ginger slush with white peach and strawberry? Freakin’ fantastic.

Last weekend I stopped by the Kelvin Slush Truck as they marked the first day of spring by giving away all proceeds to Red Cross Japan relief. While I was at the truck I couldn’t resist asking about their spring schedule. They should be back on the road for the season starting April 1st and while they’ll be returning to their Flatiron spot on 22nd and 5th, they’ll also be moving around the city and said they’d give midtown a shot with the caveat that it’s hard to find a space to park and the cops seem to be cracking down more on vendors in midtown. In the interest of getting slush to midtown, I thought we could help them out. Any good spots you guys can suggest for Kelvin?

On Wednesday when we told you about that Miss Softee contest we briefly mentioned that ice cream trucks are starting to pack it in for the season (the unofficial end date is 10/31).  But Kelvin Slush (our new favorite truck since the Vendy Awards) says they’re not so sure what they’re going to do.  From one of the owners: “We have a full year license, [so] our plan is to simply stay open as long as it makes sense.  If people are still buying, we will get a space heater for the truck and stay open all winter.  If no one is buying and we’re wasting our time every day then we’ll close down and re-open in the spring (or maybe pick and choose really sunny days and/or special events to open for).”  He added “7-11 says that Winnipeg, Manitoba … which is freezing in the winter … is the Slurpee capital of the world and they sell more Slurpees in Michigan in the winter than Florida in the summer.”  Would you drink one of these things in the winter?  We’re leaning towards yes (especially if you could throw some moonshine in there.)

Speaking of eating bugs… Andrew Zimmern was in Midtown yesterday doing a mini tour of his favorite Midtown food trucks for MSN’s Appetite For Life.  First he hit up the Schnitzel and Things truck, where he manned the fryers and chatted with customers, before heading over to Kelvin Slush for an afternoon cool down.  Our man Chris H. grabbed this photo of him ordering a ginger, mint and basil slush, and the S&T Truck posted some video on their twitter account.

Our favorite is the one in which our hero shames a girl eating a “healthy” lunch into trying some of his schnitzel. Check out all the videos after the jump…

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