Archive for 'Little Morocco'

Omar Quits Little Morocco Again!?: According to a post today in the forums, the word on the street is that Omar got into a fight with the owner of Little Morocco (on 39th & 7th) and has quit again.  Apparently it was over all the awesome food he had been serving in addition to the standard halal chicken and lamb plates. This just the latest part of a saga that stretches back two years ago, but seemed to be over when Omar returned the cart in April.

    Little Morocco Cart is Back w/ Omar Manning the Grill

    Little Morocco on 39th and 7th might have the most weathered history of any street meat cart in Midtown. After a slew of disappearances, a solo venture, a robbery, and a move to Los Angeles, Omar is back working the grill. Luncher Kopper tipped us off to this exciting news last week in the Forums and I finally made it down to 39th and 7th to see for myself. Omar was as upbeat as ever and seemed happy to be back at Little Morocco with a renewed love of the city. He told me he is indeed back for good (although he plans to take a lengthy vacation this summer) and will be slinging his usual garbage plate street meat. Plus, starting today will have fish and kofta once again. This might be the best news of the year! Here’s hoping it’s an easy ride from here on out.

    Is Little Morocco Any Good Without Omar?

    My favorite street meat spot over the past few years has been the Little Morocco cart (39+7th). The unique flavors, the little extras (corn!), the occasional kofta option, and the $5 price tag make it a hard cart to compete with. As we’ve learned over the years, however, the quality of the food is at least somewhat dependent on its usual operator, Omar. With word of Omar’s move to California (good luck!), came questions about whether Little Morocco would ever be the same. Questions I intended to answer once I heard a new Little Morocco cart had surfaced after their most recent controversy.

    As you can see from the above picture, it is indeed a different physical cart. It has no Little Morocco signage and really nothing to distinguish it from a generic Halal cart. But it is parked in the exact same spot (NE corner of 39+7th) and is being run by the owner of the original Little Morocco who has filled in for/helped Omar in the past. He confirmed that the old cart would be coming back to this spot once the sticker issue is sorted out, but I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath. Now, what about the food?

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    NY Post Rejoices Over Little Morocco Theft: We're honored the New York Post trolls Midtown Lunch for stories, but a little puzzled at their angle on this one. Last week we reported that Little Morocco had their permit stolen, and the Post picked up on it in an interesting gleeful way- thanking the theft for shutting down one of the "fifth dirtiest [carts] in the city" based on "a Post analysis", whatever that means. Maybe they listened to Omar's cell phone messages?  [via ML Forums]

    Little Morocco Cart Gets Robbed; Chef Omar Pops Up at Kebab Express

    It’s been a tough 12 months for Little Morocco, the great street meat as garbage plate cart on 39th & 7th. A year ago this month it went missing, then it came back, but Omar (the man behind their great food) had left to start his own cart. That didn’t go so well, so he returned, and things seemed better again. Then we heard a rumor that Omar was moving to Los Angeles, and last week the cart disappeared after its permit was reportedly stolen right off the cart!

    While Little Morocco is on hiatus (presumably trying to get a replacement permit) Omar has started working with the guys at Kabab Express on 55th and 6th. Word is he may stay with them until he moves to Los Angeles at the end of the year. That could be bad news for the Little Morocco cart (if and when it returns) since the food is clearly not the same without him. We don’t know yet if Omar’s signature Garbage Plate be available at the Kabab Express cart, but it would be one more thing for them to add to their epic You Tube video.

    Spiced Potato Hero from Little Morocco is Spicily Good

    Little MoroccoWith so many rainy and gloomy days now, I have grown to treasure any bit of sun we get. So whenever it’s nice out I try to have lunch at Bryant Park. Most recently I found myself standing in front of the Little Morocco cart while waiting for a friend. I quickly remembered the three new heroes that were just added to the menu few weeks ago. Since Blondie had tried the kofta and the lamb merguez heroes, I decided to give the spiced potato hero a try.

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    Little Morocco’s New Heros Are Unsurprisingly Great

    Before yesterday, I think I was the only member of the ML team that hadn’t visited Little Morocco (NE corner 39th+7th). It was on the opposite side of town from my job, and since that’s over with, I can finally check out what this Omar is serving up. Luckily for me, he added on some new heroes to his menu this week: kofta, lamb merguez, and a spiced potato hero (I forgot the name too). Since the potato wasn’t ready yet-it should be available today-I only got to taste the other two, and I have to say it was impressive for $4 and off a cart.

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    Finally, Kofta Has Returned to Little Morocco

    Last month’s joy over Omar’s triumphant return to the Little Morocco cart (NE corner of 39th+7th) quickly turned into anticipation for the unveiling of some new menu items. This isn’t exactly new, but it’s something I’ve been hoping for ever since kofta disappeared from the menu last year.
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    Little Morocco (aka Omar) is Back… Again!

    It’s been a tumultuous year for Little Morocco (39th & 7th) and its original operator Omar. In July, they stopped serving kofta and shrimp. In August, the cart disappeared for a while. In September, we celebrated its return only to discover that Omar didn’t return with it and that the food had become much more ordinary. Omar would return only to leave in October to try out his own cart. He had trouble finding a good place to park and while he was gone it became apparent that Little Morocco without Omar wasn’t really Little Morocco at all. Fortunately, he has returned and now we can start 2011 with a bona fide Little Morocco once again in operation.
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    Lunch’er Tai Reports: Little Morocco’s Garbage Plate is Back

    On Monday we told you that Omar, the original cook on the popular Little Morocco cart, had returned after trying to start up a cart of his own on the Upper East Side. Lunch’er Tai headed over right way, and was kind enough to send this photo and quick report…

    I read that Omar was back and immediately swung by to get a fish & falafel combo. He gave me grilled (not fried!) fish, 3 falafel balls, a chickpea & grilled onion slaw, some grilled pita slices, a few french fries, and the standard salad, all over their kickass rice, for five bucks.  Moroccan garbage plate!

    Nice.  Sounds like things are back to the way they were.