Midtown Lunch

There are some carts in the Financial District that you kind of have to be lucky to catch, and such is the case of R. Retha’s. The cart – formerly the called Jamaican Dutchy, parking in Midtown – materialized downtown at the corner of William & Beaver before it was seen being towed away with a yellow sticker meaning it had been shuttered by the Department of Health.

Then there was word that the cart had returned, but every time I’d walked down in search of curried meats with some peas and rice, it was nowhere to be found. Had it disappeared again?

The good news is they’re still parking in the Financial District (or at least they were on Monday in the pouring rain), but you have to test your luck to see if they’re there. And if they are, might I suggest some curried goat?  Read more »

When last we checked in with Dough Re Mi, it was 1.5 years ago and the store at Water St. & Coenties Slip was looking to open in the spring of 2012. That time came and went, and then hurricane Sandy flooded the area.

Yesterday, the awnings were up and there’s a help wanted sign in the window, all of which are good signs. The web site is stuck in 2011, but it looks like they’ll have doughnuts, bagels and grilled cheese among other things. Update: Reports are that the place will open on Monday.

While walking back from lunch yesterday, I spotted a new truck called Diso’s Italian Sandwich Society at William St. & Wall. It does not appear that it’s on the Midtown radar yet, but a look at their Twitter shows that they’ve been parking in the Financial District for a week or so. A look at the menu shows a wide variety of sandwiches with Italian meats, chicken or vegetables, although unless you get a half you’re going to spend more than $10.

Did anyone check this truck out yesterday?

Sometimes you only have $6 in your pocket and you don’t want a traditional street meat lunch or pizza. What’s a Lunch’er to do? When I’m in this predicament, I sometimes head to the 99% Vegetarian Food cart that’s been relocated, along with three others, to the corner of Liberty St. & Nassau after a CitiBike rack was installed in their longtime spot around the corner off of Broadway.

 This time, I finally tried the veggie burger, and I’m so glad that I did.

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Nominate your fave vendor to get this. Via B&B.

• Summer ice cream flavors at some downtown shops. [Grub St.]
• Have you nominated your favorite cart/truck for a Vendy yet? [B&B]
• Francois Payard ice cream sammies: Back for the season! [FitR]
• A visit to burger favorite, the Ear Inn. [Gothamist]
• Have you eaten at the FiDi’s diner on wheels? [SENY]

When last I ate at Pita Press on Cedar St. (btw. William & Pearl), it was two years ago, and I went vegetarian. Since then, GRK has opened with a flashier space on Fulton St., wowing me with their rotisserie versions of pork and a Thanksgiving special of turkey.

I’ve always liked Pita Press though, and they have the more extensive menu of the two Greek spots. I decided to return and see how their rotisserie pork stacked up. The weigh in, straight ahead.

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It was a bit surprising to see that Zigolini’s at Pearl St. & Coenties Slip was planning to add a Mexican component to its solid lineup of Italian-tinged lunch offerings. The place is called Guac Star, and it opened alongside the  sit down bar and restaurant and the takeaway deli portions of Zigolini’s that had been closed for seven months after being heavily damaged by water during hurricane Sandy.

We’ve all been to those generic delis that sell pizza alongside burritos and sushi, so I was a bit hesitant to try Mexican food made by a place with an Italian name. Thankfully, they don’t try fusion here, and I came away impressed with the burrito I tried, even though it ended up breaking the $10 barrier (oops).

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