It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Sami Dosa Cart come across ML’s pages. Unfortunately, it looks like time has caused it to unfortunately go the way of the Gangnam Style cart. While not the victim of internet memetics and thus going mobile towards uptown, the Sami Dosa Cart is AWOL. Anyone seen a lentil-crepe purveyor out there on the streets?
Posted by MJP at 10:45 am, December 18th, 2012 under 39th btw. B'way+7th, Sami Dosa Cart.
It’s time for the 2012 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.
Brownie and I are now bonafide street meat experts, so we know which of this year’s Best Street Meat nominees we’d eat at, you know, when we don’t feel like making it at home. But those of you stuck in Midtown offices need to weigh in on where you go! Of course, Street Meat Palooza 5 winner Uncle Gussy’s is in here, as are Kwik Meal, Famous Halal Guys, and the “Imposter” cart. But we thought we’d let the 2nd place SMP5 winner, Everyday Fresh Halal, into the mix as well. (Also, it’s awesome.) The real question is, do any of these guys have enough to unseat last year’s winner Comme Ci, Comme Ca and their Moroccan-inspired plate. Only one way to find out. Here are the nominees for best Street Meat 2012…
Vote for you favorite after the jump…
It’s time for the 2012 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.
Last year’s food truck crackdown meant fewer Midtown visits for falafel favorite Taim Mobile, which in turn meant that newcomer Pitopia seemingly came out of nowhere to take last year’s falafel crown in our 2011 Readers’ Poll. To say that we were surprised would be an understatement. But now comes the real test. A year later, has Pitopia kept the hearts and stomachs of Midtown Lunch readers? With King of Falafel making its Midtown debut and mainstay Maoz keeping up its solid quality, the competition is steep. Here are the nominees …
Vote for your favorite, after the jump…
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 3:00 pm, December 17th, 2012 under 2012 Reader's Poll.
We reviewed The Trusty Truck a few weeks back and while the food was promising, the name of their signature dish was just absurd. No matter how good it tastes, does anybody really want to eat a durger?
Well, according to their Facebook page, the owners of the truck realized the errors of their ways and have made some changes. They will be taking a few weeks off the road for renovations and regrouping, but will re-launch in January with a new name (Trusty Truck Burgers & Bites) and some new menu items. We’re hoping this means we will never have to eat a durger again.
After being accused of being a “poser-critic,” which I take in the jest it was (hopefully) intended, I feel the need to establish that I am not a bandwagon-jumper-onner commercialized-celebrity-chef-basher out to encase the Midtown Lunch readership in veiled propaganda. My only agenda is to contribute information and do the best I possibly can to separate my opinions from empirical facts, data, and observations. I feel the need to clear my name and I could think of no better way to do so than through soup. Let it not be said that I am a poser who just takes cheap shots at easy targets. Rather than demand a duel on the field of honor, I’ll let a review speak for me. I’m going to put Al Yeganeh’s Original SoupMan to the Get Soupid test. I’ll refrain from snark, cheap shots, bashing, and maybe even poorly flowing sentences. When it comes to flowing, I paraphrase Dune and the fictional Yev Kassem: soup must flow! Soup for you!
We noted last week that the Jamaican Dutchy tweeted that the original cart would be back in its old spot. And it’s true! The flat screen TV is MIA, but the Jamaican flag still waves proudly in the air and the menu is the same. O’Neil will continue to operate the truck on 43rd and Sixth, while Jillian (who has been working with O’Neil since the good ol’ days) will man the cart.
Jillian was the one who operated R. Retha’s Food last year in the Financial District. She told me the DOH forced them to close because of a licensing issue with one of their employees. But the cart is now back and will be open in its old spot on 51st near 7th Avenue Monday – Wednesday and then will head over to 52nd Street between 5th and 6th on Thursdays and Fridays. What a nice gift for Christmas!
Mai Sushi’s $6.50 sushi bento. Photo courtesy of Robert Sietsema
Of all the bars in Midtown, Rudy’s and Jimmy’s Corner are the two I’ve heard the most about through word of mouth when I’m looking for a dive. A Midtown Lunch poll back in 2009 had similar praise with Rudy’s and Jimmy’s Corner gaining top recognition for best Midtown Happy Hour. Even though they have both been written up in our happy hour column and there are many other bars to try, I thought it would be rude not to give them a try at some point.
As you may remember back in April, the Street Vendor Project attempted to pass a bill that would lower the $1000 fines for food vendors. These are not for health or safety concerns, but things like having your license in your pocket instead of around your neck. Seriously? $1000 for that?
The hearing was quite an event and many vendors and supporters got their voice heard. But more than 6 months later and the bill has not even been voted on yet. To give City Council Speaker Christine Quinn a nudge to convince her to at least call upon a vote, some street vendors have put up signs alerting the public to the situation. You can help support the vendors by calling (212) 564-7757 or emailing Speaker Quinn and ask her to call for a vote on Intros 434 and 435.
Posters have already gone up on 100 carts around the city with many more joining the campaign. The carts themselves are a perfect visible platform for getting the word out, especially when placed right next to a modest little blog’s strategically placed stickers.
Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.
Over the summer, the famous Bedford Cheese of Williamsburg opened a branch in Manhattan on Irving just south of Gramercy Park. I was very excited what this might mean for us Flatiron Lunch’ers.
