Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

If you’re not as drunk as this guy, then you’re just not trying hard enough

As the good Catholic girl I am… or was raised to be (sorry mom)… I feel an obligation to inform those of you whom are unaware that Carnival is the traditional celebration before Lent. A brief window of time where excess and ecstasy are allowed to take center stage before yielding to a period of self-induced sacrifice, spiritual reflection, and …and wait, I’m writing for Midtown Lunch, screw that.

Ok you filthy philistines here’s what you need to know so listen up!

It’s Mardi Gras time. Fat Tuesday will soon be upon us, and the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost demand that you party hard enough that the hangover lasts until sometime in April. I know it’s rough, but don’t blame me, I’m only a humble messenger. The following are some establishments that have endeavored to help you in this divine mission.

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Becoming a mobile vendor is not quite as easy as ehow would have you believe. So in anticipation of Softee Season 2011 we’ve asked Chrissy (aka Miss Softee) to show us the process of what it takes to become an ice cream vendor in Midtown. We’ll meet the potential new vendors, and track their progress through the selection and training process as all of the candidates make their way towards being a full fledged Mr. Softee vendor. So far you’ve met the first few hires here and here. Now see what it takes to get your paperwork in order to become a licensed mobile vendor. Take it away Miss Softee!

Becoming a mobile food vendor isn’t just about coming up with a cool persona, finding awesome outfits to wear to work, or letting culinary creativity loose with awesome toppings… it’s a long process with many confusing steps along the way! Such a long process that even though we started with 20 total hires at the beginning of February, we’re already down to 16. It’s inevitable that people will drop off along the way, so most smart employers will tend to hire more people than they ultimately need. I can’t speak for every business, obviously, but here’s what a potential Mister Softee driver has to do to work in Midtown for the RollingCones.  (Yup, I’ve given us a new name!) Read more »

A few weeks ago Clay noticed a new truck parked on 33rd and 5th, and wondered how it was.  Thanks to Lunch’er Anthony (aka “GreeZeyFreeZey”) for sending us this photo and giving us the low down…

Hey recently you guys made a post about the cart on 33rd and 5th. It is honestly one of the best carts in the city. I found them at night on 28th and Madison about 5 years ago and have been pushing them to come around during the day. Today I spoke with them and hopefully they will be moving between 41st and 46th on 6th avenue in the next week or two. I am going to attach a picture also so maybe you can throw it up on the site to show people that its just amazing. Also just add if they go make sure they ask for the basmati rice and the hot sauce is amazing just enough spice. I work with a lot of Indian guys and they all say the basmati rice tastes just like what they make at home and they all love this cart. We have all tried pretty much every single cart in midtown and the 2 best hands down are Little Morroco and this one.

White & Hot Halal Food Truck, 33rd St. & 5th Ave.

It’s been a little while since we’ve caught our Flatiron Lunch readers up on the news and openings in the area. With spring approaching and announcements of Schnipper’s bringing the burger wars directly to the original Shake Shack, you know we’ve got some interesting things coming soon. See what’s in store after the jump.

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Every Friday our man UltraClay goes 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.

Most people wouldn’t consider doughnuts to be lunch, but we here at Midtown Lunch understand wanting nothing more than to scarf down a half dozen of the treats from Doughnut Plant in one sitting. Honestly, I can’t stop going there. After a lifetime of the faux-nuts at Dunkin, I was actually angry when I discovered what real doughnuts tasted like. Bob’s Donuts in San Francisco and Randy’s in Los Angeles more or less ruined me for the mass-market variety.

Over the years, I’d heard about Doughnut Plant, but the one time I’d tried it (at an out of town location) it was stale and disappointing, so I gave up on having a good, proper doughnut in New York. Then they opened up a Chelsea location a few weeks ago and I had to give it a try.

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• Is ex-Shendy’s the weak link in the Famous Halal Guys empire? [Midtown Eating]
• There’s a new Thai place in Midtown East [Midtown Eating]
• Help! I’m in Soho and need a quick lunch rec [Downtown Eating]
• Lobsters on a by the pound buffet!?  [Midtown Eating]

All those complaining about the size of Kyochon‘s wings, take note! The space age Korean Fried Chicken joint is celebrating their one year anniversary with a wing eating contest. According to Fork in the Road the competition is open to the public, there will be five rounds, and both hot and sweet wings are being served- so the competition will not only test speed but spice tolerance. The event will take place on Sunday, March 13th and the winner will get a $250 gift card, a mention in an Epoch Times editorial and (most importantly?) the title of King Kyochon. I guess they aren’t expecting the ladies to compete? First and second runners up get $100 and $50 gift cards, respectively.  According to the Kyochon Facebook Page the first 20 people who fill out this registration form and return it to the store  on 32nd and 5th will be entered for free (and as of Monday they still had spaces left.)  Good luck!

A new month means a new line up of custard flavors at the Shake Shack (on 8th Ave. and 44th). Today’s flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip, tomorrow, Coffee & Donuts, with Chocolate Chuckles (Mon), Banana Bread (Tues), and Pineapple Nut Brittle (Wed) rounding out the week. If you happen to be in the Shack’s vicinity over the weekend they’re doing Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel on Saturdays and Afternoon Tea on Sundays. And from now until Sunday, 3/13 you can get the CAR-MALLOW ANTHONY SHAKE, vanilla custard with caramel, marshmallow and malt. ($5.75)

Photo courtesy of speedygo

After reading Chris’ Taim posts I’ve been eager to check out the truck myself. I’ve been a fan of their West Village brick and mortar for some time, but I’ve had terrible luck with their truck. Every time I’ve dropped by for falafel there’s there’s either a crazy line that scares me off or their out of falafel. This Monday, however, rainy weather + late lunch equaled falafel success.

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