Midtown Lunch

Muhammed Rahman just can’t make up his mind what do with his fourth Kwik Meal cart.  Originally dubbed Meal Obama, the cart was forced to change its name to Kwik Meal IV and move from 37th and 7th to 38th and 6th.  Business wasn’t great, so when Rahman’s brother parked a cart on 45th and 5th (the spot which used to be occupied by the now gone Kwik Meal 2), Muhammed decided to move Kwik Meal IV  back to 45th and 5th (to reclaim his spot from his brother). Business wasn’t great there either, so a month ago Kwik Meal IV moved back to 37th and 6th.

Now comes the craziest news of all!  According to a sign that Lunch’er Dennis spotted on the original Kwik Meal cart (on 45th and 6th), the new plan is to open a cart serving “Italian dishes”.  I spoke with Rahman and confirmed that he is planning on parking Kwik Meal IV next to the original Kwik Meal cart, and will indeed be converting it into an Italian food cart. The plan is to serve pastas similar to the ones he serves at the pizza place he owns in Harlem, and if all goes well maybe some soups as well.  Pasta from a cart?  At the very least it should be interesting.  The cart will open sometime in the next two weeks.

Related:
Day in the Life: Muhammed “Kwik Meal” Rahman
From Russian Tea Room to Cart and Back Again- Kwik Meal’s Muhammed Rahman is Cooking in a Restaurant

After visiting Chile last winter, I returned to New York City looking to feed my new-found craving for all the foods I had discovered on the trip. I needed an Empanada de pino, a heaping plate of chorrillana, completos, and churrasco sandwiches. And I wanted to wash it down with a mote con huesillos.   And while you’d think NYC has pretty much every cuisine you could ever possibly want, for some reason Chile is woefully underrepresented… especially in Manhattan, where Pomaire (on 46th btw. 8+9th) is pretty much your only option (and too expensive for my taste.)

Well, this week my prayers to the food god of all things Chilean were answered when Barros Luco opened on 52nd Street, just east of 2nd Ave.  Taking over the space that was occupied by 99 Miles to Philly, it’s pretty far out of bounds for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes… but I will walk that extra 5 minutes when avocado topped hot dogs are involved!

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Looks really good, right?

On my first visit I was completely enamored with Gulluoglu, the Turkish baklava spot that opened on 52nd and 2nd a month ago. I only tried the meat and spinach boregi (amazing!) and a bunch of the sweets (every one, also amazing!), but vowed to return and try everything on their menu. Well, on my way to check out Barros Luco the other day I stopped in to pick up a little snack- a feta cheese filled acma. Sadly it was completely dry, and pretty terrible. (Maybe it was just old? Who knows…) It won’t stop me on my quest to eat everything in that place- but thought you should no. Boregi=good. Baklavas=good. Acma=bad.

Related:
Your First Look at Midtown’s Güllüoglu

Passed by Bombay Eats (on 52nd btw. 8+9th) yesterday and discovered some great news! They are now serving their Indian pizza by the slice. That means you don’t have to gather up a group of 8 people and order a full pie, or jury-rig a slice of cheese with a scoop of saag paneer from the buffet. Slices are $3.50 and come with a bunch of different toppings (saag, chicken tikka, and more.)

Related:
Saag Paneer Pizza? Bombay Eats Has Got You Covered
Indian Pizza Meetup Unlocks the Mysteries of Bombay Eats

• Cafe Charlie is now serving Mandoo? [Midtown Eating]
• Has anyone tried the paella at Cer Te? [Midtown Eating]
• Friday is the last day for the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck [Miscellaneous]
• Another Midtown Lunch happy hour, this Thursday at Blarney Stone [Connections]
• Pros and Cons of the Sombrero Cart on 50th Street [Midtown Eating]

I finally got to try the Schnitzel Burger from the Schnitzel & Things Truck today.  It required me getting there at 11:40am (the line was already 11 people long, 30+ by the time a left at 12:05), but was completely worth it.  And after taking one bite… the music started loud and clear in my head:

At last… my love has come along
My lonely days are over, And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last, The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine…. At last.

But what did I really think?

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Joanna, a magazine marketer who is Taiwanese and love street food- but conspicuously leaves out whether or not she likes NYC Cravings (the Taiwanese fried chicken truck.)

Name: Joanna

Age: 24

Occupation: Marketer for Fortune, Money & Real Simple at Time Inc

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Time & Life Building on the corner of 6th and 50th

Favorite Kind of Food: I’m Taiwanese, so I’m really partial to all that is delicious and Taiwanese. I can’t narrow it down to anything specific, but Taiwanese street food is amazing. Sometimes I think my stomach is made of iron for all the street food I put into my stomach and not get sick from when I’m back on the streets in Taiwan… Other than that Japanese and Italian come in at a close second.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Can I say none? Oh I know! Anything bland and unflavorful! (Cliche I know, but oh so true).

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I hope everyone in the Midtown West area has gotten out to Roberto Passon (on 9th Ave. 50+51st). It’s emptier and emptier each time I go, but please go and check it out! It’s such a great deal for a prix fixe. I’m always getting their caesar salad, salmon and tiramisu. Other great lunches includes Katsuhama (two locations) – delicious succulent pieces of pork? Yes please! In fact, you’ll find me there sometime this week because I’ve just made myself hungry. I’ll also add Aoki (on 48th btw. B’way+8th) to this list, their lunchboxes are big and inexpensive.

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