Midtown Lunch

Apparently the Schnitzel & Things Truck didn’t like what I had to say this morning about the issues they had yesterday on 43rd & 6th Ave:

“Just saw your little piece on ML. To be quite honest I don’t really care who you side with. It doesn’t matter to us one bit. But one thing you should know is that our business DOES in fact rely on heavy foot traffic! And because I am on Twitter, it doesn’t give me the right to park where we feel we will get the most customers?

You side with the “old school” but your solution for us, to go find a quiet street isn’t actually a solution that works at all. Instead of siding maybe you should realize that it’s not our fault! There is a conflict situation at hand and I understand the other point of view just as much as you, but I have a business to run and I need to hit my targets on a daily basis to stay profitable. And if it means that I have to stand my ground and get threats from an ice cream guy, so be it.”

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By the time I walked up to the Schnitzel & Things Truck around 1:30pm yesterday, most of the action had already ended.  But  I was just in time to catch a Mister Softee truck driver berating the owners of the Schnitzel truck.  Explaining to them that his truck had been parked on this corner for years, and that they couldn’t park here, and that they were ruining it for everybody.  “”There are a million corners to park in New York City! This one is mine.” Both trucks had been kicked out of their spots by the cops, who claimed that they had been receiving “complaints.”   And even though the Schnitzel Truck had twittered earlier about trouble from a halal guy, it’s more likely the complaints came from the businesses in the area (possibly the Verizon store on that corner.)

Once the news broke, Schnitzel fans everywhere lashed out at the cops, the halal guy, and the Mister Softee truck vendor- who I watched threaten the owners of the Schnitzel Truck.  And while I don’t believe in vendors threatening other vendors, and I really want schnitzel to be available in Midtown as often as possible, I have to side with the Mister Softee truck on this one.  And it’s not too difficult to understand why.

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• The Golosi on Park will make a $4 milkshake with any of their gelatos [Midtown Eating]
• Anybody know what’s going on with the Korean carts on 6th Ave? [Midtown Eating]
• Cer Te has got nothing on this crazy ass new sandwich from KFC [Miscellaneous]
• You can get a certified Kosher hot dog from Kosher Oasis [Midtown Eating]

I know it’s complete futile, but I still hold out some bit of hope that the new yet-to-be-named Momofuku, opening soon in Midtown, will have *something* for Midtown Lunchers.  That’s to say, anything under $10 that could be considered a “lunch”.  I know it’s silly, especially considering that not even Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar have something in that category- and those places are in the East Village! (I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Midtown rents are a bit more expensive.)

New York Magazine talks to Tien Ho (the chef who will be running the Midtown Momofuku) and gets some more details. Regarding lunch, they’re going to “try and do a prix fixe, there might be pork buns, and there will definitely not be “asian burritos.”  As for the possibility of opening a Milk Bar and Bakery at street level, as reported by the New York Times earlier in the month, he didn’t say one way or the other.

Related:
MomoMidtown… or would it be MidtownFuku?

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. I grew up on cheesy 80s hair metal, so I’m pretty excited for this week’s Profiled Lunch’er.  Meet Maisey, part of the cast of Broadway’s “Rock of Ages”.  She likes Asian food, savory crepes, and she’s got 3 pairs of tickets to Rock of Ages to give away at the end of the profile…

Name: Maisey

Age: Old enough…

Occupation: Performer-Actress/Singer —currently playing “Justice” in ROCK OF AGES

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Brooks Atkinson Theatre (on 47th btw. B’way+8th)

Favorite Kind of Food: Asian- Chinese/Japanese/Thai

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I’m really allergic to Shrimps

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: For sushi I like Aoki (on 48th btw. B’way+8th). I always sit in front of the waterfall wall and have the spicy trio-tuna, yellowtail & salmon tartar with caviar and a quail egg. Fabulous!! Room Service a glam/chic but very affordable Thai Restaurant on 9th and 48th is awesome too- I always order the pad see-eu with Duck and their insane pumpkin flan dessert… warm and yummy with a kiss of coconut!!

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A lot of news pouring in over the past few days about the third El Rey Del Sabor cart. Just to recap, their original cart is parked on 60th and 3rd, and their second cart is parked on 49th and 3rd. A month ago, they parked a third cart on 28th and 6th, but last week we heard rumors that it had disappeared. Cut to yesterday, when the cart was spotted on 43rd & 6th. This could be great news for Midtown West, if the cart ends up staying…

Apparently the owners of the El Rey del Sabor Cart got into a fight with another vendor on that corner yesterday while they were setting up. And Lunch’er “Jer” caught it all on video.

Check it out, after the jump…

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If you wanted to try one of Cer Te’s five special sandwiches (the ones they’ve been selling every Monday and Tuesday for the past month) but haven’t made it over to 55th btw. 5+6th yet- today is your last chance. After today, the sandwich that gets the most votes on their blog will be the special sandwich for the entire month of September. As of the time of this posting, the Gulfano (southwestern cuban) is beating the Colonel’s Heart Attack by a few votes. I was kind of partial to the croque, but the gulfano was damn good too. No matter what happens, we’ll end up with a tasty sandwich for all of September.

Related:
Check Out All 5 of Cer Te’s Crazy August Sandwiches

This photo isn’t actually from Midtown, it was taken just outside Madison Square Park in front of the Flatiron Building- but I had to post it.  Taj Ma Hot Dog!?!  How could I not? Yesterday was Indian pizza, and now this?  The guy who took the photo didn’t have any extra info, but my hunch is it’s got to be for a movie.  Or maybe Tabla is opening a hot dog stand? Who knows. Got any info?  Put it in the comments, or email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

UPDATE: East Village Idiot has the scoop… it’s a set for the TV show Ugly Betty.

Photo courtesy of JoseSPiano

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