Tuesday is Free Burrito Day in Midtown
Every once in awhile a dilemna arises in life, that not only shakes you to your core, but defines you as a human being. Who you are. What you believe in. Yesterday, I received some information. Valuable information. Information that you all clearly want. And it is that knowledge, that information, that has led me to the crossroads that I am at now.
Tell the world this info… and risk ruining it for the few people who happen to walk down 48th St. everyday (and their friends who they plan on telling). Or, keep it to myself- and live with the shame of knowing I betrayed everything this site stands for, just to make getting my free burrito a tiny bit easier.
That’s right…. the day has finally arrived. Wednesday (7/19), the Chipotle on 48th st. between 6th and 7th avenue is opening to the public- and to celebrate (as all new Chipotle’s do), Tuesday (7/18) is free burrito day. That’s right. On Tuesday, from 11am to 8pm, everyone willing to wait in line for god knows how long, will be rewarded with a free burrito and soda.
We could argue all day about whether or not the burritos at Chipotle are good. What we can’t argue about is the intrinsic goodness of free food. And free food always tastes good… maybe I’ll finally actually enjoy eating at Chipotle.
Check back Tuesday for pictures of the insanity… and updates. Percentage of people in line who’s time away from work is worth more then a $7 burrito- 96.4%. Effect that will have on the line. Zero.
Chipotle, 49th St. between 6th & 7th Avenue. (Shit, you don’t need the address… just look for the gigantic line)
Discovered a fancy chocolate loophole the other day while eating underneath Rockefeller Center. After having a couple of slices at Two Boots (the +/- of which we can argue on a later date) my wife decided she wanted a little something sweet… little being the key word. All weight issues aside, there are tons of choices to satisfy a sweet tooth. Ben and Jerry’s 50 yards away, a chocolate dipped cone from Mr. Softee on various corners of Midtown. But since small was what she was looking for, I suggested going upstairs to La Maison du Chocolat– an upscale chocolate boutique on the first floor of Rockefeller Center.
So with that in mind, we went into La Maison du Chocolat, and she picked out a small round thing with hazlenuts in it. When we went to pay (cost… $1.41), the cashier offered BOTH OF US free samples from a little platter he had behind the counter… and I didn’t even have to buy anything.
48th St. between 5th and 6th was a madhouse today at lunchtime as shocked (and not so shocked), but mostly confused lunch’ers attempted to eat at 
There are very few things I enjoy eating more then pork. Any kind of pork really, but my favorite is definetely the roasted kind where the skin gets super crispy. It usually comes from the shoulder, and you can get it at Cuban restaurants, or Christmas parties in Miami (my hometown). But I have had delicious roast pork in other places too (if you’re ever in Bali I can recommend a great place for roast suckling pig).
On Friday, with Margon closed (great Cuban food on 46th between 6th & 7th) I headed to Cafe Cello- a similar type of place recommended to me by numerous people… The sign out front was not exactly reassuring. It had clearly been dumbed down to attract a less then adventurous New York food crowd, who would be more likely to go into a place if it sees the words “cafe”, “deli” and “American”.
But, once inside, my fears disappeared. The food looked really fresh and delicious (in contrast to Margon, which for all it’s positives, can sometimes not look so great depending on the day.) All the food is in trays under glass, so ordering is as easy as looking, deciding and pointing. The day I was there, it wasn’t too crowded- but I’ve heard you want to get there early, because once they run out of something, they don’t make more. And by something, I mean the maduros (fried ripe plantains) which apparently are the first things to go!
Anyway, once I laid eyes on the roast pork (with the crispiest most perfect skin), ordering was pretty easy. Along with a nice size portion of pork (pulled with tongs off what appeared to be a shoulder), they give you your choice of white rice w/ black bean soup, or yellow rice with pinto beans already mixed in, and maduros (there was still some left at 1pm)- all for $7. PLUS, they threw in a piece of the skin on top. Delicious!!! And the skin was perfect. If you love roast pork, then Cafe Cello is your new favorite place.
Fresh off my disappointment of no Hallo Berlin Cart on Wednesday, I was forced to find lunch in an area I haven’t eaten in before. Walking back to work, I went down 52nd Street between 5th and 6th where I found a bunch of lunch options. But because of my “condition”, one stood out as the clear choice. Yips.
When you walk in, there are three or four different places you can get in line to pick your food. On first glimpse, they look mostly the same, but some of them have different things. Usually I like to ignore the menu, and just order with my eyes… but here that’s a little tough because there are a few different places to order. My suggestion would be to look up at the bulletin boards hanging behind each station, and choose which line to get in based on that. There are a ton of choices, and the board (while it doesn’t seem complete) will help you to at least narrow it down.
Apparently Rolf is in Germany, and has been there for a few weeks… so, now that the World Cup is over, we can hope to expect the Hallo Berlin Cart back soon. I thought about calling the restaurant again to find out exactly when… but the first call didn’t go so well. The lady I talked to yesterday thought the cart was there. I guess her and Rolf aren’t that close…
Oh Indian Burrito! Where have you been all my life??? I don’t really know if the owners of Kati Roll would refer to what they sell as an “Indian Burrito”, but as far as I’m concerned, if the shoe fits…
You can order one roll for $3 to $6 (depending on the filling), or two for slightly less (they give you a discount when you order two of the same roll). I’ve had the Chicken Tikka which is fantastic. The chicken is really good, and covered in red onions with a slight lemon flavor. Really, really good. I’ve also had the spicy potato- which is really spicy… but also delicious, if you like potatoes. Very similar flavor to a samosa, just without the fried stuff around the outside. The paratha is grilled fresh on a gigantic skillet in the back, so it is really really good (albeit pretty greasy).