WINED & DINED » Work Week Lunch

Havana Central Introduces the “Rapido Lunch”

Andy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:39:34 +0000

Here’s one for people on a budget and the clock. Havana Central is introducing the “Rapido Lunch” at all 3 of its Manhattan locations (Union Sq, Times Sq and West End). For $9.95 you get your choice of entree from the Rapido menu (after the jump), which will be served within 15 minutes of being seated. For an additional $6, you can add an appetizer and dessert. Or for an extra $10 you can go boozy with an appetizer, dessert and a classic mojito.

Pumpkin Spaetzle and Veal Schnitzel Coming Soon From Schnitzel & Things Truck!

Andy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:35:30 +0000

In some back and forth on Twitter this weekend with @SchnitzelTruck , we learned that there may be a couple of new menu items released soon: pumpkin spaetzle and veal schnitzel. According to Wikipedia, spaetzle are a type of egg noodles and small dumplings found in the cuisine of Germany and regions of neighboring Austria and Switzerland. I finally got my first chance to try the Schnitzel & Things truck last week. I got the @SchnitzelTruck tweet at around 11am that the truck would be parked on E. 48th between Park and Lex just 7 short blocks from my office. I was there by 11:45am and the line was already close to 25 deep. These guys are definitely doing something right. In a few short months they already have racked up 3,000+ followers on Twitter and won the Vendy equivalent of Rookie of the Year. I couldn’t resist the Schnitz Burger w/ cheese after reading this great review on MidtownLunch. I was surprised how quickly they move the line. It only took me 15 minutes to get to the front and place my order. You can get the burger standalone for $8 or as a platter (add 2 sides) for $10. While certainly not a cheap lunch, the platter is huge! The burger is a behemoth and was delicious. You get your choice of 6 different condiments. I recommend going with the spicy sriracha mayo. What separates this burger from the pack is that it’s breaded and then fried. I was surprised when I cut into my Schnitz Burger and saw that it was perfectly medium rare. It was very juicy. It also came on a perfect ciabatta bun. What most impressed me, however, were the sides. I went with two salads in an attempt to offset the artery damage from the burger. The roasted beets and feta salad and cucumber salad were fresh and delicious. In fact, a great alternative to a schnitzel lunch would be the Sides Sampler — choice of 4 sides for $8.

Mantao Chinese Sandwiches is a Nice Addition to a Solid Midtown East Food Block

Andy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:04:34 +0000

If there’s one block in Midtown East that bears any resemblance to the East Village, it’s gotta be E. 53rd b/t 2nd and 3rd. It’s here, and pretty much only here, that you will find several narrow, pint-sized restaurants serving up an array of ethnic and slightly eclectic eats in Midtown East. Like many an ethnic nook in the East Village, most of these are BYO. You’ve got Marrakesh for Middle Eastern, Mariachi’s for Mexian, Ariyoshi, Hakata Grill and East 53 Teriyaki House for Japanese, Baluchi’s, Brick Lane Curry House Too and Tadka for Indian, Little Thai Kitchen for Thai, Good Health Burger for Vegetarian, Gordon Chen’s Kitchen and Peking Duck House for Chinese, Luna Piena and La Giocanoda for Italian, Hawaiian Island Grill for fish tacos and other island-y food, and even a token wine bar in Cello. Now you can add Mantao Chinese Sandwiches to the mix. The restaurant is named for the sesame-studded steamed bread (think Chinese sesame bun) which is used for its sandwiches. I decided to give the $9.95 Combo Box a try for lunch today…The sandwiches are rather small (dare I call them Chinese sliders?) so it’s nice that the Combo Box comes with your choice of any 2 sandwiches, as well as a nice-sized green salad w/ ginger dressing (ask for an extra dressing) and a bag of shrimp chips. It’s equally nice that if you’re just in the mood for a snack, you can grab one of these bad boys on the go and be all set.

There are basically 3 tiers of sandwiches on the menu: fried egg sandwiches for $2.50, some sandwiches for $3.95 and then some more ”specialty” sandwiches for $4.50. Check out the full menu here. Doing the math you can see the Combo Box is a pretty good deal if you go with the $4.50 sandwiches. The lady behind the counter recommend I try the “original”, aka the braised pork, and her favorite, the black pepper chicken. The black pepper chicken was by far the tastier of the two. It had sauteed onions and good flavor. The braised pork came with pickled cucumbers, your garden variety hoisin sauce and was far from memorable. With all the choices, I wouldn’t recommend this one. Next time I’ll try the spicy pork, the shiitake and portobello or a fried egg sandwich w/ chinese sausage and cheese. Overall, I’d say the $9.95 Combo Box is a pretty good deal that will definitely not leave you hungry. Surprisingly, however, the tastiest thing I had was the side order of pan-fried pork dumplings ($4.95 for 6 large ones). I really enjoyed the slight char on the outside and the big, juicy pork bits on the inside.

I’d put these right up there with the Cravings Truck, Dumpling Man and Rickshaw. While the food won’t blow you away or anything, you can come away having a solid meal at Mantao if you navigate the menu and order correctly, making it a welcome addition to an already great food block in Midtown East.

La Cense Burger Truck Hits Midtown!

Andy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:06:07 +0000

The La Cense Burger Truck has made its NYC debut and is parked at 48th and Park (SE corner) as we speak. The line was about 20 or so deep when I arrived on the scene and none other than Zach from MidtownLunch (with son Harry in tow) was already there at the window placing his order. It took me about 20 minutes to get through the line. A 6oz cheeseburger is $7.50 and a pickle will set you back another 50 cents (though they forgot to put mine in the bag). I was a bit surprised that the burgers are only cooked one way — not made to order — and by the looks of mine, they are medium to medium well. Not good for medium rare people like myself. Some good news is that there is free rainy day delivery – 800-935-4699, as well as a frequent diner loyalty card (10 burgers gets you a free one). I was surprised (and happy) to see that the burgers also come with smothered fried onions. I just finished the burger and while it’s certainly no LaFrieda juicy flavor bomb, it has a nice taste, and the combination of the melted cheese and onions definitely catapults it up a notch. I actually found the beef to be a bit underwhelming and a tad bland, perhaps because I only ever order my burgers medium rare. Though I’m not one to recommend over-seasoning high quality beef, it seems like it could have used some kosher salt. Overall though, considering this burger comes from a truck, it’s pretty good and definitely worth a try…just maybe not today (line was about 35 deep and growing at 12:45pm when I left).

Menu for El Rey Del Sabor Delivery Service

Andy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:54:59 +0000

Just spoke with the guys over at the El Rey Del Sabor cart and they’re gearing up for the launch of their new delivery service. They asked that we put their menu online so people will know what they can order and how much the menu items cost. delivery phone number: 917-837-8278 / delivery radius: 10-12 blocks in all directions

TACOS: $2.50 each — choice of spicy pork, beef, chicken or salty beef — select either green mild sauce (avocado tomatillo) or red hot salsa or both

ENCHILADAS PLATE: $8 — 3 to a plate srved with rice and beans — choice of spicy pork, beef, chicken or salty beef (cannot mix and match) — select either green sauce or mole sauce or both

BURRITOS: $7 — choice of spicy pork, beef, chicken or salty beef — select green mild sauce (avocado tomatillo) or red hot salsa or both

MEXICAN TORTA SANDWICH: $6 — choice of spicy pork, beef, chicken or salty beef — served w/ choice of jalapenos or chipotle sauce

QUESADILLAS: $6 — choice of cheese, spicy pork, beef, chicken or salty beef — served w/ sour cream chipotle sauce

TAMALES: $1.50 each — chicken and green sauce

PASILLAS (peppers): $1.50 each — choice of chicken, ground beef or cheese

El Rey Del Sabor Cart to Launch Free Delivery Service Monday June 15th

Andy — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:51:34 +0000

While I was at the El Rey Del Sabor cart (60th and 3rd location) picking up a couple of tacos for lunch this afternoon — a spicy pork and a beef tongue to be sure — I overheard one of the guys behind the cart giving his digits to a woman at the counter. When she walked away, I joked with him that it looks like his delicious tacos aren’t hurtin’ him with the ladies. He laughed and said that he was giving her the new delivery number for the bike delivery service they’re starting next Monday. I was just thinking last week that with all this street cart and food truck hoopla that there’s gotta be a market for the SeamlessWeb of street carts. Don’t steal my idea. Here are the delivery details for El Rey Del Sabor:

delivery phone number: 917-837-8278 / delivery radius: 10-12 blocks in all directions / minimum delivery order: $3

Stroopwafels: Danku or No Danku?

Andy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:52:32 +0000

Dutch eatery Danku has opened in Midtown to mixed reviews, though Cravings swears by the Indonesian Sloppy Joe + Organic Fries and NYC Foodie recently discovered some unique dishes there worth trying. We got word from Danku today that come April 30th, which just happens to be Queen’s Day (Holland’s National Holiday), they will begin serving made-to-order stroopwafels, which they tell us are popular sweet treats in the Netherlands. I think I know why these waffles are popular in Amsterdam. In fact, I think I probably had one or ten while I was there last. The waffles will be made on a genuine Dutch waffle-maker. They also tell us that Stroopwafels, which translates literally to “syrup waffles,” are different from the thick rectangular Brussels-style waffles most people think of. They are made with two thin round waffles sandwiched together, with a soft caramel filling in the center. I have a feeling we’ll soon be hearing from bloggers and Midtown Lunch commenters whether it’s Danku or No Danku to these Stroopwafels. Stay tuned.

100% Halal & Healthy Cart Has a Sister Cart at 54th and Park…With Fresh Tilapia and Fried Shrimp

Andy — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:15:50 +0000

When speaking last week with Gamal, who runs the 100% Healthy & Halal Cart at 55th and Park — home of my favorite street cart salad, I found out that he also owns and operates the Halal Cart at 54th and Park. He told me he gives his guys over there 100% freedom in terms of coming up with menu items and the food preparation. I guess he’s not a control freak. He told me they’re doing some good and different stuff over there and that I should check ‘em out. It being beautiful yesterday I decided to give it a shot. I was pretty surprised by some of their offerings. The guys mentioned that their cart is pretty busy even though they haven’t received as much online publicity as Gamal over the past 6 months. They said they were going to put together a combination for me with “a little bit of everything” so I could get a good sampling of what they can do (low res pic not included). The first thing I noticed is that these guys do their rice several different ways — regular, spicy, as well as a few other flavor combinations. I went with the spicy rice. I also coudn’t help but notice the lightly breaded fish and fried shrimp sitting above the grill. I asked about the fish and was assured that it was as fresh as any tilapia I could find. The fish and shrimp is certainly a differentiator for this cart. The fish was indeed fresh, as promised (at least it tasted fresh) and there was a seasoning in the lightly fried exterior that I really enjoyed but could not place. I’m gonna have to ask them what it is the next time I stop by. The fried shrimp was also fresh and good (though I must confess I’m not a huge fried shrimp fan). Another differentiator is their side of jalapeno pickles (that’s what they called it, though it seemd to comprise more pickles than jalapenos) – this side comes free with all combination platters. It didn’t have a massive kick that I was expecting and that I would have liked, but the pickles were in some sort of light, clear sauce that made them pretty damn tasty. Also in my “kitchen sink” combination, they threw in some lamb and onions, as well as a falafel, that were sitting on the grill cooking when I walked up. Nothing too special here, really. Good, but probably no better than the lamb and onions you’re going to get at any other Halal cart in the city. Last but not least, I tried some grilled eggplant. Can’t say I’ve seen eggplant like this being offered at too many carts, and it was great. The big negative for me as far as this street cart goes was in the “sauce” category. The white sauce really had nothing much to it and the only thing they had in terms of hot sauce was a runny, tabasco-ey sauce. They did mention a thick, spicy green sauce that they usually have but had run out of yesterday. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the fish (probably more so by the fact that they even had fish than the actual fish itself, though it was seasoned quite nicely) and the rice variety. They need to get some thick hot sauce like Gamal has, though, or next time I’m gonna have to stop by the 100% Halal & Healthy on my way back to the office to load up.

This is Why I’m Fat: The Woody Allen from Carnegie Deli

Andy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:15:32 +0000

I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, and it being the first night of Passover, I decided to treat myself to a little Carnegie Deli for lunch. I went with my go-to sandwich — the Woody Allen. This behemoth is a combination corned beef and pastrami sandwich and was given its name after the deli served as a filming location for Broadway Danny Rose. I always order it with extra slices of rye bread cause there’s no way 2 slices of bread can suffice for the close to 3lbs. of pastrami and corned beef that are included. I don’t know if it’s because today is a Jewish holiday, but I’ve never seen them make the sandwich so big. It was easily twice the size of the pastrami sandwich that Serious Eats dubbed the “mother cell” and used to make 5 “daughter” sandwiches. Check out their “mother cell” here. I’m telling you I could easily make 8 generously-sized sandwiches from this monstrosity of a sandwich. I even had to tape the top slice of rye bread down to snap a photo.

100% Halal & Healthy Unveils New-Look Cart & New Menu

Andy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:52:44 +0000

It’s no longer the “off-the-menu” Greek Salad w/ Grilled Chicken at 100% Halal & Healthy (55th & Park), which Midtown Lunch refers to as “may be the only salad I’ll eat” in Midtown. As of last week, the 100% Halal & Healthy cart has a new look and a new menu (click pic). It still claims to be “Low Fat & Low Cholesterol” though the jury’s still out on that. Menu items have been “spell-checked” and now include the hugely popular Greek Salad w/ Grilled Chicken, a Caesar Salad w/ Grilled Chicken, Grilled Chicken Breast Kabobs, a Hummus Sandwich, a Veggie Wrap, a Kofta Sandwich on Pita, and a Combo w/ Grilled Chicken, Lamb and Kofta over rice. Not on the permanent menu yet, but still being offered indefinitely is Gamal’s entry in the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge – the $5 Gino Sandwich. W&D helped Gamal with this sandwich creation that people so far have been raving about (see comments here). The “Gino” includes a combination of grilled chicken and kofta, feta cheese (or American), grilled onions, hot peppers and hot/white sauce on a pita. And if you want to change things up a bit, Gamal also owns the food cart on 54th and Park which has a completely different menu. We’ll give it a try and let you know what we think.