Halal Food cart on 53 St & 6th ave - New York?

[luismi]

Hello everyone,

I pass this food cart every night on my way back home and I'm always amazed at the long lines. Please tell me what their secret is? I have not tried it yet, but I am really anxious to give it a try -jsut trying to find a time when the line is not so crazy!

[Nathan]

location -- workplace density

[luismi]

location -- workplace density

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I don't think that is the reason since the lines are HUGE at nights, starting at like 8 PM until 2 or 3 in the morning.

[Nathan]

hmm...haven't seen that.

what's the demographic makeup of the night-time line?

[flinflon28]

hmm...haven't seen that.

what's the demographic makeup of the night-time line?

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When I worked at the Modern we would sometimes go there for an after work snack. Cooks from Le Bernardin and other restaurants in the area do too. Just delicious street cart food. Very well made and nice customer service.

I've known cooks that have moved to Philadelphia and sometimes drive up late at night on a crave mission.

I believe he has a fansite too.

Edited March 12, 2007 by flinflon28 (log)

[plattetude]

There was actually a story on WNYC about that cart last month. They're getting more than just local crowds there....

clickety

Christopher

[luismi]

hmm...haven't seen that.

what's the demographic makeup of the night-time line?

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They are definitely not the banker/lawyer type around the area, it is more like anything from late teens to 30ish looking people who appear to actually go there on purpose from different areas of the city, I'm telling you that the lines are of more that 40-50 people waiting for more than 20 minutes, I think the guy even has a website.

http://www.53rdand6th.com/index.html

and look at all the entires from google:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=foo...le+Search&meta=

I will try to take pics soon to show you

[larrylee]

The Best Halal Cart does a few things differently.

1) Basmati rice, which you're not likely to find at most carts (though you'll also find it at the Kwik-Meal and Trini-Pak carts during the day, which are both farther south on Sixth Ave), which serve very boring rice.

2) The white sauce: I have no idea what goes in white sauce but theirs is supposed to be "a secret recipe."

3) The lamb seems to be seasoned differently. Again, I can't explain it, I don't know much about Arabic/Halal cooking. The chicken, which I've never gotten, seems to be quite popular.

4) The hot sauce is rocket-hot. It's now served in a separate container... they used to squirt it on directly. Not sure what happened.

5) Crisps of pita wedges. Something extra to nosh on.

You get a real mix of people here, but probably not a lot of millionaires. The flavor you get out of this food for $5 is more than you'll get from the competing carts. The lines and turnover will also insure you're getting the food as fresh as it can be.

You'll find a fair number of families lining up and getting 8-10 packs of dinners to go. The line from the western-most part of the deli is about... 30-45 minutes. The drink cart is a few steps away, the southeast portion of the same corner.

When the weather is warmer, it's a fun outdoor meal. Tonight might be a good time to go, what with the near-summer-like temps.

Also referenced in the "Midtown, lunch and dinner" topic. The milkshake from Burger Joint comes in really handy if you've scorched your mouth on the hot sauce.

Edited March 12, 2007 by larrylee (log)

[larrylee]

I think the guy even has a website.

http://www.53rdand6th.com/index.html

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That's not the web site. That's a fan site.

Some pics, not great:

kufta platter

Best Halal team at work during the Vendy awards back in 2005

[Nathan]

interesting...this is all new to me.

don't think I could wait in line though...

(and before Robyn jumps on that -- there's a big difference between waiting at the bar witha drink in hand and standing on sixth ave without one)

[larrylee]

interesting...this is all new to me.

don't think I could wait in line though...

(and before Robyn jumps on that -- there's a big difference between waiting at the bar witha  drink in hand and standing on sixth ave without one)

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Momofuku Ssam Bar on a cart it is not. Just think of it as "really good cart food." The line notwithstanding, it's hard to find a better meal at that price, location, and time. If you decide to go, bring a book and perhaps a refreshing beverage of your own design. ;-) You could try timing your arrival to match the cart but there's usually already a line forming by the time they show up. It's reminiscent of the throngs around Shake Shack, which were enough to keep me from going all last year. But the cart guys are much faster.

The line, incidentally, can stretch quite a ways past the western edge of the deli. That's just the point where I decided to start timing.

[Eatmywords]

Just want to reiterate the night card is an entirely different experience from the day cart. The day being pretty standard chopped-up fatty "Hallal" dark meat chicken over rice, iceberg, couple anorexic slices of tomato and a generous squirt of mayo and/or hot sc. That's all (imo).

[mugsy]

]

Momofuku Ssam Bar on a cart it is not.

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for a minute i thought this would be the thread that didn't mention momfuku ssam bar.

[larrylee]

Just want to reiterate the night card is an entirely different experience from the day cart.  The day being pretty standard chopped-up fatty "Hallal" dark meat chicken over rice, iceberg, couple anorexic slices of tomato and a generous squirt of mayo and/or hot sc.  That's all (imo).

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Right, you have to show up around or after 7-8 PM. If you show up too early you'll get "whoever is there before the 'real' cart."

[larrylee]

for a minute i thought this would be the thread that didn't mention momfuku ssam bar.

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I hear David Chang is going to start up Momofuku Ssam Cart. There will be waiters giving air kisses and there'll also be strippers who'll feed you. He's going to set up at the car wash across the street from Daisy May's. I can't wait!

[Sneakeater]

Just want to reiterate the night card is an entirely different experience from the day cart.  The day being pretty standard chopped-up fatty "Hallal" dark meat chicken over rice, iceberg, couple anorexic slices of tomato and a generous squirt of mayo and/or hot sc.  That's all (imo).

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Sounding more like Momo-Ssam every minute.

[Sneakeater]

for a minute i thought this would be the thread that didn't mention momfuku ssam bar.

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I think the "Rochester NY" thread . . . .

[mugsy]

for a minute i thought this would be the thread that didn't mention momfuku ssam bar.

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I think the "Rochester NY" thread . . . .

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no david chang's cooking at wegmans.

[luismi]

maybe this should be an eGullet gathering for spring.

[weinoo]

If we could get everyone that's waiting at Ssam Bar to go to the cart...

[larrylee]

maybe this should be an eGullet gathering for spring.

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It's definitely informative to do a cart tasting along Sixth Ave. During lunch, hit up Trini-Pak (chicken and basmati), Kwik-Meal (lamb and rice), and Any Random Cart. And perhaps Moishe's Falafel. Then wait for the sun to go down and go to Best Halal.

If you're more ambitious you can start at Rafiqi's near 1 Park Ave and work your way up/over. That should cover a majority of the most talked-about Halal carts in/around midtown (except Moishe's).

[luismi]

maybe this should be an eGullet gathering for spring.

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It's definitely informative to do a cart tasting along Sixth Ave. During lunch, hit up Trini-Pak (chicken and basmati), Kwik-Meal (lamb and rice), and Any Random Cart. And perhaps Moishe's Falafel. Then wait for the sun to go down and go to Best Halal.

If you're more ambitious you can start at Rafiqi's near 1 Park Ave and work your way up/over. That should cover a majority of the most talked-about Halal carts in/around midtown (except Moishe's).

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Larry, that sounds great, can you provide exact locations for:

Trini-Pak (chicken and basmati),

Kwik-Meal (lamb and rice), and

Moishe's Falafel

[larrylee]

Larry, that sounds great, can you provide exact locations for:

Trini-Pak (chicken and basmati),

Kwik-Meal (lamb and rice), and

Moishe's Falafel

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Trini-Pak: 43rd and 6th. southeast corner, about 50 feet from the corner. Next to a fruit cart, you'll find a plastic tarp around it during the winter. There's a whiteboard leaned up against the west side of the cart. There's no sign indicating that it's the Trini-Pack cart, but there's a man/woman team (husband/wife? I never asked) working it.

Kwik-Meal: 45th and 6th, southwest corner. This cart looks like few others... lots of glass, the guys work inside, green sign with "KWIK MEAL" emblazoned on it, lots of media coverage adorning the front.

Moishe's: 46th and 6th, currently the NE corner (there's a lot of scaffolding on the SE corner).

Ah-ha. As luck would have it, Midtown Lunch covers here along with a link to his review of Moishe's.

Speaking of Moishe's, I got a falafel pita the other day. The pita was enormous and pillowy. I have no idea how to judge it, but it seemed... strange. And to echo Midtown Lunch's observation, it was incredibly messy to eat. Kind of hard to run a meeting when eating one of those, let me tell you. The order of fries is LARGE, enough for two or more.

Oh, this should probably be its own thread, but on your way from Rafiqi's to Trini-Pak, stop by Olympic Pita on 38th between 5th and 6th, south side, closer to 6th. The kebabs are grilled to order (they recommend the lamb medium-rare, I think). The platter is expensive, weighing in around $14, but it's enough for two. You get a main, two hot sides, a round of laffa bread (think "pita" but insanely better, grilled in an oven in the front of the restaurant), and a plastic container into which you can stuff all kinds of pickled vegetables and some really tasty roasted eggplant. Be sure to get a little container of their hot sauce, with which its red pepper taste is strangely reminiscent of Korean dae da gi. I feel like I've written this before, just can't remember where...

The place gets packed like mad during the lunch rush, so take your food over to Bryant Park. But hoof it before the laffa gets cold!

[larrylee]

Two clarifications.

1) The pita at Moishe's is what struck me as strange.

2) At Olympic Pita, if you're going to share then get the platter to go (and then go to Bryant Park, etc etc). They don't seem to like it when you try to share a platter when dining in.

I haven't gotten the sandwiches yet, but the laffa sandwiches are only a dollar more than the pita. If you're going to spend $9-10 on a sandwich, I can't imagine skimping one dollar get the unremarkable pita over the laffa.

Edited March 12, 2007 by larrylee (log)

[plattetude]

I'll add my two cents about Kwik Meal. I recently changed jobs and now work at 45th and 6th, and that cart was one of my early finds for lunch. Really fantastic, IMHO. The lamb is well seasoned, a hint of heat, great rice, and a serviceable salad. The falafel is also quite good. Haven't yet tried the chicken or shrimp (or the highly incongruous pastrami), but overall very impressive for a cart. It's run by Muhammed Rahman, who formerly was chef at the Russian Tea Room.

There's a spinoff cart, Kwik Meal II, that's around 45th and 5th (or somewhere around there -- I know I saw it recently but don't remember precisely where).

Christopher