Street Meat: Biryani Cart

Another 2009 Vendy Award finalist and winner of the People's choice Vendy Award in 2008, Biryani Cart was definitely on my list for street vendors to try. Located on 46th and 6th, it's surrounded by a lot of competition in the immediate area (Jamiacan Dutchy, 53rd and 6th Halal, Kim's Aunt, etc). I went just after lunch and there was basically no line so no trouble getting my food.

My lunch that day was their Kati Rolls. They're made in 4 different styles, each one available with chicken or lamb and wrapped in chapati, an Indian bread that is chewy and and crisp at the same time. I sampled the King Koti Roll - a spicy chicken tikka marinated in yogurt and spices, and the Channai roll - a sweet and tangy roll made with a spicy Thai style chili sauce. You can get any two rolls for $6, which is a pretty good deal. While I must say that they were quite good, I'm not sure if it has won me over to being a repeat visitor. I still think I would choose Halal food over a Kati roll, but I guess that depends on my mood. In any case, you won't be disappointed if you decide to drop by.

Street Meat: Halal Food at 53rd & 6th

Probably the current most popular New York street food vendors at the moment, Halal food carts can be found all over the city. The most famous of which can be found on the corner of 53rd St and 6th Ave across from the Hilton and is aptly named 53rd and 6th. The cart is open from 7:30 - 4:00 AM each day, but there is an unaffiliated vendor (pictured below) there that is there during the day that is quite good as well. Every night the line for 53rd and 6th can easily stretch to over 20 people. In terms of food choices, I always get lamb over rice - lamb meat with lettuce and tomato over yellow rice generously covered in "white sauce".

Baoguette

Since my class schedule is primarily at night, I usually make it a point to grab some takeout on my way home for dinner. Last night, I was in the Cooper Union area since so I decided to pass by Baoguette Cafe, the sister restaurant to Michael Huynh's Baoguette in Murray Hill (pictured below), for some banh mi action. (For some reason, Baoguette Cafe and Baoguette have different websites, with the latter only listing the Murray location while the former listing both as well as a West Village location. Also, the Baoguette website allows for online orders, while the Cafe website doesn't. Very strange and confusing to say the least.)

I had the standard Baoguette (pictured above) - pork terrine, pate, pulled pork and fresh herbs all in a crisp baguette. As usual, it was extremely satisfying, a great mixture of savory, sweet, spicy and sour. You can't quite beat a mixture of three kinds of pork in a sandwich, especially for $5. I also had an order of Shrimp and Green Papaya Salad (pictured below). The papaya salad was basically the greens they had put in the Baoguette, but it was still light and refreshing as a compliment to my sandwich.

Fish dinner at Aquagrill in Soho

My girlfriend had a craving for some fish the other night, so we decided to try out Aquagrill. I had one of the specials of the night, Halibut with sun dried tomato gnocchi and a roasted garlic emulsion (pictured below). My girlfriend had the Miso-glazed Chilean sea bass with kimchi and wasabi-miso sauce (Pictured above). Both dishes were extremely flavorful but I would have to say that the sea bass was the winner, as the tartness of the kimchi balanced out the dish well.

Street Meat: The Jamaican Dutchy

I truly believe some of the best food you can get is on the street. Good street food should be satisfying (in way that you know is probably not good for you), but most of all it should be cheap.

I heard about The Jamaican Dutchy (corner of 51st and 7th ave) through its Vendy Award nomination this year and decided to give it a try. I got the Jerk Chicken Mini Meal (which I think is more than enough food for lunch) which cost $6.50. Although I think the plantain and rice that came with it wasn't that great, the chicken itself was extremely flavorful and spicy. More pictures below...

Alice's Tea Cup

Brunch is great thing and any excuse to have breakfast food at a meal other than breakfast is OK by me.

One of my favorite places in the city to have brunch is Alice's Tea Cup. The name and decor of the restaurant is inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland with Alice-inspired art and quotes lining the walls. Dishes and tea are served on what I would describe as "mismatched" china, but I feel this only adds to the restaurant's overall charm. With 3 locations in Manhattan, Alice's is best known for its lengthy tea list and freshly baked scones. Scone flavors rotate daily, but once you try their pumpkin scone (pictured above), you'll never order any other flavor. If you are in the mood for a serious meal, the brunch menu offers a tasty selection of breakfast goodies - eggs, crepes, pancakes and such. My personal favorite is Poached Eggs with Smoked Salmon on a Buttermilk Scone.

More pictures below...