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Chicken and rice, 56th and 3rd - Theater District It’s the stuff of legends. They said this Halal Cart was the best, and that all others didn’t compare. They said their chicken and rice was the best thing to happen to the drunchies since a Denny’s grand slam. They said the line wraps around the block at 4 am, but it’s worth it. There are over ONE THOUSAND reviews on Yelp. I even had a cousin tell me to “Go eat at Halal” the first time I came to New York years ago, much to my confusion, as I quickly realized there was no one place named as such, though I’m sure now that it was this particular cart they were referring to. It’s one of those things that either only the locals know about, or the tourists THINK only the locals know about, when tourists are trying to act like locals. (More likely the latter.) I’ve been hearing about it for years. How could I not partake? I was a mixture of excited and apprehensive when Angel took us there. The thought of finally experiencing it was thrilling, and I was hungry, but I had my doubts about it living up to the hype. How could a tin container of griddle-cooked chicken and rice be THAT amazing? We went at around 10 PM and stood in a line which, I was told, is nowhere near how long it can get. Still, it was a good 20 minutes until we reached food. It began to rain lightly, so instead of sitting on a bench, we took our containers - two for three people - right up next to an office building where we could be covered, and sat on the ground like hobos. We dug in to our plate of mess - and it was an explosion of flavor. The chopped chicken meat was tasty, as was the rice. Smothering the whole thing was a white sauce that I can only describe as “magic” and a brown sauce that I can only describe as “love.” The hot sauce is like liquid fire, but added conservatively, takes this dish to a whole other level. It comes with a side of shredded lettuce - a refreshing buffer to the heavy grease and starch - and pita bread to sop up any stray flavor. Suffice it to say that it lived up to the hype. And I wasn’t even drunk! Only deliriously happy from having just seen the phenomenal “In The Heights” on Broadway at lottery price. This concoction prolonged my euphoria for the evening. At $6.00 per heaping plate, what is normally a drunkard’s chow of choice was our perfect cheap alternative to an after theater dinner. Now as far as it being THE best chicken and rice in the city, I once again lack the experience to comment. (I intend this to change over time :)) It is phenomenal what the power if hype can do. I am told that the cart on the same block is owned by the same people, and that they make food at both carts, then rush it over to the famous one. Which would mean people could avoid long lines and get the same food. But they’re too deluded by the hype to know better. I will say that the only other chicken and rice I’ve had in the city, at a stand in Tribeca, was pretty delicious, and almost just as good. And there was no line. I’ll leave you with that food for thought.

Chicken and rice, 56th and 3rd - Theater District

It’s the stuff of legends. They said this Halal Cart was the best, and that all others didn’t compare. They said their chicken and rice was the best thing to happen to the drunchies since a Denny’s grand slam. They said the line wraps around the block at 4 am, but it’s worth it. There are over ONE THOUSAND reviews on Yelp. I even had a cousin tell me to “Go eat at Halal” the first time I came to New York years ago, much to my confusion, as I quickly realized there was no one place named as such, though I’m sure now that it was this particular cart they were referring to. It’s one of those things that either only the locals know about, or the tourists THINK only the locals know about, when tourists are trying to act like locals. (More likely the latter.) I’ve been hearing about it for years. How could I not partake?

I was a mixture of excited and apprehensive when Angel took us there. The thought of finally experiencing it was thrilling, and I was hungry, but I had my doubts about it living up to the hype. How could a tin container of griddle-cooked chicken and rice be THAT amazing?

We went at around 10 PM and stood in a line which, I was told, is nowhere near how long it can get. Still, it was a good 20 minutes until we reached food. It began to rain lightly, so instead of sitting on a bench, we took our containers - two for three people - right up next to an office building where we could be covered, and sat on the ground like hobos.

We dug in to our plate of mess - and it was an explosion of flavor. The chopped chicken meat was tasty, as was the rice. Smothering the whole thing was a white sauce that I can only describe as “magic” and a brown sauce that I can only describe as “love.” The hot sauce is like liquid fire, but added conservatively, takes this dish to a whole other level. It comes with a side of shredded lettuce - a refreshing buffer to the heavy grease and starch - and pita bread to sop up any stray flavor.

Suffice it to say that it lived up to the hype. And I wasn’t even drunk! Only deliriously happy from having just seen the phenomenal “In The Heights” on Broadway at lottery price. This concoction prolonged my euphoria for the evening. At $6.00 per heaping plate, what is normally a drunkard’s chow of choice was our perfect cheap alternative to an after theater dinner.

Now as far as it being THE best chicken and rice in the city, I once again lack the experience to comment. (I intend this to change over time :)) It is phenomenal what the power if hype can do. I am told that the cart on the same block is owned by the same people, and that they make food at both carts, then rush it over to the famous one. Which would mean people could avoid long lines and get the same food. But they’re too deluded by the hype to know better.

I will say that the only other chicken and rice I’ve had in the city, at a stand in Tribeca, was pretty delicious, and almost just as good. And there was no line. I’ll leave you with that food for thought.

Chinatown Snackin’ - Flushing, Queens

Jill and I took a sketchy Chinatown shuttle (“As long as you have someone to go with, it’s not sketchy”) just to play some casual badminton. It was my first time in the area. Little did I know I was in for a real food treat.

We got dropped off right in front of a window where a man was happily hacking away at a glistening roast duck. Komail, who we were also meeting up with, was still on his way, so since we had a couple minutes to kill, we thought: why not? Why not indulge in some fatty, non-meal snacks before engaging in an intense cardio workout? Right? In any case, after I learned it was only a dollar for two pieces, there was no turning back.

Peking duck is like a little soft taco of duck skin (with a bit of meat hanging on for dear life), scallions, and hoisin or plum sauce on a steamed pancake. These pancakes were thicker than I was used to, but I enjoyed their fluffy, chewiness. I devoured them in about 30 seconds. It opened up a window of hunger.

Right next door was a window where a guy was serving fish balls on a stick, simmering in a red hot liquid. For only a dollar. Next thing I knew, we were chomping away at those.

So the badminton games were a success, I was spent, and STARVING afterwards. Got a couple more orders of peking duck, a few to go, a few fish ball skewers to go, and an over-flowing container of fried noodles (FOR ONLY A DOLLAR) to go. I wasn’t about to go home empty handed.

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