Photo by myself, around 35th Street and Broadway, in Midtown.
Ah yes. You can get Mighty Balls. To eat.
Now through August 1st, shoppers and visitors near Herald Square can nosh on delicious little dishes representing all sorts of cuisines, and take a break from all that tiring shopping. Lol.
During a quick little tour, I spotted street noodles from Hong Kong, tacos, high end cannolis, gelato, and of course, mighty little meatballs with esoteric sauces. Foodies should skip the shopping altogether and just snack, for goodness sake.
The whole thing is arranged by a group called Broadway Bites. They take a break around Labor day and there is another installment for most of November.
For the Broadway Bites site, including photos and scrumptious vendor list, click here.
Not easy to choose from all the deliciousness.
Related posts: Street Meats, on Seventh Avenue, The Best Hot Dogs, in Times Square, and On Line for Breakfast, in Midtown.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Mighty Balls, at Broadway Bites, in Midtown
Friday, January 3, 2014
First Snow, in Times Square
Photo by myself at 42nd Street and Broadway, in Times Square.
The snow started coming down Thursday night, our first snow of the year. The forecast predicts the snow will continue all night long. We may get as much as 20 inches of the white stuff (!).
In Times Square, people kept looking up, as if it were still raining New Year's confetti. The air was very chilly and all the light snow was swirling around.
Related posts: All Lit Up, on Fifth Avenue, Burning Bright, in Times Square, and The Ghostly Glow of Times Square.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Kebab Cart, in Midtown
Photo by myself, somewhere in Midtown.
A street cart vendor added charcoal to his continuous fire, Friday night, causing a moment of excess smoke. The sidewalks were crowded, and it was just warm enough to walk around comfortably with a light jacket.
This cart sells pretzels, kebabs, hotdogs and drinks. The meats are 'halal', which means they can be eaten by Muslims. There is no shortage of quick on-the-go food in our fair city.
Related posts: On the Soup Station, and Snow, Pizza Truck, Only a Buck, and On Line for Breakfast, in Midtown.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Making Change, on Fifth Avenue
Photo by myself at 50th Street and Fifth Avenue.
I wish I could say this fellow was presenting me with money, but alas, it was not the case. He was making change for a customer, out of frame.
There are loads of visitors right now in the city, and street food carts on the sidewalks at all hours. This cart sold large pretzels, hot dogs and drinks. In the wintertime, many carts also sell hot chestnuts.
Related posts: All Lit Up on Fifth Avenue, Street Meats on Seventh Avenue, and Pizza Truck, Only a Buck.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Mighty Balls, at Mad. Sq. Eats
Photo by myself, around 24th Street and Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District.
Happily reunited with my Leica, I took a short walk to the Flatiron area.
Mad. Sq. Eats is shorthand for 'outside eateries near Madison Square Park'. People were outside sampling street food and enjoying the gorgeous Spring weather.
Some thirty stalls offer foods, drinks and desserts. Friday evening, people waited in line for oven-fired gourmet pizza, cannolis, chocolates, bbq, ice cream...the works.
Strangely, there were several people walking around carrying watermelon drinks...in watermelons. Whatever was in the drink must have been excellent because the drink-ers had big grins on their faces.
Mad. Sq. Eats is only open for the month of May.
For more information about Mad. Sq. Eats, click here.
Related posts: Mad. Sq. Eats, in the Flatiron District, Serving it up from the Back of a Truck, and Pizza Pizza. Read more...
Friday, December 14, 2012
All Lit Up, on Fifth Avenue
Photo by myself, somewhere on Fifth Avenue.
On a chilly winter night, a brightly lit hot dog stand is a welcome sight.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Related posts: Streetside, in Midtown, On Street Carts and Bill Cunningham, New york, and Street Meats, on Seventh Avenue.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Street Food, in Herald Square
Photo by myself, in Herald Square.
Street carts are always in season, but especially so when the weather turns colder. Their bright and sometimes flashing lights announce their warm goodies.
Carts serve up drinks, roasted skewed meats, chestnuts, pretzels and of course, hot dogs with all the fixings.
Related posts: Sampling Street Food, on Fifth Avenue, Get Your Street Sweets Here, and The Meal O'bama Cart, in Midtown.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
A Farewell to Fukuoka, Japan and Ichiran Ramen
Photo by myself in Fukuoka, Japan.
A night view at one of the many yatai along the canals in Fukuoka, Japan.
Fukuoka is a canal city and is much smaller in scale than Tokyo. 'Yatai' are the street carts parked along the main canals in Fukuoka, at night. They serve up satay, ramen and beer. During the day, the cooks rest and the yatai are packed up and parked away.
My fiance Mark and I are leaving Fukuoka on Wednesday, traveling to Kyoto, a historic city about 3 hours away. This was our second visit to Fukuoka and I am absolutely saddened to leave.
There is a vibrant street culture here that is precious. People are friendly and very polite when approached (in general, the Japanese keep to themselves). We have enjoyed walking about and getting to know this city.
Bright lights and lanterns make each yatai dinner festive. The canal is to the right, out of frame.
One of the vendors pulls his cart to a parking space. It is hot and humid, day and night. The canal is visible to the left.
One of our favorite discoveries has been Ichiran noodles. Ichiran is a chain of restaurants throughout Japan.
Eating Ichiran noodles means sitting at a bar with blinders to either side, so you are focused on your food experience. The main attraction is tonkatsu ramen, a traditional ramen in a broth made from stewing pork bones for hours.
You order your food via vending machine, as with many Japanese restaurants. Then you customize your order with a checklist - firm noodles or soft, with hot sauce or without, with pork meat or not.
Then you place your order by pressing a button. A waiter/waitress rolls up the screen and takes your order. You can only see a bit of their torso. After a few minutes, presto, your ramen is delivered in a clay pot, and the screen is rolled down.
A photo from my Ichiran booth. I can see into the alley where the waiters work, through to the booth opposite me. The call button is ahead of me, my customized checklist is to the right.
A photo of my Ichiran booth. Each booth has its own water dispenser, glasses, soup ladles and wall of instructions.
Your noodle soup comes in a clay container with a lid. Condiments such as scallions, hot sauce, pork and garlic are custom-calibrated. Absolutely delicious. This was lunch. Dinner looked very similar!
Each ramen costs about $10 US. You can add full or half-servings of noodles to your broth as well. I was so in love with this place, I went once for lunch and again for dinner!!!
Mark and I are delighted to learn that there will be an Ichiran opening in New York, though we're not sure when. I'm also doubtful how well these booths will hold up in New York, where younger kids tend to litter everything with graffiti.
For more about Ichiran, see their website (in English) here.
I am away in Japan through the rest of August! Posts will continue here, as usual.
Related posts: On Night Life in Fukuoka, Japan, A Trip to the Countryside, in Yufuin, Japan, and Highlights from Japan, Part One.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
On Street Carts and Bill Cunningham New York
Photo by myself on Sixth Avenue around 32nd Street, in Midtown.
There are so many street carts out on the sidewalks right now, one doesn't need to find a restaurant for dinner.
I was shooting a cart vendor who was framed in light. We happened to look up at each other at the same moment, just after a woman passed by.
Bill Cunningham New York is a documentary about Bill Cunningham, a street fashion photographer for the New York Times. His 'On the Street' feature is firmly established in the Style section, showing New Yorkers grouped according to fashion theme. It might be denim or slingback heels or cut-offs, whatever happens to be the fashion zeitgeist on the streets or on the runways.
Cunningham himself is a colorful character. He has almost no belongings, save his photo negatives, which are kept in dozens of file drawers. He often works for free. He wears the same blue jacket all the time. He lived in a tiny, tiny artist studio above Carnegie Hall for years.
The documentary shows him in his 60s through to his 80s (he's 82 this year!). To watch him biking around the city and spryly taking photos of passersby on the sidewalks wearing a big toothy grin is absolutely inspiring. He is obviously in love with looking at what people are wearing and taking photos.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you're interested in fashion and New York and photography, you will enjoy it.
To learn more about the documentary and watch it online, click here.
Related posts: Off-Kilter, on 18th Street, Faces in Fashion, in Bryant Park, and Fashionista Not. Read more...
Friday, August 3, 2012
Street Meats, on Seventh Avenue
Photo by myself on 42nd Street and Broadway.
The street carts are always great photo opportunities, with the lights, scrolling LED signs and steam. This cart was selling grilled meats on skewers, pretzels and drinks.
We've been having steamy, uncomfy weather here in New York. It's this time of year when you realize how unnatural it is to go underground (to ride the subway) when it's so darned hot.
Of course, all eyes are turned toward London, at the Olympics. The latest updates are broadcast in the elevator cabs of our office building.
TGIF everyone!
Related posts: Pork is the Answer, on the Lower East Side, Outside Zucco, on the Lower East Side, and A Glimpse into the Orchard Corset Center, on the Lower East Side.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Streetside, in Midtown
Photo by myself around 35th Street and Broadway, in Midtown.
Ah yes, another street food cart.
Various carts can be found on just about every street corner. There are street carts serving up cooked meat, hot dogs, pastries and drinks. The fancier trucks sell special foods, like crepes or gourmet cupcakes.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Related posts: Under the Lights at 54th and Fifth, On the Soup Station and Snow, and Serving it up from the Back of a Truck.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sampling Street Food on Fifth Avenue
Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue in Midtown.
It's that time of year again, when street vendors are selling chestnuts and other hot snacks under bright lights.
On Fifth Avenue, between 59th and 35th Streets, the vendors are especially festive around the holiday months. The street is lined with fancy stores there, and many visitors are there to shop or just look around.
Above 59th Street, Fifth Avenue is residential. Street vendors are not permitted. If you're in that area looking for your morning coffee, you are out of luck.
On a recent cab ride down Fifth Avenue recently, coworkers and I noticed that the vibe of the street has changed.
The stores along Fifth Avenue were of the more ritzy variety for the longest time. The Henri Bendel, Bergdorf, Saks, Cartier, Armani and Tiffany stores are located there.
In the last couple of years, a number of new flagship stores have moved in. Huge stores for H&M, Uniqlo, Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch now draw a younger crowd.
I suppose this is not a bad thing, it's more inclusive for all. It feels less like an outdoor high end shopping mall than a regularly-priced one.
Related posts: The Markets in Union Square, Christmas Windows to Warm the Heart, and Under the Lights, at 54th and 5th. Read more...
Friday, November 25, 2011
Eat Here Now, Now Eat Here, in the West Village
Photo by myself around Jane and Greenwich Streets, in the West Village.
Talk about subliminal advertising.
Mark and I had just been fantasizing about opening a food truck serving hot chocolate. Lo and behold, we encountered one on our walk last weekend in the West Village.
This truck also served breakfast burritos, enchiladas and grass-fed beef burgers. Yup. The hot chocolates were going for $3 a cup.
I will try to put this blog on a diet and post about non-food-related things for a bit. We'll see how long that lasts!
Related posts: Eating on the Cheap, Restaurant Week, On the Mud Truck and Hotel Grammercy Park, and Hot Off the Grille, in the East Village.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Mad. Sq. Eats, in the Flatiron District
Photo by myself near Madison Square Park, at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue.
From now until October 21st, you can get your food on at Mad. Sq. Eats.
Twenty-some food vendors have stalls on the triangle of space outside Madison Square Park. You can get lobster, fresh made pizza, crepes, noodles and baked goods. The stalls are open between 11am and 9pm, daily.
For a list of participating vendors on the Mad. Sq. Park website, click here.
Related posts: Waiting for Dogs in Madison Square Park, City Portrait - BBQ Block Party, in Madison Square Park and Going Mad, at Mad. Sq. Mark't.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Best Hot Dogs, in Times Square
Photo by myself in Times Square.
A vendor offered 'The Best Hot Dogs' in Times Square.
As you can see in the background, there is tons of different types of traffic going on, from buses to cars to motorcycles. With that and all the moving signage, this area is the place of distraction.
This photo was taken on Thursday. Friday we had insane humidity and thundershowers. Walking through the streets was like being in a steam bath.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Related posts: Passing the Time in Times Square, Tete a Tete, in Times Square and Looking Up, at Times Square.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Pizza Truck, Only a Buck
Photo by myself along Union Square West.
New Yorkers have a love affair with their pizza.
The pizza served by this truck must be good, since the truck is covered with graffiti. A sign on the truck says 'If you like our pizza, sign our truck'.
I'm sure the price tag (a dollar a slice) makes this pizza taste even better. To make it easy, they make only one flavor of pizza, which is made right on the truck.
To check where the truck plans to be every day, you can tune into Twitter (pizzatrucknyc) or check out their website, here.
I'm out in Los Angeles until Tuesday. Posts will continue here as usual.
Related posts: Pizza, Pizza, Greetings from a New York Pie, in Midtown and Food, Glorious Food.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Queuing for Ice Cream, in the Cold
Photo by myself at 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue, in the Flatiron District.
Sure, even in the cold weather, the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream truck has business. Their clientele was dressed head to toe in knits in the chilly Spring weather.
The Van Leeuwen truck is parked daily around 22nd Street and 6th Avenue. Here, it was a couple blocks away at 23rd and Fifth. In addition to 'artisanal' ice cream, they serve coffee, espresso and pastries.
Artisanal ice cream means no preservatives and no artificial emulsifiers. The creamy and rich ice cream is also served in containers made from recycled materials. A portion of the proceeds are also donated toward wildlife preservation.
I have yet to sample their goods, which must be delicious. For more about the Van Leeuwen company, visit their pretty website here.
Related posts: The Latest Scoop, Italian Ice, East Village and I Scream, You Scream.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
'Tis the Season for Roasted Chestnuts
Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, in Midtown
Some food vendors serve up roasted chestnuts during holiday time.
The New York Daily News wrote recently that few food vendors in New York offer roasted chestnuts. I hope this does not become a tradition of the past.
The vendors that do serve chestnuts are mostly located along Fifth Avenue between 65th and 42nd Streets, that is, in areas highly trafficked by tourists.
Related posts: On the Soup Station and Snow, Street Eats, Midtown and Get Your Street Sweets Here.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
On Broadway, in SoHo
Photo by myself on Broadway at Prince Street in SoHo.
And just like that, we've gone from sunny, mid-50 degree days to chilly November, where temperatures have fallen to the mid-30s at night. Brrrrrr.
Little street food carts, with their lightbulbs shining, provide an image of warmth on the sidewalk. I journeyed Uniqlo in SoHo Monday night, where their entire stock of womens black stockings is sold out.
You can get footless stockings, assorted leggings (also footless), regular socks, knee-highs, sweaters, tee shirts, puffy coats etc., but not one black stocking, perhaps the most important item in a female New Yorker's wardrobe. Their tights, solid and patterned, are well priced, at $4.90 a pair.
Related posts: Serving it up from the Back of a Truck, On Line for Cream Cakes, Outside and Look Who's Lighting up Broadway.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Cupcakes on Wheels, in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Photo by myself around 7th Avenue and 10th Street, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Ah, who doesn't love a cupcake?
The Cupcakestop Truck is seen regularly in Park Slope, as well as Midtown, SoHo and the Upper East Side. They have a brick and mortar shop at 20th Street and Sixth Avenue, and a Twitter feed announcing truck locations in case your hankering needs a quick fix.
Cupcakes come in some 80 flavors, ranging from old-fashioned to gourmet. Enjoy Coconut Cream (coconut cake with cream cheese frosting), S'mores (devil's food cake with chocolate fudge frosting, marshmellow and a graham cracker) or Tiramisu (sponge cake dipped in espresso with sweet cream cheese frosting). Mmmmm...
The business was started in 2009 by a law school student, and has already been featured on the Food Network on cable television. The bakers are graduates of the French Culinary Institute.
My fiance Mark (not pictured above) tried the Oreo Cookie Swirl and Red Velvet, and gives them an enthusiastic two thumbs up. His review:
'Pretty good. Delicious, actually. They densen up when put in the fridge.'
(By 'densen', Mark means that the frosting and cake become more dense).
Order on their online store to receive cupcakes anywhere in the world. Check out their cute website here.
Read a very recent article about the Cupcake Truck in the Times, here.
Related posts: In Line for Street Food, Outside, Dirty Water Dogs, Midtown and The Latest Scoop.
