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1. Eleven Madison Park Hotdog Cart
Hinckley, Ohio, has its buzzards; San Juan Capistrano
its swallows; and here in Madison Square Park, we have Danny Meyer’s
hot-dog cart, a sure sign that spring has arrived, however late.
Now through September 30, you can feast on its tasty though geographically
challenged Chicago-style dogs, chocolate-truffle cookies, and lemon-verbena
ade. One hundred percent of the profits go toward the park’s upkeep.
• Madison Square Park; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.
2. Govinda
When Govinda’s downtown street cart was displaced on September
11, Manhattan vegetarians lost a cheap, cherished lunch spot. But
owner Jerry Abrams has reemerged in midtown with the lentil-packed
veggie burgers and sprightly carrot-lemon sauce that made him famous.
Abrams’s healthy, satisfying fare reflects the culinary course he’s
followed since living in Brooklyn’s Hare Krishna temple as a teenager:
Breakfast means oatmeal or whole-grain pancakes and fruit, and at
lunch, $5 buys a daily changing medley of sautéed vegetables, brown
rice, pasta or potatoes, and a variation on the tofu-and-faux-meat
theme.
• Park Avenue and 52nd Street, northeast corner 212-599-5045;
7a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays
3. Hallo Berlin
If you must lunch on a hot dog, at least do it in style.
The sausages here—knockwurst, bratwurst, weisswurst, and currywurst,
to name just a few—come with cabbage, onions, and the awesome house
mustard on a crusty roll.
• Fifth Avenue and 54th Street; 212-541-6248.
4. The Mudtruck
With a Starbucks at each end of Astor Place, what's
a coffee lover to do? Head for the bright-orange van outside the
6-train station for a mild but rich shot of espresso ($1.50) and
a pain au chocolat ($2.25). No Frappuccinos—and we love them for
it.
• Fourth Avenue at 8th Street; 212-529-8766; themudtruck.com.
4. NY Dosas
Thiru Kumar spent three years navigating the city
bureaucracy, filling out reams of paperwork, and custom-building
a cart to his exacting specifications before he finally opened NY
Dosas, the vegetarian, chili-spiked alternative to stale pretzels
and waterlogged Sabrett's. As chef at Flushing's Dosa Hutt, the
Sri Lankan-born Kumar mastered the art of cooking dosas, idly, and
uthappam, the South Indian crêpes and pancakes made from fermented
rice and lentil flours and served with coconut chutney and incendiary
sambal. Now he spends his mornings in a Queens kitchen preparing
the batters and chopping vegetables before claiming his hard-won
turf on the south side of Washington Square Park, near the intersection
of Sullivan and West 4th Streets. Everything is cooked to order
and takes time, but with 24-hour notice, Kumar (reachable at 917-710-2092)
can accommodate large groups of ravenous vegetarians craving his
ten kinds of dosas, Singapore fried vegetable noodles, or a single
can of guava juice. And nothing costs more than $5.
• South side of Washington Square Park, n ear the intersection
of Sullivan and West 4th Streets
5. Ruben's Empanadas
Four carts dispensing half-moons of pastry filled
with everything from spinach to Argentine sausage ($3.25). Don't
miss the fresh, garlicky gazpacho ($3.25).
• Broadway and 39th Street; Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street;
Liberty and William Streets; Water and Wall Streets; 212-334-3351.
6. SheepMeadow Cafe
Shakespeare and SummerStage are two excellent reasons
to hang out in Central Park after dark, and the new SheepMeadow
Cafe, opening this week on the northern fringe of that lush lawn,
is another. Concessionaire Peter Aschkenasy, a veteran of Lüchow’s
and Gage & Tollner, tackles a different sort of urban landmark,
this time armed with a charcoal-fired barbecue and a supply of seasonal
Greenmarket produce. During the day, he sells hot dogs and tuna
sandwiches at the relandscaped snack bar; after five, he grills
sirloin steak, swordfish, and rainbow trout (and pours beer and
wine) at the new 100-seat café out back, where he’s also serving
weekend brunch.
• Enter at Central Park West and 69th Street; 212-396-4100.
7. Sun Dou Dumpling Shop
A real lunch for a buck. Do you hear us? One dollar.
Grab two hot pork buns (50 cents) on a cold day, and watch them
steam as you gobble them right there.
• 214–216 Grand Street; 212-965-9663.
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