I don’t eat in midtown often, but when I do, I do it right, or at least I find the right guide. Ok, I just tagged along. You may all already know that our beloved Zach Brooks, of Midtown Lunch, is moving to Los Angeles.  He set out to make the most of midtown lunches this week and I was just fortunate enough to be part of his Tuesday run. Wait, it gets even better. I got to eat with Mamacita (the happy hour correspondent of Midtown Lunch) and Robert Siestema (Village Voice), with a pop-in appearance by Danny (of Food in Mouth and future Midtown Lunch correspondent). I LOVE food people, people who don’t look at me funny when I want to order more, people who share food, people who are talking about more food as they eat.

Jessica and Zach

So, first stop Biryani Cart 46th Sreet and 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10036, winners of the 2008 and 2009 People’s Taste Award (Vendy Awards). They started with biryani, but now they’re kati rolls seem more popular.

Biryani Cart

Zach’s favorite is the sweet chili chicken and we had the spicy chicken too. Two rolls, mix and match as you please, is just $6. Both were great, particularly the wrap, which is almost scallion pancake without the scallion. It’s got the soft layers between crisped outer layers, just the right amount of grease, and the insides had two distinctly different flavors. You can even taste the chicken, the sauce being under control, and I’d travel for these kati rolls.

Sweet Chili Chicken and Spicy Chicken

The next stop was The Kati Roll Company 49 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018, which means it’s too hard not to compare the two. There’s Robert, who wants to remain anonymous, but now you can tell he’s really tall.

Kati Roll and Robert Sietsema

We had a chicken roll, a Shami Kabab Roll (mutton), and a Achari Paneer Roll. I felt like these fillings were less seasoned and none really stood out in flavor. OK, the paneer was extra soft but still needed some more salt. None were bad, but the single layer flatbread is like a thick tortilla, which doesn’t have the same appeal as the multi-layered competition. Plus, these are roughly 65% more expensive.

Chicken, Mutton, and Paneer Kati Rolls

Food is great. It’s what my life is all about, but the right company makes it even better, elevating the whole experience. I think I feed off the enjoyment of others. That sounds bad, but it shouldn’t, because I hope it’s reciprocal. I hope to eat with you all again.

posted by jessica at 12:24 AM Filed under Asian, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.