Gold Street Halal

"Gold Street Halal"

Location: Corner of Gold Street and Maiden Lane in front of Sovereign Bank branch.

Date: Friday, July 16, 2010 at 11:45am

Cuisine: Middle Eastern and American

Grub: Chicken over rice with side salad = $5 (Rabia tossed in a falafel ball and a few fries too)

Review: This nondescript silver cart with a Sabrett's hotdog umbrella on top is what a halal cart should be. Marinated chicken, freshly cooked, not greasy. Rabia, the cook, is a young guy who barely speaks English, but seemed to have no communication problem with the Asian postman hanging out with him. Rabia's pre-cooked chicken is piled high in big pieces on the side. He chops it up into bite-sized pieces when you order and warms up the rice on the grill too, adding some seasonings, sauces and a bit of vegetable. Rabia has a light hand with the yogurt and spicy sauce, letting the chicken flavors come through. HD preferred Rabia's chicken and rice to the plain chicken and vegetables I had made her. My only criticism is the uneven quality of the chicken. Some pieces were perfect white meat, but others had a bit of gristle/cartilage. The falafel was dry and flavorless. Fries don't travel well, but HD wolfed them down. Salad is basic iceberg and tomato, but fresh and crispy.

Rating: I'd return the day after tomorrow. 3 out of 4 pita.

Xpress Power Lunch

"Xpress Power Lunch"

Cuisine: Halal truck (indeterminate Middle Eastern/South Asian style)

Location: Corner of Wall and Pearl, across the street from the BMW dealer

Date: Monday April 5, 2010

Grub: Chicken Salad $4 (orange-colored marinated seasoned chicken on top of iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots and tomatoes. White and red sauces squirted on top)

Diners: There was a line of eight male office workers at lunch time on this perfect Spring day. Half were of Indian and Middle Eastern backgrounds.

Speed: Very fast. Food is precooked. No waiting.

Review: Cheap, edible, fast. I believe this cart is one of a chain around Manhattan, but nothing to rave about. Chicken quality is okay with more dark meat than white. At least there wasn't any gross skin or cartilage. Food isn't piping hot. Generic spices. But I was hungry enough to wolf down half of it right away at my home office desk. I gave the remaining half to my sitter, who also gobbled it up. She thought it was spicy.