Chicken and Rice Follow-Up

You may recall that back in the spring I wrote about a trip to get food at 53rd Street and 6th Avenue, New York's most famous corner for chicken and rice. Because my friend and I didn't want to wait too long, we ordered food from the cart on the southeast corner of the intersection that is, I was informed, functionally identical to the more well-known cart on the southwest corner of the intersection that gets ridiculously long lines. You may also recall that I wasn't particularly impressed by the food we ate, and resolved to return and try the food at the more well-known cart at some point when the line wasn't so long.

As luck would have it, I had an opportunity to do so last night. I spent the better part of the evening on the roof deck at Ava Lounge on 55th (good drinks, gorgeous view, prices to match) celebrating a friend's birthday, without having had dinner beforehand, and afterward found myself right near the chicken and rice carts and needing food. And, even better, the famous cart was just setting up for business for the night and there wasn't any line at all. Ordered my chicken and rice, paid my $6, took my white sauce and my hot sauce, and sat down on a bench nearby to dig in while it was fresh.

And... meh. The food was the same as last time, and I still don't see the appeal. Granted, there's a lot of food for $6 and I always approve of a good value, and the hot sauce was just as hot as I remembered. But honestly, the chicken was bland, as was the rice. I couldn't say for sure since I don't spend a whole lot of time in Midtown, but I'd be inclined to guess that there's better food to be had at other carts right there in the immediate area; the food at the good ole Frito-Lay truck (since re-named "Gyro House", despite the fact that it does not reside in anything resembling a house) is certainly better. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad or anything, and if someone handed me a free chicken and rice platter I wouldn't turn it down, but I'm certainly not going to spend an hour waiting for it anytime soon.