Midtown Manhattan is taking a midday shower. I’ve been hopping trains all morning, dealing death blows to loose ends. In my right hand is an acoustic guitar. In my left is five dollars of the finest street food in New York City.

I was last confronted with the famed halal gyro cart of 53rd and 6th nearly one year ago. Satisfaction is nigh, but as I make my way through the layers of grilled chicken and rice before me, I notice that the white and red sauce drizzled over the top of the plate betrays the mystery of that fateful night. The chicken, while tender and savory, is surprisingly one-dimensional. The rice radiates an aura of pale yellow rather than the bright orange I remember. Even the aluminum plate looks different. Could it be that alcohol and second wind hunger had gotten the best of me?

I make my way back to Brooklyn, set my things down and begin research. After a few minutes on Chowhound I discover that I’m not the first bystander to gyro identity theft. I had big plans involving fresh mozzarella for dinner, but the city of New York has decided to initiate a duel. I will bear witness.

The sun and the moon shake hands. I return to Midtown. I don’t know whether to describe the object of my desire as justice or revenge. When the fine line of morality is drawn with red sauce, I suppose it’s all the same. When I approach the corner of 53rd, the line has already grown long. The aroma of pepper awakens my senses like a wailing winter wind.

The differences are palpable and palatable. The rice on the real 53rd and 6th plate, a glowing blend of basmati, saffron and New York grease, easily outclasses its daytime counterpart in taste and timbre. The chicken, browned on the grill and lined with black pepper, makes the mouth water at first scent. The white and red sauces, when mixed in equal proportion, produce an addictively savory burn that pulses with the heartbeat of the city and lingers like whiskey in my liver.

The line grows longer. I recede into the night. A gyro holds the corner at fifty-three fatal strikes.

53rd and 6th Halal Cart
53rd St. and Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
53rdand6th.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 22nd, 2007 at 6:45 pm and is filed under New York, Street Food.