Manos Peruanas

Stumbled upon this cart on 47 & 6^th last Friday… saw 2 peruvian moms cooking, so figured it had to be good. I got the arroz con pollo.
The food itself was very good, chicken was perfectly cooked and fall off the bone tender. The cilantro rice was flavorful, probably could use a bit of salt. Even the yuca (which i normally dont like) doused with sweet sauce was good. My only 2 strikes against this place… they allow a bunch of ppl behind me in line who spoke in Spanish to cut me and order ahead of me.
Also, it’s very pricey for what you get by food cart standards. $ 9 for a platter with 1 small drumstick of chicken, Rice, and 2 pieces of yuca

Found this cart on 47^th Street between 6^th and 7^th Avenue in Midtown.
I tried the pork tamale. $ 6. Pretty pricey for a tamale, no?
I was quite surprised to find an olive in it. Very different from the Mexican tamales I am fond of, and a delicious addition. Unfortunately, I wish it was pitted!
The pork was dry. And there was one big chunk of it. It should have been cut up into a more biteable size.
The tamale was divided in half. Why? Why couldn’t it be left in one whole piece?
It was given to me in a styrofoam container. What a waste. Just wrap it up in foil or food paper.
The green sauce and thinly slice onions it come with really make it. Don’t skip this.
I would not order this again. I am a tamale fanatic. There are much better, and cheaper, to be found in NYC, yes… even in Midtown.

I tried this cart after reading about it on the NY Street Food Blog and was planning to the fish or veal heart but there was no pescado when I went and I decided to take the advice on the menu that the Lomo Saltado is «The Best» and it was very good. The beef strips were remarkably tender and the onions fried just right (which for me is no small compliment I’m very particular about onion consistency). I’m also generally skeptical about anything that has french fries as an ingredient, or fries period (I feel bad when the Frites and Meats guys urge me to get fries with their burgers and I see the sadness on their face when I have to turn them down), but it worked in this case. The meat juices and tart cooking sauce settled nicely below the dish and by the time I got to the french fries they were all swollen with goodness. I don’t know if everyone would see that as a plus but I do. The rice was as good as white rice can be — again thanks to the brothy liquid. Still, I think «the best» is a stretch. I was watching them prepare other customers’ meals and getting lots of cooking vapors and am not sure I choose the best dish for me.
I admire that they are excellent ambassadors of Peruvian cuisine — offering less familiar dishes to a midtown crowd that generally lines up for burgers and it’s a good value with big portions for under $ 10.
Personality counts a lot for me and they were super sweet. Of course, part of why I’m so devoted to the street vendors is I have never encountered a sullen or jerky street vendor and most are downright enthused. In any case, I’ll definitely be back to this one. They are right next to my shoeshine guy, the legendary «Sir, the shoes, how long are you going to ignore that?!» Don.