Midtown Lunch

I’m in Thailand until next Monday, so I’ve decided to turn over MidtownLunch to the lunch’ers. Every day this week you’ll get a new Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er with their recommendations for eating in Midtown and their dreams for Midtown Lunch 2007! Today’s Lunch’er is Tom… a born and raised New Yorker who is sick of people bashing the food in Midtown!

Name: Tom (although I think that might be an Alias)

Age: 23

Occupation: Finance

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 46th & 5th

Favorite Kind of Food: Bread.  Bagels, pumpernickel, toast, sourdough, pretzels, white, hot dog buns, potato, hearty Italian, wonder, baguette, pancakes and waffles.
 
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Mayonnaise

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Utsav Indian Buffet on 46th btw. 6+7th.  It is more expensive ($15) than other Indian buffets, but well worth it.  They always have lamb korma, which is ground spicy lamb-kind of like sloppy joe’s, great naan, and TWO desserts! I love the carrot kulcha… it tastes like carrot cake.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Food World on 46th btw. 5th & Madison.  It is one of the everything under the sun places.  They do a good burrito, a nice salad bar, as well as the standard grill station.  The salad bar is $6.99, and you get 6 things (including 2 meats).  They also have many cheeses (blue and parmesan), spicy chicken, tuna, beats, eggs and much more with tasty dressings to compliment them.  I like the caesar.  The standout is the make your own Mongolian BBQ station, which is great.  They even have a flat screen TV out from so you can see all the food being made.  The big let down is the pasta bar.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: Margon.  Mmmmmm.  Cubanos/Dominicanos

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Here in New York City!  I’m tired of all these picks of the week bashing on this city.  I am a native New Yorker, born and raised.  This city has the most options of any city in the world, and they are all open late.  Try, just try to get Chinese food at 3am in D.C..  It is impossible and you will cry.  Here, no problem.  (Although I do wish I could get some good Texas Red Chili)

What did you ask Santa to bring Midtown Lunch in 2007? I asked Kwanza Karl to bring me a Gyro machine for the office and a half smoke from Ben’s Chili Bowl (Washington DC). Failing that, I would settle for a shorter line at Kati Roll and a real Scottish style Fish and Chips shop, where you can chase your scrod with a deep fried Mars Bar.

Anything else you’d like to ask our readers? Anybody know any good Ethiopian places?   Or picadillo, the Cuban style “Sloppy Joe’s” ground beef dish?  Or tamales?  I like the bodega on 14th & A, but it’s a shlep.

My recommendation for Ethiopian, and Texas Red Chili (which I’m sort of surprised Ed doesn’t know about)… after the jump.

It’s not really a Midtown Lunch place, but if you’re looking for some great Ethiopian food, one of the best places in the city is just west of Midtown and perfect for that after work dinner… Queen of Sheba in Hell’s Kitchen on 10th Ave. (btw. 45th & 46th)

As for Texas Red Chili… have you TRIED the Daisy May’s BBQ Cart.  (In fact, I didn’t even know what Texas Red Chili was before I saw it on the cart.)  For those uninitiated… Texas Red Chili is a bean-less hot chili where beef is the star- and I’ve heard the Daisy May’s version is delicious…  Enjoy!