Archive for May 2007

Goodburger Coming to Midtown West!

Thanks to tipster Tom J. for pointing out the big news posted on A Hamburger Today on Friday.  Goodburger will be opening a new location on 45th St. btw. 5+6th Ave.

 

Over the weekend, I dug up a little bit more intel… They were hoping to get the location up and running by June/July but due to some construction setbacks, it is now looking like it will more than likely open July/August.  It couldn’t be in a more perfect location… there are no quality fast food burgers in the 40s on the west side.  I can’t wait for this one!

Not familiar with the goodburger.  Here’s my write-up on the Lexington location from November.

AQ Cafe, Horsemeat Burger Cart, and the greatest Sandwiches ever!

More $1 Pizza at the Z Deli

I am a firm believer in the fact that there is no bad Pizza in New York City.  Some slices are better than others, but in the end- even a crappy New York slice is better than most slices in other cities.  I’m sure everyone has their favorite slice, but when it comes to pizza- my favorite is the deal.  And there is no better deal than $1 pizza!

A few months ago I wrote about 99¢ Fresh Pizza opening a second location right by Grand Central.  That was shortly followed by the $1.25 pizza deal at Naples 45 (arguably the highest quality pizza at that low price)- but you have to wait until after 2pm.  For most people, time is more precious than money- so if you don’t work near either of those two places, it may not be worth the extra walking just to save a couple of bucks.

Well, I’m happy to say that the West side of Midtown now has their own $1 pizza deal (that is closer than the original 99¢ Fresh Pizza behind Port Authority).  And it’s an all day kind of thing.  As with anything, you get what you pay for- and Z Deli is no exception.  But if $1 pizza is what you are looking for, than here it is, right on 8th Ave. btw. 48+49th St.

Pics of the pie, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

At Lunch Now: Go Go Curry

 


You only have 2 more weeks to take advantage of the May special at Go Go
Curry. $5 gets you any small, medium or large curry with pork (katsu),
chicken, shrimp, or sausage (is there anyone who is not going to order
the large?)Come June 1st they’ll have delivery, full menu (with toppings), free
topings cards on the 5th of every month, and free topping cards every
day after Hideki Matsui hits a home run (Go is 5 in Japanese, and
Matsui’s # is 55).

The place is a lot more manageable than when it first opened- and I even
got a free topping card today (althought you can’t use them until
June). Not sure if they’re giving them out every day in May or if
Matsui hit a homerun last night!  (No Yankees game last night.  They must be giving the coupons out every day in May)

Ask Midtown Lunch: Bubble Tea

“There used to be a bubble tea café right in the middle of Times Sq., but it appears to have been replaced by one of those terrible Tasti D-lite (fake) ice cream places. Dishes offers exactly one type of bubble tea, “fruit-flavored jasmine tea”, with one type of tapioca and three choices of fruit jelly. They don’t even offer the basic milk pearl tea. At $3.50 it’s a ripoff and a poor attempt at trendifying a delicious commodity item. It’s the perfect remedy for Starbucks, especially in the summer–the tea tastes better, it’s healthier and cheaper, and refreshingly cool! Where has all the midtown bubble tea gone?”
                                                                                      — Lane R.

 

The only Bubble Tea I’ve seen remotely close to Midtown is on 9th Ave. btw. 47+48th @ Pearl on the Sushi.  But technically, 9th ave. is out of ML range… anybody got a bubble tea selection for Lane, more centrally located?  Post it as a comment below. 

And as always, if you’ve got a question, email it to zach@midtownlunch.com  If I know the answer, I’ll let you know- or post it for the Midtown Lunch readers to answer.

BREAKING NEWS: Riese Snubs Midtown on Haagen Dazs Free Flavor Day

 

This just in courtesy of Eater:

Today is New Flavor Day at Haagen-Dazs. They’re debuting two new varieties, Cinnamon Dulce de Leche and Sticky Toffee Pudding, in between 4 and 8 PM tonight.  Both flavors will be offered gratis.   

But guess what?  3 of the 4 Midtown Locations are owned by Riese Restaurants, and they are not participating in Free Flavor Day!  These are the Riese owned locations where you will NOT be getting any Free Ice Cream:

  • 761 7th Ave. (at 50th St.)
  • 110 Penn Plaza (Penn Station)
  • 1286 Broadway (at 33rd St.) 

Apparently there is another Haagen Dazs located in Penn Station, NOT owned by Riese, but we couldn’t get info regarding their participation.  If you know of a Haagen Dazs in Midtown participating in Free Flavor Day, comment below or email me zach@midtownlunch.com

PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Jeff”

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a Midtown Lunch’er for their recommendations of places to eat lunch in Midtown. Meet Jeff, a recruiter that seems to have a weird way of luring applicants.  Not sure what’s up with the “I’m deranged and holding girl scout cookies, keep your children away from me” picture, but his great suggestions for lunch make it forgiveable… 

Name: Jeff

Age:
32

Occupation:
Manager of Client Services (aka Technical Recruiter)

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
37th btw. 5+6th

Favorite Kind of Food:
Good Jewish Deli, with the prime example being Pastrami @ Katz’s (From the counter, tables are for tourists!) Of course, the answer to this question changes depending on my mood. (Ask me tomorrow, and it could be Dim Sum, Middle Eastern or the mutton at Keanes)

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
The pay by pound salad bar after 3pm

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
Once again, it depends on my mood, but as of late it has been this street meat cart guy on the corner of 5th and 39th. He has a Lamb Schwarma/4 Fried Shrimp over your choice of 3 types of rice. If you ask nice, he’ll throw in a decent falafel ball. It also is just 6 bucks.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: 37th street café. The standard NY deli that is just right downstairs. It’s not great, but not terrible, and ever so close.

Place you discovered thanks to MidtownLunch: So far…. Olympic Pita, Chiyoda (man, those rice balls!) and a return to Daisy May’s after a long absence.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes?: Canal Street for Wo Hop (downstairs ONLY). It has the best Chinese in NYC. The Dumplings are unbeatable!

 

Interesting you should mention the Daisy May’s BBQ Cart.  It’s been gone for the winter, but I’ve got the scoop on when it’s coming back- after the jump…  Read more »

Kushi Q… A Proper Review (with some tech porn for the Nerds)

Who doesn’t love meat on a stick?  Who doesn’t love anyting on sticks for that matter?  Put something on a stick, and you’re talking immediate improvement.  Meat.  Apple dipped in caramel.  Imagine taking a hot dog, dipping it in batter, deep frying it, and then eating it- without a stick.  Terrible, right?  Put it on a stick… greatest treat of all time!  So, when I heard about Kushi Q opening on 3rd Ave., I was naturally very excited.  Japanese Yakitori (and other meats), in a “fast food chic” setting.  There are plenty of amazing Yakitori places in Midtown, but they don’t open until the late afternoon.  In Japan, Yakitori is traditionally eaten as an after work snack, or late night in bars called Izakayas.  Kushi Q allows you to enjoy Yakitori for lunch, in Midtown.  Very exciting!

Not discouraged by all the early negativity, I headed over to check Kushi Q out last week…. and was pleasantly surprised.  It’s not without its problems- but the potential is there.  What I got, the +/-, and pictures of futuristic machinery necessary to serve fast food yakitori- after the jump… Read more »

Generic Deli Madness, Ode to the Rafiqi Cart, Beans and more…

I can’t believe I’m doing this… but for those of you who are lunch-challenged, here’s three new Generic Delis that have recently popped up in Midtown:

 

1. Wholesome Wraps (on 39th btw. 7+8th) – I was hoping for something cool, but it’s just a generic deli, with pre-packaged wraps.

2. Simply Food (3rd Ave. btw. 46+47th) –  Great name.  Riveting.  Why not just name yourself “All we have here is just food”.  One note of interest… their British Pub Sandwich thingy.  I like meat.

3. Toasties (48th btw. Mad+5th) – I think this place used to be called Fraiche, but I’m not positive.  It’s a chain that people Downtown may be familiar with… 

An ode to the Rafiqi Cart, the most amazing looking sandwich, and beans- after the jump… Read more »

Yagura… the final piece of the 41st Street Trinity

I think 41st St. btw. Madison & 5th might be my favorite block of Midtown.  It’s no secret that I love Asian food, and this particular block is home to three of the best cheap and quick Japanese lunches in the city.  Even though they all serve Japanese fast food, they are all very different- each with its own niche, and price range.  Moderate, Cheap and Cheaper.

I’ve written about the “moderate” Chiyoda Sushi, which serves very creative little Japanese dishes as well as the regular assortment of bento boxes, pre-packaged sushi, and a small selection of rice balls.  It is the most expensive of the three places, and usually not too packed (although they certainly do a healthy business).

Cafe Zaiya, on the other hand, is a mad house.  In the middle in price as well as location on the street, they have a much larger selection of pre-packaged rice balls, bento boxes, and pastries (including Beard Papas!, the cream filled puff pastry).  It’s slightly cheaper than Chiyoda, and there is a larger selection, making it the most popular of the three.

Finally there’s Yagura, the bastard child of 41st Street.  Unmarked (the sign is propped up sideways against the wall inside the door) and with no windows, Yagura is actually a pretty sweet Japanese grocery store, that happens to sell soups and bento boxes out of a window in the front.  It’s not as bustling as Zaiya, or as nice as Chiyoda- but it’s got one thing that they don’t.  The food comes out freshly heated up.

What I got, and the +/- after the jump… Read more »