PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Steve”

I am away in England this week, so I’m turning over the site each day to a different Midtown Lunch’er.  Today, it’s Steve, who has too long an occupation to type out twice, and doesn’t like condiments.

Name: Steve

Age:
26

Occupation:
Purveyor of Intellectual Property and Strategic Advisement (Also known as “market research”)

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
37th and 7th

Favorite Kind of Food:
If it has any of the following, it would qualify —Butter, Onions, bacon, meat, garlic.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Free Side dishes or condiments of most types. Don’t dare think of putting that day old ‘slaw and pickle in front of me. I don’t want ketchup. I don’t want mustard or mayo. And you better watch it with that salad dressing too while you’re at it.  Pizza toppings from a questionable shaker near the garbage can though are ok, go figure.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Right now, I would say Go! Go! Curry (38th St btw. 7+8th Ave) ranks up there. This is probably only a phase though, so I will just stick with Bravo Pizza on 7th and 38th. There is just something about the pizza there I like and I can’t put my finger on it. It does vary in quality though, so be sure to go after the lunch rush as they seem to not put as much cheese on it and the overall quality is much better. Also Big Bowl Noodles on 6th and 36th. Not bad for your standard Chinese fare. Does tend to get pretty packed and you may need to help the wait staff pass people’s dishes over to them.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: It’s really sad to probably say this, but the Pax through our lobby is not all too bad. You can’t get any closer then that for a quick salad or soup. The staff who work there I would say are the redeeming quality as they do remember you and give the “in-building” discount without asking for it. Everything also seems pretty fresh too.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery (Cheap chinese food) which just so happens to be next to Go! Go! Curry now. It is a very tough decision as to which door to walk through. No, I am not thinking of going into Spandex World!

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? As many of my fellow mid town lunch’ers have said before —my path to great lunch is due south towards Chinatown and TriBeCa. Where else can you find such a selection of food choices outside of Queens (or so I am told).

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? I would really like to know your opinions on where the best street vendor hot pretzel can be found. They vary so much and the only one I know of that really treats this as a craft is down by 23rd st and 8th ave. Too far for that sort of nosh for me for “lunch”.

Pretzels huh?  That’s something we’ve never discussed.  I’ve got nothing. Anybody have a pretzel recommendation? Post it as a comment below. And if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, email me at midtownlunch@hotmail.com

20 Comments

  • well how ’bout that. I have been profiled.

  • Did Steve tell you that perchance? Steve…

  • Big Bowl Noodles offers tasty Americanized Chinese food–I took a special trip up there for dinner last night, actually. For our fried- and tofu-loving friends, I recommend the General Tsao’s tofu.

  • re: the pretzels, as far as I can tell every street vendor has exactly the same kind. I haven’t ever seen any that are different, they probably all come from the same factory! The only difference is the amount of salt… Would love to be proven wrong.

  • I think the key to a good vendor pretzel is the time of day you buy it. If it’s late afternoon and the vendor’s been having a bad day – more than likely you’re going to get a crunchy dried up type of pretzel rather than a softer one.

  • I would avoid the carts entirely, and head to Pretzel Time at Manhattan mall.

  • Pretzel nearly killed G.Bush

    Hail Pretzel!! freedom baked good of the new world.

  • Seriously, is that the best picture you could provide?

  • arent the pretzels all the same? they all taste like those frozen “Super Pretzels” you can buy at supermarkets, i havent had one in years cause theyre all worthless.

  • OK, I’ve worked in the same area for almost 7 years and I can’t for the life of me picture where Bravo Pizza is. I’ve been dying for a good slice lately too.

    As for pretzels, nothing beats a good one at a sporting event coupled with a cold beer. I had one at Shea recently that was amazing. But it’s hit or miss even there. Stale pretzels are so disappointing.

  • Auntie Anne’s Pretzels in the Rock Center concourse. Not exactly $1 like the street carts but they are AMAZING!

  • Zack: Very funny. Just so you know, I’m there with you, rhymenocerous!

  • They call me the Hiphopopotamus
    Flows that glow like phosphorous
    Poppin’ off the top of this esophagus
    Rockin’ this metropolis
    I’m not a large water-dwelling mammal
    Where did you get that preposterous hypothesis?

  • I just came back to midtown from tribeca, i have to tell you that it’s seriously overrated. expensive and not diverse.

    pretzels: zaro’s in grand central has them! and they’re HOT all the way through!

  • Re: Tim “Seriously, is that the best picture you could provide?”

    As far as you know. thanks.

  • thanks for the pretzel tips folks. keep those cards and letters coming.

  • i hope korean food is the exception to your hatred of side dishes.

  • Korean Folded pizza :Colliezone

  • Not anywhere near Midtown, but if you want the best fresh pretzels in the city, homemade, go to Zum Schneider on Avenue C and 7th. And wash it down with a 1 liter stein of some awesome German beer.

    Otherwise, you’d be better off taking a day trip to Philly for a decent pretzel. NY just can’t get it right, and tchains like Auntie Annes are loaded with fake chemical butter, fat and calories.

  • Ooh, I’m going to have to try out Zum Schneider’s pretzel. Since visiting Munich this summer, I wasn’t sure any pretzel in this country would be able to measure up.

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