PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Alexis”

Are you all Profiled out yet?  Last week, I was out of town, so I turned the site over to a different Midtown Lunch’er every single day.  I considered not running one today until I got this photo.  Meet Alexis, a baker and an Event Producer for Culinary Competitions, who is looking for Filipino Sweets (I suppose for when she is done with that Turkey leg.)  Wow.

Name: Alexis

Age:
24

Occupation:
Currently I’m an event producer for culinary competitions, but I also am the Co-owner of the bakery Flavor and Taste, http://www.flavorandtaste.com

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
34th & 6th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food:
Ethiopian, Lobster, Lamb Carts, Fried Food

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Salad… unless its lobster/duck salad

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
Masala Dosa at Minar on 31st and 5th. The downside is that they raised the prices $1 since I started going there and the servers are a little hostile. Also, they sometimes forget to use the salt. Upside is that it’s a dosa! Who could resist those carbs…  (31st is a little out of the Midtown Lunch’ing range, so I’m not really familiar with that Minar, but their Menupages menu is the same as the Minar on 46th St.so I’m guessing it’s the same place, right?  -zach)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Pomodoro on 38th and 9th . They have great prosciutto sandwiches with excellent bread. Good baguettes are hard to come by!

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Café Zaiya. I think I have been eating way too many rice balls, but it is a nice walk from here. Also the Briyani Cart on 46th and 6th for their chapati rolls — those are great and uber cheap.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? East 6th street and 2nd Avenue. Madras Café has great dosas, Spice Cove and the other gazillion Indian places with cheap prix fixe lunches, Ethiopian, and a short walk to St. Marks with the plethora of mouth watering Japanese places (Go, Taisho, Rai Rai Ken).

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? For those of you who may know what an ensaymada is (soft lovely bread covered with butter and sugar), would you know where I can find them in the city? I used to get my fix over at Krystal’s (14th St. & 1st Ave.)  but haven’t found a replacement since they closed down!

Ah yes.  The ensaymada.  A buttery Filipino sweet bread topped with sugar and an extra dab of creamed butter and sometimes cheese.  How could that be bad?  A photo, and where to get them in Midtown, after the jump… 


Photo courtesy of Chotda on Flickr
From the blog “The Scent of Green Bananas

For Filipino food in Midtown there is only one place to go… Bayan Cafe on 45th St. just East of 3rd Ave.  I haven’t had an Ensaymada there, but they are on the menu.  I suggest calling ahead if it’s a far walk…  Have you seen these somewhere else in New York City, or tried the ones at Bayan Cafe?  Post your recommendation as a comment below. 

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

19 Comments

  • Best profile pic ever.

  • Good profile and very nicely done web site, Alexis. I wish you the best in your baking business.

    Never in my life have I heard anyone say that Ethiopian food was their favorite. You so crazy!

  • Sad, I thought we were finally going to get Rudy profiled today. Those ensaymadas look unbelievable, though. I might have to try this. I heart carbs! And butter! And Sugar!

  • Women eat large bits of meat very nice

    Forget the Blahniks/Choo’s girls…it aint ya feet we is lookin’ at!

  • Yikes…I used to like Pomodoro until I saw their large # of DOH violations. I’m not overly picky about where I eat but that really put me off. Maybe they cleaned up their act (no pun intended).

    Those ensaymadas look incredible.

  • Butter. Sugar. Bread. Yes! … And Alexis, let us know where you get your lobster/duck salad! Yet another awesome post.

  • Ensaimada source: not in midtown but in Queens – quick hop on the #7 local train, 69th Street Stop. Right there on 69th and Roosevelt is the main Krystal’s. Also worth visiting is the Philam Foodstore on 70th and Roosevelt. A Lot more Filipino pastries at these 2 joints than just ensaimada. Also try ENGELINE’s on 59th and Roosevelt (get off the 61st Street stop on the #7 and walk a couple blocks south). And if you really want to venture further, and taste one of the best ensaimadas available in metro NY, go to Red Ribbon Bakery in Jersey City.

  • Queens? Might was well just go to the Philippines…

  • Wondee Siam’s duck salad is pretty good.

  • I second that great profile pic.

  • Ensaimada’s originated in Spain on the large island off the mainland.. come on now, aren’t you guys up to speed on your culinary history? Anyways – after Spanish rule in the Phillipines yada yada yada we have the Ensaymada – and the best one NEAR the city is at Philippine Bread House (Newark Ave) in Jersey City – it is totally worth the trip, you won’t be disappointed if you love these little bites of heaven. Haven’t found a place anywhere near as good as this one in Manhattan.

  • Thank god for Google.

  • “until I saw their large # of DOH violations”

    The DOH are a bunch of fascists. Those bastards even shut down Ushiwakamaru.

    “Queens? Might was well just go to the Philippines”

    Idiot. Excellent, informative post NYCmama!

    Must. Stop. For ensaymada. On way home. Tonight.

  • That pic is so hot….

  • JacksonH: “to joke” is defined as “to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest.” Don’t be so insecure about Queens. It’s the third best borough in NYC.

  • Yes, of course Queens is 3rd, just behind the Bronx, and obviously, well behind S.I.

    But the rankings of the boroughs are neither here nor there. What matters is that I was looking for a sworn enemy on this blog, and now I’ve found one!

  • 10 quid on DDR.

  • Keep hunting for that “sworn enemy,” JacksonH: I never swear. It’s undignified.

  • best profile picture ever.

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