Archive for December 2007

Midtown Links (The More Spanish Food in a Blimpie Edition)

Belly Laughs: More Disturbing Cow Cartoons

If you thought the “Bovine Perfection” sign was slightly disturbing, you probably shouldn’t watch this video. Also not recommended for anybody about to eat a Hamburger for lunch. (Highly recommended for those who like animated cows and aliens)

First Look: The New Goodburger on 45th St.

 

Once again, I’d like to congratulate burger lovers working in the 40s.  You finally have a burger place to call your own.  If you haven’t been to any of the Goodburger locations, and want to read about the food- almost all of what I wrote in November of last year, about the location on Lex., still applies, the one notable exception being that now the combo costs $10.35 instead of $9.95, which means- technically for this to be Midtown Lunch, you will need to forgo fries or a drink.  It’s just not right.

The new location on 45th btw. 5+6th (which opened yesterday) is a lot larger than the location in Midtown East, and has an upstairs seating area. 

An actual goodburger, plus a sign worthy of being put on Suicide Food, after the jump… Read more »

At Lunch Now: Goodburger on 45th is Open


No sleet is keeping me away from the new Goodburger loation on 45th btw. 5+6th, which is now certified officially open (Eater take notice…) No more trekking north to the 50s or east to 3rd Ave, the heart of Midtown Lunch’ing finally has its very own overpriced burger place.=

Hidden Peruvian Food at El Sabroso

Hidden gems are possibly my favorite part of Midtown Lunch’ing.  There are varying degrees of hidden of course.  The Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien is always referred to as a hidden gem, but who doesn’t know about that place?  Then there are the ones on 47th St. that you could have the street addresses for and still not find them (Taam Tov, Diamond Dairy and the Ecuadorian El Rincon del Sabor).  And of course, there’s the latin food in a Blimpie.

But El Sabroso is on a different level.  At least those other places are actual restaurants.  El Sabroso is just a counter, with a few stools.  A counter, inside a hallway, leading to the freight elevator of a building.  Yup.  My first lunch in a freight elevator hallway.  And while the menu is mostly standard Latin fare (pernil, pork chops, stewed and baked chicken, rice & beans), on Fridays they serve a few Peruvian specials- courtesy of the Peruvian lady who makes all the food.

What they’ve got, freight elevator food porn and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

And Now For Something Different: A Potato Pancake Sandwich

The “Serious Sandwich” that I wrote about this week on Serious Eats happens to come from Midtown- “The Something Different” at Junior’s.  Yes it is rediculously expensive.  Yes, the place is a tourist trap.  No, I would never go there for a “Midtown Lunch”.  But damn, did it taste good.   Check it out…

Serious Sandwiches: Junior’s Latke Sandwich

At Lunch Now: Qdoba on 53rd St. is Open

The Qdoba on 53rd St. & 3rd Ave. opened for business yesterday.  Chipotle, you were forewarned.  Let the McBurrito wars begin!

There are two other Qdobas in New York City (one on 34th btw. 2+3rd), but according to the NY Sun the new one is the first to actually be owned by the parent company (the other two are franchises).  Full report coming soon…

Bits & Pieces (Charity, More Burgers & Free Coffee Edition)

 
A Plate from Kashmir’s $7.99 All You Can Eat Buffet on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th
Posted to Flickr by Seraphim1970

  • The Menu for Hope Charity Auction has begun on Chez Pim.  Buy raffle tickets and win some amazing food prizes.  And all the money goes to a great cause…
  • The new Goodburger location on 45th St. btw. 5+6th Ave. expects to open tomorrow or Friday (and when it does, Midtown Lunch will be there- of course)
  • The new 2nd Ave. Deli, on 33rd btw. Lex+3rd will have it’s grand opening on December 17th.  The “salami” cutting ceremony will happen at 11am.  Read more here and here.
  • Get a free Illy espresso or capuccino from now until the end of the month in the Time Warner Center, where they are showcasing this crazy push button house designed by Architect Adam Kalkin.  Plus this week only, they’ll having coffee demos at 1, 3 and 5pm from a master barista from Trieste.  But clearly the most important thing is the free Illy coffee…

PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Grace”

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week’s lunch’er was actually nominated by a co-worker, who had this to say: “Her navigation of the midtown lunch terrain is that of a seasoned veteran, and her knowledge of the area’s best soups is her secret weapon… Although she somehow gets her work done, every time I look over at her screen she’s on Midtown Lunch or Menupages.com.  I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about planning what she will be having for lunch at 8:30 am.  Sounds like a good candidate to me.” Sounds like it to me too.  Meet Grace, a soup obsessed PR exec with no shortage of recommendations for lunchtime…

Name: Grace

Age:
25

Occupation:
Public Relations Executive

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
43rd and Broadway (Talk about a food wasteland and tourist trap!)

Favorite Kind of Food:
Soup! Hot and hearty goodness when done right!

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Generic Midtown Deli Sandwiches. Also anything with a weird chewy texture (e.g. overcooked calamari = rubber bands).

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
Well, within the “Midtown Lunch price range” I’d say:

  • Green Symphony (43rd btw. 7+8th) — When I am feeling somewhat healthy, their hot buffet is delicious and usually includes an Indian-style curried veggie stew that I am obsessed with…spicy stewy goodness … mmmmm. Unless you are a total glutton like me and eat huge quantities, it’s also relatively non-food-coma-inducing, since the multi-ethnic buffet features lightened-up versions of heartier dishes like enchiladas, Korean BBQed Chicken, and various Indian dishes along with all different types of salads on the cold side. I also like their made-to order “Health Salad,” which probably isn’t really healthy at all since it includes practically an entire avocado—which is just butter masquerading as a vegetable if you ask me—but oh so good. This salad also includes hummus, sprouts, greens, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and raisins. I top it all off with Green’s lemon-tahini dressing.
  • Cho-Dang Gol (35th btw. 5+6th) — Hidden slightly off the main Koreatown strip, this place is known for their handmade tofu, which comes in several different textures from silky to firm but airy. It’s my favorite place in K-town because it features dishes beyond the standard bulgolgi and bibimbap.  Also, it actually just received a Michelin Star (for those that assign merit to this French import rating system — I personally think it’s not bad and am impressed that they are able to appreciate off the beaten path restaurants as much as a Daniel or a Per Se.). It’s a total steal because their lunch prices mean that many dishes are less than $10 and they have the best, most interesting panchan (free side dishes) in K-town. I would recommend their tofu pancakes with ground pork and chopped kimchee as an appetizer if you go with a group. Individual stew/casseroles that I like include: the “Hae Mul Cham Doo Boo” (hand made tofu casserole mixed with various seafood) and “Doo Boo Darn Jang Jigae” (hand made tofu with squash, potato, green pepper in soybean pasta stew) — both only $7.95 at lunch. If you go with a group and want to stay within the Midtown Lunch price range, it is worth sharing the “Cho Dang Gol Son Doo Boo Jun Gol” (3 different types of handmade tofu w/ potato, mushroom & squash in spicy broth with beef) $33.95 but enough for 3-4. Also good to share for two people is the “Buh Sut Gob Dol” (Different types of mushrooms topped on steamed rice in hot stone bowl with beef, crabmeat and vegetables)–$14.95. They also have a winter chicken casserole with what looks like whole cut of pieces of chicken that is a special sometimes, which I haven’t tried yet but looks amazing. If anyone gets to it before I do, please report back!
  • Jean Georges (60th & Central Park W)— It’s outside the price range, but worth mentioning. Their two-course $28 lunch is a steal compared to dinner here or at any other comparable establishments and many of the signature dinner items appear on the lunch menu, e.g. the jalepeno braised short ribs. I also like their cheese cart because they will actually have cheeses on it that I haven’t tried. (I eat a lot of cheese and find most NYC restaurant cheese selections tasty but very predictable.)

And now… in the interest of space- I must, for the first time ever, place the jump in the middle of a lunch’ers Profile.  Grace’s secret, hidden soup spot, the best cheese in the city and more after the jump… 

Read more »

Pop Burger Food Porn May Appear Larger Than It Actually Is

You’ve seen the plywood, the facade, the interior, and the crowd on opening day.  But what about the food?  I have never been to the Chelsea Pop Burger, so this is a new phenomenon for me.  I don’t think ‘Midtown Lunch will never be the same’, but it certainly is an exciting addition.  Why?  Because I love sliders.  If for no other reason than they are fun- and in the end, lunch for me is about one hour of fun in an otherwise busy day at work.

On the other hand, I do see the possible complaints that could arise from the slider situation.  (“Fat man want big burger!”)  Anytime you are asking me to pay more money, for less food, you’ve got to step it up.  Some people do it well (Oms/b), some people- not so much (Yushi).  Pop Burger finds itself somewhere in the middle.

On to the food porn!!! Read more »