PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Matthew”
Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Matthew, a Strategic Sourcing Manager who assured me he was a Giants fan- which was a pre-requisite for today’s profile. My little way of thanking the big blue for preserving the legacy of my precious 1972 Dolphins. I also hate the Patriots (10 years in Boston as a Dolphins fan will do that to you). Nothing about his profile says Giants fan, and he couldn’t get me a photo of himself wearing any Giants stuff in time… but I’m going to take his word for it.
Name: Matthew
Age: 42
Occupation: Strategic Sourcing Manager
Where in Midtown do you Work?: 34th St. & 8th Ave.
Favorite Kind of Food: Italian followed closely by BBQ
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian. Love spicy food, but can’t handle the spices in Indian food.
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Chicken Parmigiana hero at Manganaro’s Hero Boy on 9th Ave and 38th. (I can tell this is going to spark comments already. Are you sure it’s Hero Boy you love? Or, do you like Manganaro’s old school deli next store. Two different places. Long and historical rivalry. -zach)
The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: The cafeteria in our building, which isn’t bad for a corporate cafeteria. They have great chicken wings!!
Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Ressie Mae’s may she rest in peace! Chicken and waffles should be outlawed, but the combination is something not to be missed.
If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? San Francisco. Great weather, beautiful walking city and it has the 2 criteria I require to consider living anywhere: great Italian and great Chinese food. Plus you can go down to the Wharf and get Dungeness crabs from a cart, sit with your feet over the side of the wharf and throw the shells in the Bay with that view!
Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Where can a guy get a good rack of BBQ Ribs in Midtown without a long sitdown lunch? I’ve eaten in the South for lunch and it seems like these places are everywhere, but, alas, I haven’t found great ribs I love since Wylie’s closed on 50th and 1st a few years ago. Help a guy out ML readers!!
Chicken wings. Fried chicken and waffles. Ribs. I wish I had been at your Superbowl party. I’ve only had ribs at one place that could sort of qualify as Midtown… and I can’t imagine anybody elses being better.
BBQ porn, after the jump…
It’s a shame Daisy May’s BBQ Cart doesn’t carry ribs. For those, you have to go to their way out of bounds restaurant on 11th Ave. & 46th St. Oh… and it’s outside the Midtown Lunch price range too. But if you are going to do it, you might as well do it up right. Living around the corner from the actual Daisy May’s is why I can’t bring myself to step foot into Virgil’s, Spanky’s or Dallas BBQ.
There are, however, a few take out rib options in Midtown that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe the commenters could shed some light on these places:
- Texas Rotisserie & Grill (3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th) 2nd Floor
- Texas Chicken & Grill (42nd St. btw. 8+9th)
- Dougie’s BBQ (47th btw. 5+6th) 3rd Floor, just below El Rincon del Sabor
- Sawa BBQ (9th Ave. btw. 43+44th). Weird BBQ place run by Japanese people. I’ve only had the sushi (which was fine) and the BBQ pork sandwich (which was not good at all). Maybe the ribs are ok…
As always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com
Posted: 8:28 am, February 5th, 2008 under BBQ, PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
27 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
ADVERTISEMENT
27 Comments
-
-
Golden Chicken on 9th! You can watch them cook the ribs in the window!
-
I know they don’t have the best BBQ – but what about Brother Jimmy’s in Grand Central? Maybe they have ribs? Don’t know… never checked out their selection… probably out of the price range, but maybe not?
-
I was just about to mention Brother Jimmy’s as well. Their chicken is solid, and they do have a variety of rib rubs. It’s not under $10, but I think that unless you find a Chinese buffet with ribs, you won’t find anything decent under $10.
-
The jerk chicken is great at Orchid.. who also does ribs (haven’t had them).. over ML prices though – $13.95 for ribs & two sides, but how often do you eat ribs for lunch? 9th Ave btwn 46th & 47th
-
mmmmm I had ribs for superbowl
-
Dougie’s is glatt kosher. That should explain their prices. It will also explain why they don’t have pork. Unless you keep kosher (those that I know that do like Dougies) stay away – for real bbq this is not the place.
We ordered from Texas Rotisserie and Grill last week for my office (a catering order) and everyone loved the food, I thought it was pretty good. However, I do believe the midtown location is closed. A phone call to their midtown number rang at their Fulton Street location.
-
Daisy May’s delivers. We order lunch from them regularly in my office, but that may be from the catering menu, so you’d need to get a few friends together.
I’ve also been known to order from them at the end of the day to take a bag of ribs and their fabulous creamed corn home for dinner. I brought Daisy May’s out to Jersey for my grandpa’s birthday – I think the ribs gave my grandpa more joy in one hour than he’s had in 10 years. They have quite possibly extended his life.
-
SMDNY – great story, great idea! I’m going to do something similar for my dad.
-
The discussion around BBQ in New York begins and ends with Hill Country. Real Lockhart, TX BBQ (which, let’s all admit, is the only type of BBQ out there — for all of you Carolina and KC BBQ fans, just remember that “sauce hides bad BBQ”).
It’s a bit south for midtown (26th btw 6th and Broadway), so maybe it needs to be added onto the “Subway Adverturer” list.
The ribs (beef and pork) are around $11/pound, so just order .9 lbs of ribs and you’re within the Midtown Lunch range (Side dishes?! we don’t need no stinkin’ side dishes!).
-
FYI – There’s also a Brother Jimmy’s by MSG now (32nd and 8th). Haven’t tried their ribs yet, but I am all about their fried pickles. Sounds gross, tastes like heaven.
-
Hill Country [w26 @ Brod]:
A zillion sides.
Pork ribs.
Beef ribs.
And zillions of sides. -
That pic…………..I thought Sopranos had finished.
SMDNY,im doing the same for Angela:)
-
Having cajun from Delta Grill on 9th Ave and 48th in the office for Fat Tuesday right now…great stuff!!
-
I can’t take having other Matts around.
-
the pork ribs at hill country are underwhelming. on the other hand those beef ribs are the real deal!!!!
-
“Strategic Sourcing Manager”
…admit it, you’re actually an assassin, aren’t you?
-
Have to agree with Sandra about the fried pickles at Brother Jimmy’s! Sound so wrong, but are SO good.
Here are a few of the BBQ places I’ve been to recently in Midtown…some good, some not so good: http://www.missmenunyc.com/search/label/BBQ%2FSouthern
-
As his wife and kids we can assure you he is a die hard Giants fan!
-
No He isn’t.
-
The Ribs at Brother Jimmy’s are no great shakes, but they do Rib Tips for $6 and its pretty good. I like the Pulled park and Buffalo wings more though.
DO NOT go to Virgil’s, they make terrible ribs in my opinion.
-
brother jimmy’s is an abomination. that place should be shut down, in all its locations but SPECIFICALLY on the ues, based on principle alone.
and their pulled pork sucks.
ps: i’m cranky today.
-
I love Hill Country BBQ too! They also have great red cabbage cole slaw and macaroni & cheese.
-
Brother Jimmy’s makes average pulled pork, but they have a really good mustard BBQ sauce for the South Carolina version. The Grand Central version, without the atmosphere if the uptown ones, but just the food, is fine.
-
Ribs for superbowl?!?! Did that in my vertical smoker along with pulled chicken and keilbasa.
Being from Queens, working in midtown I can say there aren’t any amazing places for true smoked southern ribs unless you want to go to one of those chain type places that everyone knows Daisy’s… etc. However I do have a gem in the Jackson Heights/Corona area of Queens I believe on 34th ave and approx 82nd street, right off the BQE near Northern Blvd.
Anyhoo, this place was Pearson’s, now it’s the Ranger BBQ and it’s in the back of a local watering hole called Legends Bar. This place turned me on to smoked bbq, they do ribs, north eastern carolina pulled pork (vinegar based, no tomato bbq sauce) keilbasa, turkey, chicken. It’s a small no fuss place with a huge smoker in the bar and it’s still my go to place and i’ll make the trip for it. Oh and they make freaking SMOKED BEEF SHORT RIB FLAUTAS!! (chopped short rib tips wrapped in a tortilla fresh and deep fried!).I’ll go there over Brother Jimmies or Dinosaur at every opportunity.
-
I forgot to mention that the place in Queens (Ranger BBQ review here: http://www.qgazette.com/common/dining_reviews/1056.html) I am talking about is a mixed mashup type of bbq place, Ribs are Memphis style, Brisket is Texas, Pork is NE Carolina style.
-
Go dolphins! ( Sorry… A little late to the game. )
I always stop and wonder what the hell is going on in Dougie’s every time I pass it on my way to El Rincon del Sabor.
They have a website, http://www.dougiesbbq.com, where you can place your order, though I’ve never taken that leap for 2 reasons… They actually ofer sushi (granted, the Bklyn location only), but from a freaking BBQ joint? Their prices…burgers are $10+, grilled chicken $15 and ribs $24, just a tad bit above the ML price range…