PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Paul”

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 Paul, a die hard Mets fan from Queens who has been waiting over a year for his Profile to finally see the light of day.

Name: Paul

Age:
26

Occupation:
Literary Agent’s Assistant and part time/uncompensated consultant for http://www.beermenus.com

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
56th & Park at Janklow & Nesbit (feel free to snail mail me if you happen to be a brilliant writer with a polished manuscript)

Favorite Kind of Food: Y’know, the four food groups: pizza, Chinese, Mexican, and breakfast.

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
I’m not down with hating on vegetables cause they are wonderful things, but the overdressed Midtown salad is disgusting. And since when did salad need to be “chop’t”? And what the hell’s happened to the normal NY slice in the past 15 years? I feel like I have to go to gourmet pizza parlors to get something edible- consarnit.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
My original response was the Azuri Café on 51st, but then it popped up on in another profile, so my tip for your Midtown West folks is a burger place named Vizio. They featured Angus beef, which is incredible (and maybe unbelievable but that’s for someone else to discuss) for $5.50 burger, even if fries aren’t included. It puts goodburger, betterburger, bestburger, homeburger et al to shame. In my heart of hearts, I’m a street food man and I try to hit the Dragon on 62 & Mad and the Indian cart on Park & 53rd often.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Lightbites, 55th btw. Park & Lex (prototypical and awful representation of quick salads/sandwiches for people ‘on the go’ in Midtown)

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Indian fast food carts on 53rd+Park and the 1.25 pizza at Naples 45 (although the price is up!). The after work, Naples 45 slice might be a tad stale, just so your readers know, but they’ll reheat if it’s not packed. Recently tried the Pampano Taqueria and Sophie’s Cuban , both of which were terrific. I’ve pretty much planned my life around this website for the past year and a half.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? My roommate and I once talked about getting into the cart game so lunch would follow work around; however, I’m leaning towards Brighton Beach/Coney Island. They have a wonderful talent of stuffing meat inside of dough and then frying it…or Napa.

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

31 Comments

  • You look stoned, man.

    (Wayne, your turn)

  • probably just tired and late night. I didn’t really have any pictures of me eating laying around and the one I used last summer had me and all my coworkers drinking in central park. Zach rejected it.

  • Paul has that contented, slightly goofy gaze that I would expect a consultant for beermenus.com to have. Although why he would have that gaze *while seated on a subway bench* – I dunno. I betcha something hypnotic is happening just outside of the photo’s frame…it’s probably that lady that plays music on a saw

  • I love Vizio. They also have ostrich burgers which taste great and are even better for you. It’s right down the block from my office, too.

  • Go Sox!

  • If we are talking about the gaze you get while seated on a subway bench… that is also the look you would have when you are informed that subway benches have bed bugs.

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/05082008/news/regionalnews/subways_blood_bug_invasion_109879.htm

  • My dearest “Paul:”

    You look like the kind of man who (like me) enjoys the wonderful television show, “Lemur Kingdom.”

    I would certainly appreciate the recommendations of a much younger man (my wife is much younger than me, should that excite you, though not nearly as young as you) concerning the proper furnishing of the “man cave,” I am creating in my townhouse. I asked another “Lunch’r” but did not glean any useful information from him.

    Yours in kinship,
    DocChuck, PhD

  • With summer coming on, DocChuck, I suggest you keep your man cave well landscaped to avoid unwanted discomfort.

  • @Wayne – old picture, but everything you say is entirely possible.

    @mango – right you are.

    @danny – thankfully the threat of bedbugs was unknown at the time of the posing of this picture. may i add that no bedbugs were knowingly harmed during the principal photography of this photograph.

    @ignoroant – which sox? I wish people from boston would move back to boston. If there’s a massive contingent of new yorkers who consistently talk about how awesome the yanks are how much better ny is then you guys are welcome to wish the same thing on them. i kid (slightly).

    Dearest DC, PhD.

    Alas, I have no television so unfortunately I cannot comment on this Lemur process. If not for the carbon monoxide risk, I would suggest putting a barbecue in your mancave. Better yet, put a barbecue in it and spend quite a bit of money finding a way to ventilate. This is nothing more masculine than making fires, cooking meat and spending extra money when simple solutions (like cooking outside in this case) abound.

    If I could ‘kick it’, as it were, in a big ol chair with lots of books and a decent internet connection that would probably be mancave enough for me.

    Lovingly yours,
    Paul

    Readers et al, I was assuming there’d be brilliant unrepresented writer among you. Alas…

  • I had hoped that the extended raging case of Malaysian diahrrea the good doctor acquired shortly after touching and smelling every demo item (as is his regular custom during weekly shopping ventures, should that be of interest to you) in each of our three local “adult toy” stores would keep him off the computer and therefore off this nice blog, but alas, you nice people share my affliction once again. My sincerest apologies to all, and mind you, I’d like to apologize to each of you in my own special way (especially that McBagel fellow) when the opportunity presnts itself. On a positive note, Twitchy (our beloved hamster) is no longer homeless.

  • Paul,

    Dude, this city is way better than Boston…that being said, Boston’s professional baseball team trumps those that reside in this beloved city. As far as you wishing people from Boston would move back to thier original land, maybe you can at least take some solace in the fact that they moved here for a reason to begin with (and that reason is that the city of Boston aint nutin’ when compared to this one).

  • i’m all for those cutie girls that keep getting the Tues. profiles, but can i just say hurray for a finally having some eye candy for the foodie ladies on here! mmm, eye candy…

  • Ignorant – good points. it’s really the philadelphia fans that get to me (following last year’s collapse).

    mish – finally, we’re getting to the important stuff.

  • I second that Brighton Beach has some tasty treats……I’d love to be able to get all the yummy goodness that may be bought at M&I International supermarket….pure bliss…I’d also go to Cafe Glechik every other night for dinner….yummmmm.

  • wtf is a man cave? I may have to give Vizio a butchers..

  • um hi paul!! haha cuteee! sigh…you should hit me up ;-p

  • Totally a brilliant, unrepresented writer AND an appreciator of Midtown Lunch man candy here!

    Of course, as usual, I’m late for all the fun.

  • Yeh…I am going to chime in on YAY for the man candy, Zach. It’s about time :)

    I work at the southern end of midtown (right across the street from Kati Roll on 39th) and thanks to this site, I have discovered so much more. You are an awesome man, Z!

    PS: Paul is a cutie! :)

  • Zach, all of these horny women means but one thing: The Rudy McBagel profile photo will need to show some bare heinie

  • wayne, if any of you dig up my social networking pages there’s actually one of those posted.

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