Midtown Lunch

I don’t know what Bastille Day is, but I know it’s French- so why not use it as an excuse to eat the most French Midtown Lunch there is.  It’s been almost 2 years since I wrote about the Cyber Cafe (on 49th btw. 7+8th), an internet cafe that was home to two of the strangest lunches in Midtown: a satellite version of Tuck Shop (the Lower East Side Aussie Meat Pie place) and Madeleine “The Crepe Lady”, a French woman who made authentic Breton style crepes on Wednesday through Sunday.  Tuck Shop closed up awhile ago (although the Cafe may still sell their pies, I’m not sure) but Madeleine is still there 5 days a week (Wed-Sun) serving up the best crepes in Midtown.  Unfortunately she’s not there on Mondays- but it’s still worth posting about considering the holiday.  She makes savory crepes and sweet crepes and if you haven’t checked it out, you’re missing out on one of the hidden gems of Midtown Lunch’ing.

Crepe porn, after the jump…  Read more »

 
Orange Chiffon Cake from the Treats Truck. Posted by nycblondieandbrownie

• Treats Truck makes the New York Times, along with the rest of the dessert slinging mobile vehicles in the city [NYT]
• The Treats Truck is having a treat naming contest where you can win a $25 gift certificate [Treats Truck]
• Organge Chiffon Cake and Cupakes are the latest addition to the Treats Truck menu [Blondie & Brownie]
• Speaking of cupcakes, check out this video review of just out of bounds bakery Daiuto’s on 8th Ave. and 31st [Cupcake Takes the Cake]
• The Osteria del Circo gelato cart on 55th St. is M.I.A. [Word of Mouth]
• If you want expensive Italian food delivered, Mia Dona is now delivering throughout Midtown [Strong Buzz]
• The city plans on reducing Broadway from 4 lanes to 2 between 42nd St. and Herald Square to create more public space [NYT]
• Time Out New York puts out their annual Cheap Eats issue, and almost completely ignores Midtown [TONY]

Oftentimes people will get angry and upset, and for some reason choose to email me to complain it.  The good ones, I put up in a post called “Airing of Grievances.”  Usually the emails will complain about how a Lunch’er was wronged by some restaurant in Midtown- but my favorite emails are the ones that come from people who are too stupid to realize that they are not emailing the restaurant directly.  This email arrived in the ole inbox yesterday.  It’s not a complaint, but I still thought it’s worth posting:

 

From: Y. Rodriguez
To: zach@midtownlunch.com
Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Subject: Past Due Balance Sugo Restaurant

Your account has a past due balance, please call me at [removed] ext 18.

Thank you for your business

Ms. Y. Rodriguez
Accounting Department
[Removed]

Really? Seriously? Are there actually people out there that know so little about using the interwebs that they would mistaken this page for a restaurant website? Well since you were kind enough to email, I will be kind enough to reply. (It’s the nice thing to do, right?)

Dear Ms. Rodriguez,

Sugo! e Basilico has been closed since April. I’m sure they appreciated all the cleaning and fire prevention services your company provided, but I’m guessing you are probably not going to get paid.

Sincerely,
Zach “I have nothing to do with Sugo! e Basilico beyond stuffing my face with their Italian burritos and writing about it on my stupid blog” Brooks

Well, that solves that problem. If you actually have something you’d like to complain about to Midtown Lunch (and not the restaurants themselves) feel free to send your emails to zach@midtownlunch.com

Ed Levine recommends a few lunch options in the area, inlcuding Prime Burger, Le Pain Quotidien and the Brooklyn Diner. I’d add Pop Burger (on 58th btw. Mad+5th) to that list, and who knows- maybe the lady who supposedly sells Indian food out of a grocery cart, on that same block, will reappear to take advantage of the crowds. spot that lady who supposedly sells Indian food out of a grocery cart!

Fresh on the heels of the off-the-menu “Special Vegetarian” sandwich at Blimpie, comes word that Zen Burger (on Lex. btw. 45+46th) has been serving their own off-the-menu filet-o-fish sandwich.  When Zen Burger first launched at the beginning of the year, the only thing keeping it from being an exact replica of McDonald’s (in vegetarian form) was the lack of a filet-o-fish.  They had a “Zen Tuna” sandwich, but it wasn’t fried, and quite frankly, who wants fast food that isn’t fried.  Considering that most adult vegetarians probably refused, as kids, to eat anything *but* the filet-o-fish during family trips to McDonald’s, this addition to the Zen Burger menu should be pretty well received.

The fishless fish sandwich, and my anti-McDonald’s tirade, after the jump… Read more »

I actually have a question for Midtown Lunch’ers today… I fully admit that pretty much every plate of street meat I’ve ever eaten has been written about on this site (I’m sure some people imagine that I have eaten at every cart in Midtown.  Sorry to disappoint- but I am just one man.)  When I want a plate of chicken and/or lamb over rice, I almost always go to one of 3 or 4 places- and they’re pretty much all on 6th Avenue.  Kwik Meal (on 45th), the Famous Halal Cart (SE Corner of 53rd), Trini-Pak (on 43rd), Carnegie John’s (7th Ave. and 56th) and once I ate at Rafiqi’s (Multiple Carts around Midtown.)  In the interest of branching out, I’d like to try some of the other carts, especially those to the East (Park Ave. and 3rd Ave have a bunch) and those to the south.  Anybody have any recommendations?  Or maybe you’ve always wondered about a particular cart that you walk by all the time?  I’ll go there too.  Feel free to post in the comments…

Now this is ridiculous.  On Thursday of last week (that is 3 business days ago for anybody who needs help with the counting) I posted about the sign on “The Steak Truck” (on Park Ave. and 47th) advertising a $4.99 foot long steak and cheese sub.  Yesterday, I walked by again- and the sign had been replaced with this:

Shame on you Steak Truck.  Still haven’t tried it though… and now I’m not sure I want to.  (Yes, I pout.  And yes, I hold grudges.)

A photo of last week’s Steak Truck, after the jump… Read more »