Midtown Lunch

We can add one more location to the list of bubble tea places in Midtown that got put in the comments of this Profile last month.  Galaxy 2.0 has opened up on 38th St. btw. 5+6th serving frozen yogurt, smoothies, and a slushy version of bubble tea out of of a takeout window.  At $3.50 for a small, it’s slightly more expensive than a few of the other Midtown options, but they blend it with ice, making it pretty refreshing for the summertime.  I had Taro, which was prety tasty, but on second look I think I may have to try the “cookies and cream.”  They also serve a version of Pinkberry’ish frozen yogurt, with the green tea option being replaced by blueberry (???).  They didn’t have cap’n crunch as a topping, so I’ll be sticking with Red Mango- thanks.

More photos, after the jump… Read more »

“How can I not?” was the first thing that went through my head when I read about the off the menu “Special Vegetarian” sandwich being served at the Blimpie on 46th btw. 5+6th on the Village Voice blog.  Doritos?  Spicy green chutney?  Off the menu?  At a Blimpie?  How… can… I… not.  I posted a quick link to share the info with you people (I’m unselfish like that) and headed straight over to this gross sandwich chain, which had decided to buck the Latin food trend that other Blimpieowners seem to be impressed with, and instead make something for the Indian population working in the area. 

Since I know some of you were probably holding off, waiting for the visual proof of this sandwich’s existence- I present, the foot long crime-against-nature, after the jump… Read more »

In February, I asked you guys weigh to in on Good Portions, a Pan-Asian fast food place on Lexington btw. 39+40th that I desperately wanted to like.  The one or two dishes I tried there, were not the best- but I thought that somebody must have had one good thing to eat from their extensive menu.  Apparently I was wrong.  Based on the comments, you people didn’t like Good Portions all that much, and based on the sign I saw in the window when I walked by the place today, it appears as if they have closed.  I’ll admit “Sorry we are close… for business” is not as definitive as it could be (does that mean today or for good?), but I’m guessing they’re not re-opening.

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er to get his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Nathan, a Financial Analyst who after 5 years of toiling away in Midtown is moving to Philly, and wanted his Midtown Lunch moment in the sun before he takes off.  (Oh, and yes- that is him posing in front of Morimoto.)

Name: Nathan

Age: 27

Occupation: Financial Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: For the last five years, I have toiled diligently between 50th+57th Streets and between 7th+Madison Avenues

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything Tasty (see below)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: 1) Burrittos – something about the double-starch whammy of rice and tortilla just does not sit well with my palate, 2) Caesar Salad – especially when my co-worker orders it as a “healthy” option, 3) Average or not-fresh sushi

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: 1) The vegetarian lunchbox at Bay Leaf Indian Brasserie (on 56th btw. 5+6th.) Since the dishes rotate on a daily basis, you never know what you are going to get!) 2) The Pad Si Ew noodles, Crispy Pork with Chinese Broccoli and Thai Iced Tea at Wondee Siam II (9th Ave. btw. 53+54th) 3) Beef Tendon with Hot Sauce from Grand Sichuan (on 9th ave., now closed) 4) Swedish Meatballs, Truffle Frites and Homeade Lemonade from F&B Gudtfood (also now closed) 5) Grilled Tofu Steak with Lemongrass from Saigon 48 (48th btw. 7+8th) 6) Beef Empanada, Breaded Chicken with Yellow Rice and Beans from Sophie’s Cuban on 56th btw. 5+6th which has now Morphed Into Tina’s Restaurant, 7) Ramen and Gyoza at Sapporo (49th btw. 6+7th) or Men Kui Tai (56th btw. 5+6th), 8) Lentil or Lobster Bisque Soup at the Soupman (Multiple Locations). Oh- and pretty much everything on the menu at Izakaya Hagi (aka Sake Bar Hagi on 49th btw. 6+7th), but they are not open for lunch.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? I answer with “your co-workers” as the key phrase in the prompt: Blockheads, Chop’t Salad (WAY OVERPRICED), Delmonico Gourmet (and other similar generic delis), The Great American Health Bar, Mangia, Cafe Europa, The Pump Energy Kitchen, Hale and Hearty Soups

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Bon Appetit Pop Up Cafe (Now Gone), Pro Korean (56th btw. 5+6th), FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar (58th btw. 5+6th), Five Guys Burgers (55th btw. 5+6th), Go Go Curry (38th btw. 7+8th), Hallo Berlin Cart (54th & 5th)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I have not been there yet, but Singapore with its mix of Asian cultures and its gauntlet of hawker stalls.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? One of my favorite dishes is Za Jiang Mein, the Chinese (and also Korean) answer to Spaghetti Bolognese, consisting
of noodles served with a salty black bean / ground meat sauce and garnished with raw vegetables. But I have had trouble finding this dish in New York City, let alone in Midtown. Anybody know of restaurants that feature this dish? Plus- I will be moving to Philadelphia for a few years. Now
that you have read about my favorite New York lunch haunts, do you have any tips on surviving lunchhour in Philadelphia?

So, I don’t know about Za Jiang Mein (the Chinese version) but we tackled the jjajangmyeon question a few weeks ago after I had an ok Korean version at Han Ah Reum (on 32nd btw. 5th+B’way.) There are some good suggestions in the comments of that post. Since then, I had a good (and cheap) version at Shanghai Mong on 32nd btw. 5+6th which I’ll be posting about soon.

As for the Philly thing, that’s a-whole-nother question. Anybody used to work in Philly (or currently work in Philly) and have good suggestions for Nathan? Feel free to post them in the comments.

And 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

Slate interviewed lunch’ers eating at Sbarros, McDonald’s and Subway in Times Square for this video about whether or not calorie listings make a difference in what you eat for lunch. Big shock- there’s a Sbarro’s, McDonald’s, and Subway in Midtown! I had no idea.  Even more shocking, nobody seems to care that in some cases the calorie listings aren’t even accurate. (Chipotle I’m looking in your general direction.) 

Watch the video after the jump… Read more »

Oh man.  What are we going to do?  Has it really come to this?  Since Yum Thai closed last year, I have been seriously Thai deprived.  Sure, there are options available– but none are really “Midtown Lunch” worthy (i.e. there is no super cheap, order at a counter Thai food in Midtown.)  If you want Thai, you’re going to have to eat it at a sit down restaurant, or order it to go and take it back to your office.  There are plenty of options to the far west, but not much going on to the East, which is what brought me to Thai-Nam last week; a Thai/Vietnamese combo restaurant on 45th btw. Lex+3rd.

What I got (after ignoring the various red flags) after the jump… Read more »

We all know about Latin food inside a Blimpie, but Fork in the Road brings word of the latest shenanigans going on inside the Blimpie on 46th btw. 5+6th where you can order a not-on-the-menu “Special Vegetarian” sandwich involving doritos and a spicy green chile chutney.  This sandwich is definitely on my list for this week.  Midtown Lunch early adopters, feel free to comment below…

Prefer the Spanish food?  The Latin food that used to be in the Blimpie on 6th Ave. btw. 37+38th is now next door sharing space with the Gujarati Indian Steam table and newly opened Taj Delhi Chat.  Or there is another Blimpie with Latin food on 35th btw. 7+8th.