Midtown Lunch

Today is Diwali, a major holiday celebrated by Indian people of all faiths, and many of the Indian restaurants in Midtown are rolling out the big guns.  Prices will stay the same, but Spice Fusion (on 8th Ave. btw. 47+48th) says their buffet will be “more elaborate” today and Touch of India (on 37th btw. 7+8th) has said they will have special items on their buffet, like biryani. (Sukhadia, on 45th is doing nothing special and Curry Dream didn’t even know it was Diwali.)

There was a time when Midtown was teeming with Blimpies that had Spanish food in the back (there were two.)  Now there are none. The more famous Blimpie sub shop with Spanish food (on 6th btw. 37+38th) closed awhile ago, and the spanish food moved next door into the Indian newsstand. Now the other one (on 35th btw. 7+8th) has also closed, and there is no word on whether the spanish food will be moving to another location.

Coincidentally enough, I received word of a new Blimpie sighting… this one with Sushi! (Will wonders never cease.)

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My dislike of Chipotle is well documented, but I have also been quoted as saying “Free Chipotle is the only good Chipotle“.  Thanks to Gen from Foodies R Goodies for passing along this information: on Friday from 6 p.m. to closing every single Chipotle in New York City will be giving away free burritos to anybody dressed up… as a burrito (or a taco). We’re not sure about some of the existential issues involved (i.e. how serious does your burrito costume have to be, or will the free burritos include free “$1.75 guacamole”) but we’re guessing they’ll be good sports about it.  Especially if you’re enough of a loser to spend all day at work dressed as a burrito for what amounts to $7.

Foodies R Goodies also reports that there is a new Chipotle opening up on 45th btw. 5+6th… and according to a Chipotle employee it will be opening this Friday- just in time for you to get your free Halloween burrito (provided you are dressed up of course.)  Truthfully, they should try to make as many fans as they can with these free burritos… because once the new Baja Fresh opens in Midtown, it’s all over. (Well, for some of us anyway.)

2008 Vendy Award winners The Calexico Cart were featured in the New York Daily News today, and when asked to name their favorite food carts in the city, gave a list made up almost entirely of former Vendy Award nominees.  That list included the Kwik Meal Cart (on 45th & 6th) and the Biryani Cart (on 46th and 6th), who both lost to the Calexico cart at this year’s competition, and the Hallo Berlin Cart (on 54th and 5th), who won the very first Vendy Awards (the event that served as inspiration for the Vendley brothers to start the Calexico Cart.)  Also mentioned was the news that they are working on “a potential alliance with the Treat Truck dessert cart for a best-of-the-street catering service.”  Very interesting…

In other Vendy related news, one of the Vendy Award board members defended Daisy Martinez against the lighthearted “accusation” that as a Judge at this year’s Vendy Awards she didn’t try the food from the Biryani Cart.

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The best food within walking distance of The London?

Grub Street interviewed the singer Ne-Yo last week and discovered that his favorite place to eat in New York is the Cafe Metro around the corner from The London (on 54th & 7th Ave.) Really? Come on! I was thinking maybe they did something special… but nope. In fact, it’s one of the smaller ones.  But Ne-Yo swears by their “low-carb wheat pasta” adding “I’m not difficult to please.” Clearly.

Looking at the Midtown Lunch Restaurant Map, there does appear to a black hole of nothingness in the area directly around the London- but there is that new daytime location of the Famous Halal Guys street meat cart on the SW corner of 53rd & 7th.

Last week, Grub Street called it selling out, but as far as Midtown Lunch is concerned, free food is free food.  Today, the Dessert Truck will be at two new locations handing out small samples of desserts they’ve crafted using a specific brand of pomegranate liquor. The truck will be at 40th St btw. 6th+B’way from 4:05 to 4:25pm, and then at 36th St btw. 8+9th from 4:40 to 5pm. Normal Park Ave. operations have been suspended for the day. The freebies are actually part of a private thing for media companies in the area- but we got permission to make the two Midtown stops open to the public! Enjoy, freeloaders… (and get there early if you can, because supplies are limited.)

Some terrible news posted to the comments over the weekend: “I was talking to Madeleine (the crepe lady) and it turns out CyberCafe (on 489h btw. B’way+8th) will have to close down in a couple months because a hotel is buying it out. And she’ll have to stop making crepes! Someone needs to offer her a crepe-making nook in another cafe!”  Any takers? (I’m looking in your general direction Macaron Cafe…) It would be a real shame for Midtown lunch’ing to lose Madeleine’s amazing Brittany crepes.

Masala Dosa from Indian vegetarian Sukhadia. Photo by nycblondieandbrownie 

• The masala dosa at Sukhadia is good, and huge… [Blondie and Brownie]
• … but is it better than this dosa I ate at the just out of ML boundaries Tiffin Wallah [Serious Eats:New York]
• Anybody heard of Harrie’s Bakery on 38th Street? [Lost City]
• Another look at the Bon Appetit Pop Up Cafe [Food in Mouth]
• Josh Ozersky makes Midtown predictions about restaurants that are too rich for Midtown Lunch’s blood [Feedbag]
• This guy thinks the Rickshaw Dumpling Cart should sell their dumplings in servings of 3 [Business Week]

 
Banana Pudding From Magnolia Bakery. Photograph from Serious Eats:New York

Earlier today I noted how Cosi was unusually empty at lunchtime… Lunch’er “Adam” checks in to say Magnolia Bakery & Crumbs are having no such problems (and Crumbs did have some free mini cupcakes, as promised):

During lunch, I visited the two new cupcake shops in Midtown. Here is my report… I first hit up Crumbs on Madison between 52+53rd Streets. Although I wouldn’t classify their sampling as “aggressive,” as the manager had promised, there were free mini vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles on top sitting on a plate next to the registers. Only about 8 cupcakes remained when we arrived. My friend and I each grabbed two in rapid succession, as it was clear the cupcakes wouldn’t last for long. We were correct — in a matter of 3 minutes, all of the cupcakes were gone. We decided to wait it out to see if there would be a new plate put out, but no luck. One woman even walked in and asked for free samples, but was told they were all gone. We made it just in the nick of time! But that victory was short lived…

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