Midtown Lunch

Chris Chen looks like the freakin’ Mona Lisa at the Dessert Truck today (on 52nd and Park), where mums the word over their big Throwdown with Bobby Flay in Union Square yesterday.   Serious Eats: New York has got a pretty comprehensive look at the whole competition, but everybody was sworn to secrecy as to who won.  Our bet… the results will be up on Eater before the end of the day.

Related: Dessert Truck to Throwdown With Bobby Flay?

Pongsri Thai (on 48th btw. B’way+8th) has completed the renovations to their front room, which shut down half the restaurant for the past couple months. And the big surprise is the fact that they didn’t raise their prices!  The lunch specials are still a very cheap for the neighborhood $6 to $8. If you have time to venture over to Ninth Ave. the thai restaurants are far superior over there (and for the same price you usually get an appetizer and/or salad with your lunch special.) But if you don’t have the time, Pongsri is a decent in bounds option (one that has been recommended often by commenters, bloggers, and Profiled Midtown Lunch’ers.)

The two noodle dishes I had on my most recent trip, are after the jump…   

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Step aside Chipotle and Qdoba, rumor has it a far superior option is coming to town. A manager from a recently opened Midtown Lunch’ing spot told me the other day that three of his friends have a franchise license from Baja Fresh and plan on bringing a location of the chain to 8th Ave in the 50s.  That’s Midtown people! No word on timetable or exact location…

Why I like Baja Fresh 10 times more than Chipotle and Qdoba, after the jump…   Read more »

Thought you would be interested: I met up with a friend today for lunch and based on your posting decided to check out the Obika takeout counter. Not only did they break their promise of being prepared today but they seemed to have done worse than yesterday: they apparently ran out of sandwiches at around 11am! (we arrived at 12:30) Is this some scam to get more people to eat at the sit-down area? These guys are not going to be in business very long by selling croissants for lunch. -Mike A.

*Sigh*  Has anybody actually gotten to try these elusive takeout sandwiches?

Union Square has been transformed for a truck on truck, Flay vs. Dessert Truck, bread pudding battle, and Eater has got the photo. Man I wish this had been in Midtown. Clearly last week’s hunch was true…  Anybody up for a victory party tomorrow at the Dessert Truck’s normal Midtown spot on 52nd & Park?

UPDATE: The second truck is actually a Red Hook ballfield vendors truck, and it has left the scene.  Photo after the jump…

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Here we go again! The scene at City Burger $1 burger day (on 39th just
East of Bway) is vaguely reminiscent of opening day with a few key
changes. Only 1 person at the register so the cooks don’t get
overwhelmed, and the orders seem to be coming out a little faster… but
there is still a general disorganization, and orders are coming out
wrong (not surprisingly.)

Got in line at 12:15, ordered at 12:30, food came out at 12:45 (although
the guys after me got their food 5 mins before I did, and they ordered
their burgers cooked medium, and I ordered mine medium rare. Go
figure.) All in all, not terrible… unless yours was one of the orders
they screwed up. Line is a little longer now at 12:45, but not by much.
“Sister Christian” playing while I waited for my food certainly
helped… not a complete shitshow- but the potential is there. You
have until 3pm (and of course there is next tuesday and the tuesday
after.

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week, in honor of this Saturday’s Vendy Awards, I’m turning the site over to EJ- who has recently become exclusively a “cart guy”.

Name: EJ

Age: 27

Occupation: IT (and blogger at cobblehillblog.com)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 45th & Broadway

Favorite Kind of Food: I’m an equal opportunity eater. If forced to pick one category though, I’d say pork. BBQ’d pork (preferably ribs from Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, AL).

Least Favorite Kind of Food: See above. I’d be a perfect judge for Iron Chef as there is very little that I don’t enjoy eating. However, if forced to make a list, it would probably only include eggplant. This year’s CSA also has me currently sick of green beans.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Recently I’ve become almost exclusively a cart guy. I usually bounce between the Biryani Cart (on 46th & 6th) and the Trini Pak cart (on 43rd and 6th). When I’m feeling a bit broke, the $3.50 falafel guy across from Kwik Meal fills the void, however my personal falafel week showed that the best falafel in town is definitely at Bread & Olive.

When I feel the need to eat healthier, I usually head to the somewhat generic Dunhill Cafe (on 45th btw. 6+7th). They have an affordable veggie plate, as well as a good fresh carved turkey breast sandwich. On Fridays, Minar (on 46th btw. 6+7th) has a great cilantro chicken which I’ve been including in the rotation a bit more frequently. I’m also looking forward to the cold weather, which gives me an opportunity to eat more soup at Cafe Edison (on 47th btw. Bway+8th).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? When I’m busy or lazy, I generally head down to the cafeteria in our building. It’s overpriced and mediocre, but reliable for a turkey sandwich on a rainy day.

Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? You definitely get credit for El Rincon Del Sabor on 47th btw. 5+6th (note to self: it’s been a while since I’ve gone for the Wednesday chicken and spaghetti), and the chaat bar/naan sandwiches at Indus Express (on 48th btw. 5+6th).

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A few more bits and pieces of info about the newly opened Obika:

1. The takeout menu and eat in menu are in fact different.  The menu that was posted yesterday with all the under $10 sandwiches, etc. is for takeout only. The eat in menu is more expensive, and while not super expensive- is definitely not a Midtown Lunch.

2. Yesterday, the take out sandwiches ran out by 1 p.m., but I was assured they would be more prepared for the demand today.

3. No official confirmation on how big or small these $8 sandwiches actually are, but I have to say the food behind the glass looked pretty tasty.

4. Barring a situation where the food tastes like garbage, this place is going to be pretty packed every single day.

Some more photos after the jump…   Read more »