Midtown Lunch

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, it’s Tracy- an Executive Assistant to pay the bills, but she’s an awesome painter too (and by awesome, I mean there are doughnuts and beer in her paintings.)

Name: Tracy

Age: 42

Occupation: Executive Assistant and Painter (http://www.tracymillerpaintings.com/)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Technology/investment firm at 45th and 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: Hamburgers, beer, bacon, crusty bread, banana muffins, warm chocolate cake with ice cream, lobster, fries, mussels, rabbit, pheasant, eggplant parmesan, lasagne, caseroles, stews, soups, biscuits, frosted cookies, meatloaf, shepherds pie, fish tacos,
chocolate croissants, pate, all smoked meat, toast, french jam, stroopwafels, cinnamon rolls, bahn mi, pork buns, cheese, lamburgers, clam linguine, bacon-wrapped anything, gougiere, banana cream pie,
moussaka, chocolate malts

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Yogurt, raisins, salad, fruity desserts, herbal tea

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Shrimp tacos from Pampano Taqueria (3rd Ave. btw. 49+50th), Pork with beans and rice and green sauce from Sophie’s Cuban, Chowder from Hale & Hearty, the spinach salad from Josie’s (3rd Ave. and 37th St.), Udon Noodles from the Cranberry Deli (45th btw. 6+B’way), Lamb pita from the cart on 46th and 6th, pulled pork from the Daisy May’s cart (50th btw. 6+7th), cheesburger and fries from the Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th), lunch special from Yasuda

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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver had time to film something at the Flatiron Lounge last week, but didn’t show up for his planned segment with the Biryani Cart the Friday after Thanksgiving, and didn’t even call to say they weren’t coming. (Admittedly, I was only pissed because he’s my favorite chef, and I really wanted to get a photo of him at one of my favorite carts.) Well, we heard this morning that Oliver’s producer finally called Meru, the owner of the cart, to apologize for not showing up; apparently things were just too hectic, but they promised to visit the cart the next time Oliver was in New York City. The apology comes just in time… I was almost considering voting the guy a douche.

Today is National Brownie Day, but with the Treats Truck (my goto brownie source) parked Downtown, I’m kind of at a loss. Anybody have a brownie recommendation for those of us looking to celebrate this most important of holidays? Feel free to put it in the comments… (yes, I’m using this stupid thing as an excuse to eat a brownie today.)

Photos by Kathy YL Chan

The out of bounds block of 53rd street btw. 2nd and 3rd Avenue is quickly becoming a mini-restaurant row for east side Midtown Lunch’ers.  A while back I wrote about Spoons (which was replaced by Good Health Burger) and Uncle Marky’s Organics (which is still there.)  There is also LTK (Little Thai Kitchen) and , where you can get under $10 Thai and Indian lunch specials, as well as the recently opened second branch of the East Village’s Brick Lane Curry House. 

But I think the cheapest option on the block is the Hawaiian Island Grill, a take out only place that is also home to the overpriced “Gordon Chen’s Kitchen.” Both are owned by the same company that owns the Hakata Grill, and while I didn’t necessarily have high hopes, a tipster suggested I check it out. Seeing how it was supposed to be Hawaiian food, and I’ve never been to Hawaii, I enlisted my friend Kathy YL Chan (from the blog A Passion for Food & Serious Eats: New York) to accompany me.

Between the two of us, we ordered most of the lunch specials… and our thoughts (plus food porn) are after the jump. Mine, from the perspective of a fat guy- her, from the perspective of a Hawaiian.

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From an email tipster: “Free food at Old Bridge today! Free coffee and a buttered roll until 10am and then FREE SOUP and premade sandwiches at lunch!” Clearly the OBD is following the U.S. economic strategy.  What do you do when you have racked up a ton of debt?  Free giveaway for everyone!!! Enjoy freeloaders… the deli is on Lexington and 41st Street.

Update: Another tipster just emailed to let us know that you can get a bagel, instead of a roll this morning. And you have the option of one small hot buffet item instead of the premade sandwiches from Noon to 2pm.

Pumpkin Cake from the Treats Truck. Photo by Blondie and Brownie

• More of Danny’s thoughts on the Black Label burger at City Burger [Food in Mouth]
• Another shrine to La Frieda beef will be opening in Bloomingdales next month [The Feedbag]
• A super expensive new French Austrian bakery has opened in the Plaza Hotel [Serious Eats: New York]
• The pumpkin cake at the Treats Truck is delicious [Blondie and Brownie]
• A lot of the best Asian sweets in the city can be found in Midtown [Restaurant Girl]

Speaking of burgers…. I guess I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody stepped up and complained about the mini-post we did a few months ago about the Ruby Tuesday Burger:

“I don’t usually feel the urge to comment on anything directly online, but I feel compelled here to make sure that everyone understands just how awful the Ruby Tuesday’s burger is. I had their triple meat burger (ooh 3 types of meats ground together!) a few months ago, or whatever they call it, it’s awful, don’t do it to yourself, it’s not worth the money! Any money! I wouldn’t eat it if it was free (that’s a lie – but I would hesitate). It was just a not-good tasting burger, not seasoned well and didn’t taste like good quality meat. Soggy bun, sad lettuce…. go anywhere else and save your taste buds!!!”

Considering that it’s Ruby Tuesday, I wouldn’t have thought this needed to be said.  But I trust A Hamburger Today when it comes to burgers, and they said it was decent.  (It has problems, but nothing that would be considered “awful”.)  Have any other lunchers subjected themselves to a Times Square tourist lunch, and want to weigh in?  Sure, Midtown Lunch is against crappy chains like this in theory- but I just want to make sure they get their fair shake.

The former newsstand that houses Taj Delhi Chat, Khodiar Lunch Services gujarati food, and the latin food that used to be in the Blimpie, has reopened… but strangely enough, it is possible that they never even closed.  The tip we received was not confirmed with a photo, and the owners of the newsstand claim they were never closed (except on Thanksgiving.) It would normally be suspicious (places have been known to hide their DOH’ing), but the claim is confirmed by the Health Department website, which shows that they passed their most recent inspection.  Just wanted to set the record straight, and let you know there is clearly nothing wrong with the best Indian food place in Midtown! Plus, as one commenter remarked a few weeks ago, they have redesigned the space.

The photo is after the jump…  Read more »