Midtown Lunch

 

Is it possible that the secret to great roast pork and roast duck lies in the caked on juices that occur after years and years of use? That’s what one commenter suggested about Ying Du’s roasted meats, which made a return last week after disappearing following a visit from the DOH.

“I went last week on Monday and can confirm that the roasted meats are indeed back at Ying Du, and they still cost $5. I went with the roast pork and roast duck combo. I agree that the flavor isn’t nearly as good as before the DOH close, and I can only assume that it’s because they were forced to clean everything and remove the years of built-in flavoring.”

Let this be a lesson to all you neat freaks and germaphobes. Dirty = Delicious!

Unbelievable. How many times has the Old Bridge Deli been seized for not paying their taxes, and yet they somehow manage to find a way to reopen.  Clearly I don’t understand how business works.  Most importantly, I hope they fixed the rolly wrap machine.

Danny (from the blog Food in Mouth) went to City Burger and got them
to serve him their new black label burger (even though technically it
doesn’t debut until tomorrow.) He forwarded the picture along and had
this to say in the comments:

"I think there are a variety of ways to look at this burger. From the
Midtown Lunch perspective of a $10 lunch… I would guess a $13
cheeseburger is not for everyone."

"From a cheeseburger to cheeseburger comparison perspective, this is
definitely worth trying. Yes it’s an expensive take-out burger but it
tastes different. I can’t tell you if it lives up to this black label
hype, but it definitely has a completely different taste. If you’re
really into trying the various burgers in this city, you owe it to
yourself to at least try this one. I think of those that do, many will
come away with a kinder impression of City Burger.

With all that said, there was no line when I went, so the criticism of
the service may still stand."

Good first impression…especially coming from Danny, who got to try
the burger as a regular customer, rather than at a special tasting for
reporters. (He clearly didn’t mention to them that he was a blogger,
or else they probably wouldn’t have served him a day early.)

Despite the high prices, and the economic issues facing lunchers, it appears as if Free Foods NYC (on 45th btw. 5+6th) is doing well enough to open a second location where F&B Gudtfood used to be (on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd). Lunchers looking for the best bargains won’t care about this one, but if you are really into organic food, and don’t mind spending the extra money- this is your best option in Midtown.  Even I’ll admit, their buy the pound buffet (which is quite possibly the most expensive in the city) looks pretty damn tasty.  It’s what I refer to as the “If I were a rich man” lunch.

The sign says that they are planning on opening fall of 2008 (which would be now), but from looking at the plywood, I’m guessing it won’t be for at least another month.  A photo of that (for those of you who get excited about construction sites) is after the jump.

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Got a bit of terrible news in the comments the other day about La Strada, the former pizza place turned Latin food joint on 56th btw. Park+Lex. “DID THIS PLACE CLOSE? The other day it was totally shut!” Phone number is “temporarily disconnected.” That can’t be good… luckily for those who work in the upper reaches of Midtown East (which is already pretty desolate) there is the Tina’s Restaurant on 56th btw. 5+6th for the their rice and beans fix.

Some big news reported by the Feedbag yesterday… City Burger, which has gotten mixed reviews since they opened on 39th St. just East of Broadway, will reinvent themselves starting tomorrow as “a temple to classic burger cookery. Griddles have replaced the grills, the menu has narrowed, and the focus is now on the glories of La Frieda beef.”

According to the owner “We’re cooking the city’s best burgers! Our rivals aren’t Wendy’s and McDonald’s. They’re Shake Shack and The Spotted Pig and Corner Bistro and the city’s other great burgers. And I’ll put ours up against any of them.” 

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Grub Street reports that the final new Chipotle opening in 2008 will be on Madison and 39th, on December 11th- and they’ll be celebrating old school style on December 10th with free burritos from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  6 p.m. No acoustic bands, no Halloween costumes, and no charity tie-in… just free food, given away to hoardes of freeloaders, just like the old days.  I’m down with that.

My personal goal of creating a buffet eating arsenal through spreading my personal DNA took a big leap forward today.  Meet Harry, the first member of this exclusive club, who entered the world this morning weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz (or as I would say, $50.60 at the Cafe Duke by the lb. buffet.)  My celebratory lunch?  General Tso’s chicken and pork fried rice (of course) from the closest Chinese dive to the hospital (some random place on 10th Ave. btw. 51+52nd.)  That *adorable* photo is after the jump…

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Sorry, my still-stuck-in-junior-high sense of humor couldn’t resist posting this one… this sign at Sam’s House Cafe (formerly Bagelfeller on 48th btw. 5+6th) made me laugh out loud yesterday. Is that so wrong? (Apparently this is technically not a mis-spelling either.)

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 another author and book giveaway… meet “Broke Ass Stuart” whose new book “Guide to Living Cheaply in New York City” was released last week. He doesn’t work in Midtown, but the purpose of his guide is clearly something we’re all interested in. He’s also having an open-to-the-public book release party at The Delancey on Thursday night, featuring free beer and free food from a bunch of places, including Midtown Lunch favorite Kati Roll. But more on that below… first, his picks for best lunch in Midtown.

Name: Stuart

Age: Two weeks away from being 28

Occupation: Travel Writer (www.brokeassstuart.com)

Where do you Work?: Wherever there are broke-asses I’ll be there.

Favorite Kind of Food: Ooh, that’s tough. I love food from around the world. The idea of only being able to eat one kind of food for the rest of my life sound like torture to me. For example, I love steak, pizza, and pasta, but when I was down in Argentina, I actually got sick of all those things because there was very little else to eat. In an ideal world I’d have a burrito from San Diego, Vietnamese food from SF, pastrami from Katz’s Deli, pizza from Brooklyn, and a Garbage Plate from Rochester all in the same week. Unfortunately I would probably have a heart attack that week too.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Raw onions. Fuck raw onions.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I really dig Taam-Tov (on 47th btw. 5+6th). It’s this really cool little Glatt Kosher Uzbek that serves up delicious meals. I get something new every time. I don’t know what half the shit is, so I just look at what the people around me are having, point to it and say I’ll take that. I usually works out pretty well. Hallo Berlin is pretty cool too…mmmm…sausages…

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