A New Low: Lunch in Midtown is Worse Than Jersey
“I have been reading your blog for a few years while working in midtown. The reason for your blog is justifiable since the food is so average at best and the pricing is just hilarious. Now that I am working in Jersey and eating great food again from real italian delis, crazy authentic korean restaurants, thai, getting real bagels for breakfast, etc i am going to stop reading your blog as it serves no purpose for me anymore accept to feel bad that you still have to resort to eating stuff like the above sandwiches for $10. It’s kind of pathetic. Brown bag it dude. Not to mention the cockroaches and rats in all of those establishments. -rocky”
That… uh… makes me feel really shitty. Wait! You know what… I’m not going to let this “rocky” get me down. FUCK… YOU… GUY. Let’s get one thing straight: Midtown lunching is like a family. It’s perfectly ok to bad mouth it (or call it a food wasteland), if you’re related by blood (or lunchtime misery.) You, however, now work in Jersey… so keep your damn opinions (and your “real Italian delis” and “crazy authentic restaurants”) to yourself!
Posted: 3:45 pm, March 31st, 2009 under Airing of Grievances.
62 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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62 Comments
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! DATS RIGHT! Suck It Jersey!!
Listen to your goddamn BonJovi and bite me! -
it’s great not having to drive on your lunch break. just walk around, take in the city, get something good to eat.
seriously, i gotta defend the food. it’s pretty tasty, i don’t know what people are talking about.
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Unless you are living and working in Hoboken, your options suck bro…I know it’s hard to admit NJ food sucks balls, but being a shameful former native, having lived all over the state, I know this to be true. Yes, there is a silver lining in every shit town, but yoiu can’t eat any one type of food every day—at least most normal people can’t. And I know for a fact that no town boasts more than 1 outstanding outpost for lunch or anything else, other than hoboken…
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…Jersey? You mean armpit of the north east?
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think about it for a second…and oh yea we SO envy them for their real Italian and CRAZY AUTHENTIC KOREAN FOOD….
I don’t know about you buddy, but mid-town has some “CRAZY AUTHENTIC KOREAN FOOD”
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eh, whatever. while i love jersey and he has a point about it being cheaper, it’s not your fault that food in manhattan is expensive. you just tell us what’s good from what’s available.
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As a Midtown Luncher who hails from Jersey, I do miss the italian delis the most. Bagels and pizza are both way better in NJ too in my opinion. However, I don’t choose my job based on what’s available for lunch. I work in Midtown so I eat what’s around me and thanks to this blog, I’ve found so many great things — German cart, kofta, Halal carts in general, the Alambre, etc. I’ll certainly miss this stuff when I’m no longer working in NYC.
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Jersey may have Midtown beat for italian deli’s and bagels….
But Midtown has Jersey beat for Pizza. I don’t see where thats coming from.
That and, oh, like, everything else.
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I don’t think it’s a fair fight – he’s basically putting an entire state up against our little piece of NYC. Okay, so maybe Jersey has better food than a few square blocks, but if you want to put NYC up against Jersey, there’s no comparison. I can get a great bagel on my way to work – at home in Queens. I can also get food that is cheaper than midtown. We’re only stuck here for lunch, the rest of the time we have great options.
And I too would much rather be able to walk around than be stuck in a car (although, I wouldn’t mind a few less tourists).
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Who is this Jersey joker?!?!
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One great thing about working in Times Square (yes, there is a silver lining) is that you can hop on the train and go get delicious authentic food any time you want. Chinatown, Ktown, Little Italy, and Curry Hill are all 10-15 minutes away. Not the case in NJ where you have to drive 30 minutes to go anywhere. And as for Chinese, haven’t had good Chinese once in NJ, ever. As for Midtown itself, NJ doesn’t have the diversity of carts we have here. Sorry Rocky, but NJ just can’t compare to NY. Not even close.
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Dude, the food in Jersey City sucks balls. I WISH I still worked in Midtown.
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Italian deli==you kidding. Um, Milano deli on 34th is as good as anything in Hoboken or anywhere else in Jersey!! Likewise, Delfontes on 21st and 3rd (Even if not in midtown lunch range, it is in the city)….kicks the shit out of 99 percent of Jersey delis, or delis anywhere for that matter!!! Bagels–you got Essa or any of the other bagel shops–don’t even try to tell me your strip mall bagel counter is better. Please—put down the exhaust pipe anonymous jackass….
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I must say the korean food is def better in NJ no doubt.
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@mamacita – that attack on bon jovi is completely uncalled for. as for craptastic jersey, why are we even dignifying these silly claims with an actual discussion?
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I used to work in NJ and now I work in Midtown. Although there was one authentic Italian deli nearby, it was by no means cheap. They imported all their meats and cheeses. Meaning the sandwiches easily started at $10. That’s similar to Midtown prices. Also, how can you get more authentic than K-Town? Unless you work in Fort Lee…maybe you have a chance. Only Maybe. I want to know who this person is and what their idea of authentic food is. Especially his idea of authentic Asian food. He/she sounds pretty ignorant to me.
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Hey Moron:
I will possibly accept the idea that some things are better in Jersey when you learn the difference between ACCEPT and EXCEPT. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME WORD.
Yours in Grammarville,
Offbalance. -
WOW!
What an enlightening comment: “Lunch in Midtown . . .”
But as one who is forced to pass through both ‘Midtown’, as well as ‘New Joisy’, more often than I would like to admit — I would have to disagree!
NOTHING on God’s (if she really exists) green Earth, is WORSE than New Joisy. NOTHING!
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Food selection is far better here, PLUS you can just drink your lunch and not worry about driving back to the office! As far as cost, well, this is an exotic little island off the coast of the US with no natural resources other than creativity. So it’s going to cost a wee bit more.
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Tanman,
Shot through the heart and you’re to blame, baby, you give love a bad name!!
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Dear ML,
Even though I don’t live in/work in Midtown, I still love to read your blog. Thanks to you, I’ve discovered Cafe Zaiya and the 53rd and 6th Ave Halal cart (really). I recently moved from CA – Bay Area to be specific – which has AMAZING food). And I’ve got to say, you have gems here! That dude/tte is in Jersey is probably just secretly envious haha. Also, the world is full of pathological liars. While s/he’s entitled to his opinion, s/he didn’t need to be so rude about it. Yay for not letting this person get you down! Keep up the yummy work.
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Hey Rocky – vermin in food establishments exists everywhere. Lucky for you NJ is the noxious fumes/chemical waste capital of the country. Go $lo@ yourself douche bag!
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Rocky used to work on a cocks…pumping away all day he’s on the cock…ohhh yeahhhhh.
I’d like to thank mama for the inspiration.
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Pizza in NJ is way better than pizza in Midtown. Where can you even get a halfway decent slice of pizza? Three quarters of the places have a Ray’s in their name.
Choosing a random place in NJ will probably yield a better slice than choosing a random place in Midtown.
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just to chime in… i grew up and worked in the northern jersey area right over the GWB and i agree with rocky’s comments about the korean food and the bagels (not sure about thai though). the korean food is fantastic, very cheap, and is the biggest thing that i miss about working there. a large entree that tastes great with lots of ban-chan (small appetizers) can be had for as little as 5 or 6 bucks. im not sure what part of NJ this idiot is running his mouth off from (maybe jersey city), but with all this jersey bashing going on, I had to speak up and at least represent. you can find some great japanese (santoka ramen, east) and indian food (mantra) too, though I have to admit, chinese and thai foods are pretty weak up there. i dont know what rocky’s problem is, to be honest.
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Just in case no one has said it— Bon Jovi sucks
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Rocky,
Take your mullet, your cheap-ass gold, A/C salt water taffey, load up your black Trans-Am with Best of Foghat 8-tracks and git da fuck outa here.
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Isn’t Tiffany, of “I Think We’re Alone Now” fame from the JZ, too? Maybe she’ll be willing to be profiled as next Tuesday’s Midtown Lunch’er?
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Thai food is awful in NJ. I have thai friends from Jersey who drive to Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside for real thai food.
Name one place that compares to Aburiya Kinnosuke, Soba Totto, Jean Georges for Lunch in NJ.
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Oh man! Tiffany!! I love you Nancy! LOL
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Hey, why no mention of Zach’s starring role on the site today?
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I’ve got several years of lunch experience in both places, and its true, the Italian Delis in Jersey have Midtown beat by a mile. But other than that- the selection, the convenience, the accesibility….its not even close.
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Damn Zach, you look fierce in some of those snap shots! Like someone stole your lunch money!
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I’m with you, Offbalance!
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You guys hunt in packs.
Im impressed.
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Rocky, eat a d!@k. You live in Jersey. Might as well be dead.
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I have about 10 food options that are within 50 yards of my office. And they cover most major types of cuisines, although the lack of a nearby Thai place to Rock Center kinda sucks.
But I’m willing to go 20+ minutes to get lunch, the average time it takes to go somewhere to get a decent lunch in Jersey, that means I can hit up just about anything I want.
Burger? Shakeshack it is.
Pastrami sandwich? Carnegie Deli
Pizza? Too many places to count that kick butt but I’ll go with Bleecker Street Pizza
Chinese? Too many places to listAnd that doesn’t take into account Biryani Cart, Jamaica Dutchy, or Halal on 53rd.
I got nothing against Jersey but Rocky is smoking crack.
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HAS THE WORLD GONE TO HELL?!!
Since when did JERSEY become the mecca for “real italian delis”, “crazy authentic korean restaurants”.
ekG – “Bagels and pizza are both way better in NJ ”I’m from Jersey and this is straight up CRAZY TALK!
ekG and Rocky, suck my armpit with your Olive Garden, TGIF suburban food authenticity.Zach, I for one will continue to enjoy eating at Halo Berlin, Burger Joint, Cafe Zaiya.
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“He looked at me and said, ‘Thank you, you are a very good man,’”
…..and we all know what happened to Babu Bhatt.
“ -
is this argument even happening?…its friggin jersey. he probably has to drive to get lunch. keep ur italian delis….ill keep midtown for what it is.
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I spent the last fifteen years working in Jersey and no where did I find food options anywhere close to what’s here. For 99% of Jersey the food is much worse and for the other 1% it’s a break even, even accounting for the cost
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“Yo bro we got teh crazy good foodz here in dirty jerz…feel these biceps bro, workin’ it, sluts love that stuff. Ey oh Joey, ‘nother calzone. Eff dat City garbage.”
New Jersey…the armpit of America.
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The only thing I can give to jersey are the grease trucks and hoagie heaven. If either or both of those things were in mid-town my life would be much fatter.
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new york sucks ass…every deli is the SAME…it has that garbage buffet…what the hell!? its a DELI!!…not a chinese buffet!!!
the guy who made my italian deli sandwich yest was named Pablo….COMON NOW!!!!!
there are rats everywhere…it costs 11 dollars for 1 small sandwich…homeless people everywhere.
new york is one big financial bank / bar / restaurant.
AND THATS IT
come to new jersey if you want to see green grass and huge trees.
Edward Norton said it the best in the 25th hour.
Thanks!
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You do realize we have a park with green grass and huge trees. In fact more than one and a handful of boroughs which also offer this treat.
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^ LOL
sucks you gotta take your crappy piss smelling subways to go to that one park to see grass
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Piss smelling subway is better than piss smelling people in Jersey
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Jersey has a city with the number one murder rate in america…cant wait to visi!!!
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I work in Jersey, Secaucus to be exact, and the food choices here sucks wind. I could kill to work in Midtown again because I had way better choices and I paid much less for my lunches than I do now.
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Please stop with the emails!
I am NOT “rocky!”
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The Hater that wrote that comment is clearly suffering form ML withdrawal and Jealousy – the only reason someone would write such a childish email is because they HATE jersey but need to make others feel better about themselves.
Im a downtown luncher but I love ML! Its a great read and I’ve even hopped on a train from Chinatown to try a ML pick!
So there! -
People. There is no reason for this battle. Both are awesome.
To trash lunch options in Manhattan is just retarded.
But if you’re trashing Jersey, you probably have no idea what you’re talking about. Spend a week lunching in the Ironbound in Newark (cheap-ass, plentiful, delicious brazilian & portuguese), or Bergenline in Union City (cuban sandwiches that would make even Margon blush, and totally sick Peruvian BBQ). Throw in the fact that Jersey italian delis ARE superior, on average, to Manhattan delis, and it’s just plain science: Jersey can represent.
I’m not saying I’d ever fucking move there for food. Or any other reason. But if you find yourself lunching there every so often, consider yourself lucky.
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This is coming from someone that works in the state that has some of the worst water and is the smelliest of all tri-state area? I have no doubt that there may be some things that might be better, but overall, as others have noted that the great thing about being in Midtown is the easy access to food and even other areas in the city. I don’t have to take a car as things are walking distance.
This author of that is simply trying to make the best of their crappy situation by insulting the site/community that is here. Also, w/a name/alias such as ‘Rocky’ you know that it belongs to someone who is a douchebag.
…Or a troll.
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@Ben Ben: I second that Hoagie Haven thought!
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NJ is the American Essex?……jesus how far down the evolutionary chain does that put Arkansas and texas?…….Alabama must be a primeordial soup.
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No no, Rudy – NJ is more like the American Blackpool
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Ewww blackpool ,full of pissed up jocks….but great fish and chips.
Always a trade off.
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A big fat WORD to the original poster.
1. Anyone who things Hoboken is the best thing in jersey deserves to get stranded in the Hudson. I live 5 minutes from the ‘boken and my rent, groceries, and parking tickets are a 1/3 they would be if i went to the other side of the aquaduct. Why is it so expensive there? Ex-New Yorkers who don’t realize they’re getting ripped off.
2. The only people who say or write”Joisy” those that think a 35 year old Joe Piscopo sketch is still funny. I’ve met Jersey Joe. He doesn’t even laugh at it anymore.Even with the $10 limit a lot of the food on here is too expensive when I know I can walk to the corner of my block and get a 1/2 pollo a la braza with potato & salad and a handmade empanada for $4.25.
I’m forcefeeding a Walgreens burger to the next person who asks “What exit off the parkway?” -
@Rocky, no reason to go thermonuclear on Zach, he’s doing the rest of us a great service with the site.
@BenBen, good job giving props to the grease trucks! I’d love to see some cart in midtown start shilling Fat Darrels, Fat Elvis’s, etc. Hoagie Heaven is rock solid but I have to give a shout out to Lee’s Hoagies just for their chicken cheesesteak.
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First of all, just TRY to get a good chicken & rice platter with white sauce & hot sauce in NJ. Can’t be done. It’s one of those midtown things you take for granted until you get out of the city and can’t find it anywhere.
Now, to the commenter who can’t find good Chinese in NJ, you need to try Petite Soo Chow in Cliffside Park. The owners used to run a place in NYC Chinatown, and the one in NJ is comparable to those in NYC. Always packed with Chinese patrons who drive in from other Jersey towns, it’s known for its soup dumplings, and is pretty cheap.
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[...] 可謂是我最近intern閒暇之餘最愉快的調劑。比如説, Midtown Lunch的這篇Lunch in Midtown is Worse than Jersey。＊Midtown [...]
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Hold on a sec here.
The author of that little blurb has a point. There are probably a lot of better food choices scattered throughout Jersey than there are in Midtown Manhattan.And, being of Indian origin, I can assure you what you call Indian food in Manhattan is considered crap. It never used to be this way, honestly – I don’t know what happened. In the 80’s NYC was the place to go for an Indian meal.
But now it’s definitely Jersey. Curry Hill is a S**th*le. And I went to Tabla with some friends a couple of weeks ago and felt like puking.The same applies to other types of ethnic cuisine. A lot of these chefs/cooks who come to this country cannot afford opening up shop in Manhattan, so they have opened up on the outskirts – throughout NJ, Brooklyn, Queens etc – these are the places to go for real ethnic cuisine. – including Thai Food, Korean food etc.
And, although this is not considered ethnic, even for Italian food, although I will admit there are fine Italian establishments in the city. But Northern NJ – areas like Nutley/Belleville, etc. you find amazing homestyle Italian Restaurants.
And for the moron who said the only places where you have a good variety of choices in NJ is Hoboken – you’re clueless. Hoboken is the worst – it’s a collection of small chain food restaurants and the type of Thai and Indian restaurants you would find in Manhattan – in other words, Bleh!
Montclair has a far better collection of eateries as a whole, but for individual ethnic cuisines there are particular neighborhoods you have to visit.My 2 cents.
Also.. Its jersey man.. jersey.