Midtown Lunch

What can I say? I’m a cheap bastard.

• Midtown Lunch… bringing old friends together over chicken and potato stick sandwiches at Tina’s [Blondie and Brownie]
• Long lines followed the NYC Cravings truck to the Flatiron District on Tuesday [Me So Hungry]
• Mr. Cutlets tears apart the meatball sandwich at AQ Kafe [The Feedbag]
• You can get a breakfast torta from the cart on 33rd and 9th Ave. [Fressagirl]
• Empty Midtown storefronts are being turned into billboards [NYT]
• The Japanese culinary center on 45th & 3rd will soon begin selling “hard to find Japanese ingredients… in home-cook quantities” [Tasting Table via Grub Street]
• For an extra $1 you can get a full size order of rice and beans with any sandwich at Sophie’s Cuban [Lunch Studio]
• Melt Cafe and Gelato bar has opened on 2nd Ave. [Eating in Translation]
• The new branch of Fika Swedish Espresso Bar has opened on Park btw. 28+29th [Tasting Table]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

1 2 3, Burger, Shot, Beer is out of bounds for anyone in Midtown East, but if you work on the Westside this is a popular spot to meet up with friends and enjoy one dollar mini burgers, two dollar mixed shots and you guessed it -three buck beers. The bar attracts a few local suits and neighborhood regulars but mostly younger bar-hoppers looking to get trashed and watch a game on the many large flat screens.

When navigating this bar it’s important to note the pricey things to avoid. First, steer clear of the shots. It’s a thimble sized shot and only comes in their pre-mixed girly drinks: Kamikaze, Lemon Drop, DoMeAgain, Screaming Orgasm… etc. Not worth it. I wouldn’t mess around with the $3 beers either- instead go with the Beer Tube! For $30.00 you get more bang for your buck plus it just seems right given the bright neon décor and cheap greasy food you will devour. In addition, it’s a hoot to see the petite Asian bartender (or any of their barely legal wait staff) fill up this huge beast.

That photo is after the jump…

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Believe or not I had actually never eaten at the super famous Tony “The Dragon” Dragonas cart on Madison & 62nd until last week.  I am very familiar with his disciple, Carnegie John (on 56th and 7th), but have never made it up to see the man himself.  I know it’s just a few blocks out of bounds, but there’s something about the UES that repels me- and if I do find myself up anywhere near that area, I usually eat at the original El Rey del Sabor Cart (on 60th and 3rd).

Anyway, a doctor’s appt. brought me right past the Dragon’s popular cart last week during lunch, and again those words popped into my head (like they have so many times before when faced with something delicious)…  “how could I not?”

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If you missed out on the Taiwanese fried chicken madness earlier in the week, the NYC Cravings Truck is parked on 52nd and Lexington today.  Since it’s their first time parking in this space, you might want to keep an eye on their Twitter for any updates. Getting there early might be a good move too… although hopefully they brought more chicken today than they did on Monday!

Looks like the famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th aren’t the only quality late night street meat available in Midtown anymore.  The Kwik Meal cart (on 45th & 6th) has decided to try and stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (Before this week, their schedule was just M-F 11am until around 8:30-9pm.)  This is great news for any Kwik Meal fans who find themselves working over the weekend or super late at night.  Owner Muhammad Rahman says he’s going to test it out for a few weeks and see how it goes.  If there’s business, he’ll keep the cart open all night long, indefinitely.

After posting that you really have to go to 9th Ave. for a decent Greek style gyro, Lunch’er Susan emailed me to ask about a gyro special she had seen in Midtown Proper: “Pronto on 48th btw 5+6th, near Indus Express and Hing Won, has a gyro combo. Gyro, fries, drink for $6. Could this possibly be any good? I suppose stranger things have happened.” There are actually *two* Pronto Pizzas on 48th btw. 5+6th, but the gyro deal is at the one closer to 6th Ave. I stopped by there the other day to check it out.

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Saw this sign outside the infamous Belly Delly Deli (on Broadway & 50th), which has been closed since the end of last year. I always thought it was a gross generic Midtown deli, but I know there are some who will be excited for it to reopen. Not sure if it’s going to still be the Belly Delly Deli, or something else, but either way from the looks of the sign we can count on it being generic. I wonder if you’ll be able to eat your turkey sandwich upstairs while getting your nails done. That would be different!