PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Jason”

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 we’re throwing a bone to the people who work in the Southern reaches of Midtown (or as some might call it… the Flatiron.) Meet Jason, a Renaissance Man/blogger (naturally) behind the site Me So Hungry which focuses on that area just below Midtown. Technically most of these recommendations are outside the official ML boundaries, but should be welcomed by anybody working in the low 30s.

Name: Jason

Age: 32

Occupation: Associate Producer at a cartoon company (I get paid to watch cartoons), musician, record label exec (I suppose?), food blogger!

Where in Midtown do you Work?: In the Flatiron District

Favorite Kind of Food: Sloppy (shepherd’s pie, stew, casseroles, chili, curry punjabi) …you would think the KFC bowl would be a godsend

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Beef that tastes like lobster. When I first moved to NY down in South Park Slope, all the beef tasted like that. Also if Uni (sea urchin roe) didn’t taste like my VCR from my hometown Winter Park, FL circa 1982, it would be disgusting. But it just reminds of this kung fu movie I watched everyday for 2 years straight: Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. It’s like Karate Kid with Jackie Chan as Ralph Macchio.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The Cuban sandwich at Margon!!! (On 46th btw. 5+6th)… and I love the Hallo Berlin cart! (on 54th and 5th) Rock the Barack Democracy sausage & meatball special!

But what about around your work?

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? I go to Taste Good Chinese on 25th btw. 6th & Broadway regularly. They have home-style Chinese food in the steam trays. One time the older Chinese lady there said she saw their food on my blog. That was my proudest day in food bloggin, yet I was embarrassed that they probably saw my karaoke videos and my swearing. My co-workers often go to Maffie’s pizza on 6th and 22nd st. Latin American (Leocadia Milanes) on 26th btw 6th+Broadway is another one too. Ooh, and RUB’s burnt ends are amazing, but I don’t go there often enough.

Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Ying Du (on 38th btw. 7+8th), Caribbean Spice cart (on 46th btw. 6+7th), NYC Cravings truck, Halal Guys on the SE corner of 53 & 6th, etc. etc…

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Rock Star and go on a world tour. I’ll have a TV food show where I’ll eat on the road and do jump kicks.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? You’re doing a sit-down lunch. Mars 2112 or Jekyll & Hyde?

I don’t know what I’m more embarrassed about… not knowing what Jekyll & Hyde is, or knowing full well what Mars 2112 is. You? And as always if you want to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email me at zach@midtownlunch.com.

48 Comments

  • This guy’s 32? Years from now, he’ll be thankful he looks 20 years younger than his age, but now, I think a haircut, some new clothes and a slightly more adult eating style might spell better luck with the babes.

  • Mars 2112 only because J&H isn’t that impressive.

    And hooray for old school Jackie!

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    I’d go with Mars 2112

  • Is JEckyl and Hide Still around??? Damn…I forgot about that place. MArs 2112 sucks. But Jeckyl and Hide is hardly better—both total tourist themed traps with overpriced crap food and drink. Never again to Jeckyl and Hide (where I used to frequent back in the mid 90s.)

  • i think i’d have to opt for the walgreen’s sandwich.

  • Is that a petrified squirrel trapped in Jason’s hair?

  • FREAK OF THE WEEK

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    Jekyll & Hyde is less a place to eat, and more a place for aspiring actors to log enough “performance” hours to qualify for SAG membership and benefits.

  • First profiled luncher I have wanted to bitch slap since Crazy Legs Conti

  • Worst case of reference hell since Dennis Miller was on Monday Night Football..

  • Why in hell would you ever have to choose between Mars 2112 and Jekyll and Hyde? Is this a dare?

  • As a former performer at Jekyll and Hyde, I must point out to @Rootbeer that J&H has nothing to do with SAG. It’s associated with Actor’s Equity Association, and performers join equity immediately upon working there and do not have to work any specific amount of hours.

    Also, I may be biased since I had to eat their actor’s shift meal for many, many, many evenings, but I’d rather eat just about anywhere else in the entire universe.

  • Get a haircut! What you have is for a sixteen year old

  • Contemplating a new rule… Not allowed to make negative comments about a Profiled Luncher unless you yourself have been profiled. Seems only fair.

  • Hey, Hottie… nice… kielbasa!

  • I’m a pretty ruthless and mean human being but I can’t believe some of the comments about these profiled people. This is midtownlunch, where we all come because we’re (presumably) adults and all work in midtown. Have some class. If I ever get profiled and see something like these things said about me you’re all gonna get your faces caved in.

  • Zach, that will take all the fun out of this. But really, uni tasting like VCR?! beef tasting like lobster? what the what… and why would the guy be licking his VCR unless that’s the initials of one of his relatives. How does VCR in Winter Park, FL taste different from VCR say from Orlando, FL?

    Intriguing. But I like him.

  • Snake in eagles shadow is an awesome movie but I don’t really see how you can relate it to food unless you go into the poison tea…

  • Zach – I have to say I agree – comments are great when they’re about the food, useless and annoying (being nice here) when they’re about appearance or hair.

    That being said, if I have to choose between Mars 2112 and J&H, I’d sooner shoot myself in the foot. These are not restaurants, they’re tourist traps, and I’ll have none of that, thank you.

  • I can’t even begin to weigh in on foods with this gentleman since he seems so meat-centric… The only sit-down lunch place I’ve hit up on my work hour is Lazara, and occasionally this coffee shop on Madison and 30th and these are usually friend lunches, not taking-a-colleague-out-to-talk-shop lunches… Now that aside… we might have our first ML-related restraining order on our hands here… Chinese Broccoli sandwich?? I might love you, Jason…

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