Midtown Lunch

I guess he’s not down with the Little Morocco

• Grill 44 makes a mean dosa [Chowhound]
• Whoa. This peanut butter/chocolate cookie looks amazing [Blondie and Brownie]
• Too bad this just out of bounds Five Napkin Burger kobe dog is $14! What a monster [Fork in the Road]
• The octopus salad at Margon is a perfect summertime treat [Bionic Bites]
• The Sul Lung Tang at Han Bat is a mystifying bowl of soup [Taxi Gourmet]

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. This week she hits up my favorite bar in Hell’s Kitchen and discovers my major happy hour weakness: Nudie Photo Hunt!

The Gaf on W. 48th is the Hell’s Kitchen branch of the popular bar on the UES. It is a local’s bar with enough room to bring the whole office yet casual enough that you don’t feel like you’re in a touristy sports bar. If you live or work in the area, this is your comfortable standby. I was tipped off on this place by commenter Wayne who had these words to share, “The Gaf is one of the few Irish bars in midtown that features a facade that is wide open to the outside…. so you can scope the scene for hotties and enjoy the fresh air too.” I have to agree; I’m also on a summer kick of going to bars that offer fresh air and views of the nightlife.

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Saw this message on twitter from Miss Softee to the Treats Truck yesterday and it gave me a great idea! Two chocolate chip cookies from the treats truck, plus a squirt of soft serve from Miss Softee’s ice cream truck would make quite the awesome ice cream sandwich- don’t you think? Ideally this would be perfect on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the Treats Truck is parked on 38th & 5th and Miss Softee is parked on 40th and 5th. But I suppose if you liked the idea enough you could walk from 45th and 6th (where the Treats Truck is parked today) to 40th and 5th.

I actually suggested this idea to Kim a couple of years ago as a way to smooth things over with the Mister Softee truck that parked on 45th and 6th (as you may recall, he wasn’t too excited when the Treats Truck showed up on the scene.) I think now it’s time to make this happen! Even if it isn’t officially endorsed, I’m sure that you could buy two chocolate chip cookies from Kim, walk them over the Miss Softee truck- and she would be more than happy to sell you a squirt of soft serve for a couple bucks.

Related:
Meet Queen Frostine: The Ladies of Mister Softee

Photo courtesy of Blondie and Brownie

I usually prefer fritos or cheetos in my sandwiches, but beet chips could work too!  Blondie and Brownie hit up the Rock Center Greenmarket last Friday, and had this inspired lunch from Katchkie Farms: turkey sandwich stuffed with beet chips and a delicious looking bowl of cold zucchini soup. If you’re still deciding where to eat today, this looks like a damn good choice. (The Greenmarket is open Wednesday through Friday, but Katchkie Farms is only there on Fridays.  On Thursdays you can find them, and this sandwich, at the new Port Authority Greenmarket.)

Related:
Rock Center Greenmarket is Now Open

It looks like the day I have long been praying for has finally arrived!  It’s not a pork bun cart, or a Korean burrito bar- but it will have to do… The rumors are swirling that East Village based Momofuku will be branching out into Midtown in the next six weeks- opening a large (probably upscale) restaurant “in the old Town space in the Chambers Hotel on West 56th Street.” No word on lunch menu, or prices, but if this ends up being true (and Eater has it on good authority that it is) you’re about to see me break my Midtown Lunch $10 price cap.  (Sorry, but it has to be done.)

Related:
The Perfect Space For the Next Momofuku is in Midtown

UPDATE: New York Times’ Diner’s Journal confirms the news, and David Chang is quoted as saying they are kicking around the idea of “installing a milk bar in the front of the street-level entrance.”  Yes please.

Got some sad news for sushi fans in the inbox yesterday afternoon from Lunch’er Christina: “Went to Norimaki today, they have a sign up by the counter that says their last day is 8/28—they are closing.” Decent and cheap sushi is tough to find in Midtown, and Norimaki was one of the better options for that area. It will be missed.

Related:
And the Sushi Parade Marches On… to Norimaki

• Where do you eat after your wisdom teeth get pulled? [Midtown Eating]
• Macaron Cafe makes an excellent tuna sandwich [Midtown Eating]
• Buffets without sneeze guards are gross [Miscellaneous]
• You can also find a pastrami burger at Sarge’s [Midtown Eating]
• Can you imagine not dating somebody because they don’t use chopsticks? [Miscellaneous]
• A high school kid’s ode to Sammy’s Halal [Eating Outside Midtown]

With all the bad stories we’ve been hearing about vendors lately, it’s good to read about one who is giving back. (Sadly I don’t think poor Midtown office workers qualify as “needy”.)