PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Pat”
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 Pat, an intern who just moved to NYC a month ago to work in the north eastern corner of Midtown. Let’s try and help him find some good eats (without rubbing it in too much about the Sox hat.)
Name: Pat
Age: 20
Occupation: Marketing Intern
Where in Midtown do you Work?: Permal Asset Management at 54th and 3rd
Favorite Kind of Food: Sushi
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Overall, there’s not much in the area, but I recently found two great go to spots. Sushi Express at the corner of 55th and 2nd. Despite the awful name, the sushi is actually pretty good, and fairly priced (8 bucks for 2 rolls, 12 bucks for 3). Service is great, it’s never crowded. I don’t know too much about sushi but me and my buddy thought it was really good and we go there often. The second is Lenny’s at 2nd and 54th. Although its a chain, the food here is amazing. Ask for the Jimmy T. Two chicken cutlets with melted mozzarella covered in sweet peppers and onions with honey mustard. Sounds like a weird combination but its awesome.
“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? We go to Pax all the time because it’s right outside our door. Great sandwiches for a chain restuarant.
If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Not to be boring, but New York City! Moved here a month ago and couldn’t be happier with the food. In one month I’ve already had the best pizza, sushi, and sandwich I’ve ever tasted.
Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Does anyone know of any other good hidden spots southeast of central park?
Got a recommendation for Pat? Put it in the comments. And as always if anybody would like to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email me at zach@midtownlunch.com.
Posted: 11:45 am, October 13th, 2009 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
57 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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57 Comments
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Man, he right next to Gourmet 53. Much better than Pax.
Red sucks are gone! Good riddance.
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And how is Lenny’s the best sandwich? They ok but nothing special. I’ve eaten at that one before. No wow factor. Might as well stick to Subway’s…
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Pax should go die in a fire. That stuff is terrible.
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Don’t rule out Indian food yet. Your only 20, so young! There’s a world of food out there waiting for you.
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It’s like zach put this guy up as flame-bait.
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Lenny’s is far better then subway. Their thanksgiving sandwich is very good.
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Anyone over the age of 19 wearing a baseball cap should be neutered.
Sorry, but the anti curry thing…..grrr.
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FREAK OF THE WEEK
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A fellow 900 3rd’er…nice. If you like Sushi, you’re next to a gold mine: Takesushi, right next to Lenny’s. Their lunch specials are 8-13 and absolutely fantastic. Tenzan on 2nd also isn’t bad, but more generic. Try Hawaiian Island Grill on 53rd b/w 2nd and 3rd (basement level). For $7, you get a huge, tasty box of food and a salad (mac or green). I’ve sworn off Pax since 2008 and have never looked back. It sucks you don’t like Indian, because there are so many tasty options there…Darbar, Tadka, Baluchi’s, Brick Lane…
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This hasn’t started well, and isn’t going to end well. :o
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agreed, Formz, I’m just waiting for people to start calling him a racist for not liking Indian Food. Good luck to you, Young Man.
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There’s plenty of great japanese places around that area! and I don’t think what your having would be called “sushi”… it’s just an Americanized version of it, but if you want the real stuff, made by Japanese people, you have to pay a little more than that… like Ise, Tsushima, Sakagura and such….
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southeast of CPW. try brooklyn
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I am at 57th and 3rd… My reccos— 55th and Park for 100% Healthy And Halal. Toasties, in terms of NY Generic Delis, is pretty decent. They have a lunch platter of rosemary chicken, with 2 sides, for undfer $10.00 and it happens to be really good. Chicken is tender and the bake a whole clove of garlic into the breast… The Hawaiian place (already mentioned)….
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keep on coming. I am moving to 53rd and park next month and needed new places to eat.
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he doesnt like indian food?…what a racist!…JK!
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…and yet eat raw fish………you Dolphin murdering bastard!
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the knishes at ess-a-bagel are pretty good when they’re fresh and warm. you should never admit allegiance to chain stores because we’re all (for the most part) food snobs
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HELLLO!!! Tenzan has AMAZING sushi!! its on 53rd or 59th and 3rd!! menupage it!!!! And are you kidding me with not liking indian?? I might only be 3 years older than you, but give it a chance! If you like Thai food, you should like indian too!
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Tenzan – hmm, no Chinese owned sushi joints for me, particularly in a neighborhood filled with good Japanese restaurants.
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do people really not make any effort to look at any past profiles and comments and try to avoid setting themselves up?
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Hmm – Only lived in NYC for a month. It took me years to find the places I like to get my lunch from today.
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meh. the truth is the truth whether we agree with it or not. we need lunchers who lack a palate to balance out the super foodies. there were worse lunchers… miss copy&paste, and miss cheeseisstinkybuttfeet for example.
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dang…being a profiled luncher is more traumatizing then peeing urself on the train while drunk and sleeping.
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Welcome to NYC! There’s lots to see and do (and eat). Get out there and have fun. Just DON’T stand in the middle of the effin sidewalk to text on your phone or hold a conversation and DON’T block the effin subway doors when I want to get on or off. Enjoy!
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or falling asleep next to a drunk samwich who pees on you…
Seriously, break out of your eating rut and your life will become much more interesting (right now, I am falling asleep reading about it.) I don’t mind chains myself – hello Cosi and Quiznos! – but this is NYC and there are worlds of different foods to explore here. Challenge yourself!
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@ The Prez.. have you tried Tenzan at all? they are super fresh and yummy. You’re saying chinese people can’t make sushi? It’s like saying white people cant dance.. Racial profiling!
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@dubs “It’s like zach put this guy up as flame-bait.”
Clearly…….
@deanlo “…you should never admit allegiance to chain stores because we’re all (for the most part) food snobs”
Um… Most of us spent 70% of our time here salivating over street meat and street food. I think that makes us anti-food snobs actually.
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Tbqh, I have no sympathy for any profiler who gets flamed on here for things like, “I hate all Chinese food’ ‘Thai is disgusting’ ‘I only place I’ve ever eaten in my life is Pax’, and so on. This happens all the time on sites, and forums, like these. There is a reason why they suggest you ‘lurk before you post’ for any online community. You’re supposed to take the time to read a good amount of the previous posts/comments to get a feel for the place before you just start posting any ‘ole thing.
This online community is about finding cheap and delicious lunch in midtown. This means that sometimes you have to challenge yourself to eat some place you normally wouldn’t. It’s also about the excitement of finding something totally new or eating something you would have never thought you would before. This site, I thought, was meant to find an alternative to places such as Pax, and deli made sushi, that is unless one of those places offers something unique and really cheap. Also, it’s about supporting some of the smaller businesses and helping to keep them afloat all of the generic delis that ru(i)n Midtown lunching options.
I do applaud them for braving it out and submitting themselves to the site though. At the same time, you leave yourself to mercy of the people of the community if you don’t get the feel for it first.
/rant
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Wow! You all are harsh. If you are tired of eating fatty foods. You can try the Pump near you. For sushi, I had a coworker like Wild Ginger. There tons of sushi places on 2nd near you. Try them all and let us know which one you like. Blockhead’s is also great for burritos, but it can get super crowded at lunch. I forget the name but there’s one with a huge waterfall sculpture in it that’s pretty nice. But you are also near tons of great bars. Turtle Bay on weds has 1 dollar pony drafts. They’re called pony’s cause you got to race’em. But get there early cause the place gets pretty crowded. Try out also Clancy’s and Blackfinn.
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Actually I posted this profile in the hopes that people would post good recommendations for the NE corner of Midtown (so that other lunchers in the NE corner would find good spots to eat.)
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serve with a side of smugness
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My advice?
Move back to Boston, where the food is great and the white people know how to dance — ever seen Barney Frank dance?
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Considering he’s an intern, he could be out of the city by now. Obviously a rookie; the hat says it all.
20 yr old kid who likes pizza, sandwiches, and sushi. No indian or probably not even halal – if he ever tried.
Not that I’m trying to make it personal. Just that I always enjoy a more well-rounded profile / experience. -
You are all being dumb here. He’s only been in NYC for 1 month. Give him a break. He found ML right? That’s the best first step in joining the world of midtown lunchin’
Welcome young grasshopper! Now go forth and eat at El Rey Del Sabor or any halal cart!
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“Mama and Pat up a tree…..”
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Might be a hike from that location, but you’ve got Kushi Q and Oms/b for a lighter Japanese lunch. For an over $10 lunch, Aburiya Kinnosuke is fantastic.
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I would rather eat Subway’s. Lenny’s isn’t much better than Subway’s – their microscopic edge only because their sandwiches are much more unique and pricey! That’s like saying Quizno’s is better than Subway’s? Or Chipotle rules over Taco Bell… ;P
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but, Quiznos *is* way better than Subway… never had lenny’s so can’t comment on how it compares to subway though.
The hierarchy goes like this: Cosi > Quiznos > Blimpies >>> Subway
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I just realized there was all kinds of wrong with my previous post. Please forgive any grammar and spelling errors before I get flamed.
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I think Lenny’s is def a step up from Subway… They def put more on their subs… And As a life long Bronxite and Yankee fan, I say this kid had it coming once he posted a picture of himself with a Red Sox hat…
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the hierarchy goes like this: Big smelly poop> rabbit poops> SBD> loud not smelly farts> burping
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@Mamacita:
Step 1: Find ML
Step 2: Read previous blog posts
Step 3: Look @ map
Step 4: When you see something that you are looking for and can’t find in particular, then ask for help. -
@5DollarQueen:
A level head indeed. And good advice DESPITE the fact that Columbus (of whom I spent yesterday worshipping) NEVER asked directions! And did HE find good food in the New World?
YES indeedy, he did!
He found ALL kinds of Good Eats (along with a few lovely Indian maidens).
But, then, Columbus was smart enough to recognize a shipwrecking reef when he saw one — i.e., ‘ASSET MANAGEMENT’ !!!
Yes, ole’ Chris steered his ships far to port of the siren, ala “Bernie Madoff”, thereby establishing a foothold in the land of the Free and of the Brave.
The rest is history, “Pat.”
Have a good sandwich.
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Take a walk down 53rd between 2 and 3rd — tons of little hole in the wall places for lunch…also the food court in the basement of 875 3rd.
Anybody else have other recs in the area, even out of bounds to the East, to try?
Taksim is decent for turkish food on 2nd and 54th.
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Cosi, I’m just saying the higher prices should warrant the better sandwich, but not necessarily better tasting in itself nor the quality of food.
And I disagree with your heirarchy as Pret A Manger and Panera Bread are definitely >>>>>>> and topple over Cosi. Cosi only has good bread and decent pizza (cuz of the bread). I’m sure there will be others pushing the ‘wichcraft card around too, not me. -
Just don’t end up in the Ny Times complaining about not being able to find work, yet paying $2900 a month in rent whilst jetting off to Cancun/Vegas on holiday.
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@StreetMeat – I agree with your correlation assumption. I also like Pret and Panera, and will admit to liking ‘wichcraft. My first Pret experience was fairly recent and I’m not near a Panera or ‘wichcraft just now so I didn’t think of them. But the experience at Pret was great, friendly servers etc. Uh oh, I am getting hungry now.
BTW, Cosi has a steak thing going on now. I had the steakhouse gorgonzola sandwich yesterday and the tuscan steak salad today. MMMM cosilicious!
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haha food snobs…….
as I read the ad at the top of this ML page for Swansons Canned Soups.
selling out to “The man”
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Be very afraid for yourself if you understood DocChuck’s post in response to 5DollarQueen
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Fred, I think most of us didn’t bother trying to decipher DocChuck’s post.. “blah blah blah”… NEXT
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meyekull i was just about to concede to your point about us not being food snobs but we are in a sense. avoiding fast food joints and generic delis solely because they’re labeled as “fast food” and “generic” is snobbery.
i admittedly like McGriddles. find me one outside of a mcdonalds and I will boycott the place indefinitely. no i’m not going to MAKE one because i’m not a snob. :P
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NO need to fear yourself, kiddies, if you fail to understand dark humor — Gothic in a sense.
Some people have difficulty ‘understanding’ the instructions on how to cook rice.
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he just moved to NY..cut him some slack.
Pat: Advice…Learn fast..this city will eat you and your bad taste for breakfat… -
and we know where you work..you’re screwed, man.
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No one mentioned Marrakesh… really..?
Its technically out of bounds and not really anything new, but their chicken is cooked perfectly well and they have your choice of ground lamb kabobs or lamb chunks.
They are right next to Brick Lane on east 53rd.
First recommendation, take off the hat.