Midtown Lunch

Got an email from Lunch’er “Elizabeth” on Tuesday telling me about a brand new pizza place called Previti that opened Monday on 41st btw. Park+Lex.

“Hi there, avid follower of the blog. Have a new place for you to check out. It’s called Previti, just opened on 41st and Lex. Get the artichoke slice — delicious!”

Now, when you say “artichoke slice”, are you talking slice of pizza with artichokes on top? Or are you talking a deliciously gross, spinach and “artichoke” dip topped slice- ala Artichoke in the East Village? Turns out it’s a little from column A, and a little from column B.

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It’s time for the 3rd Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year I’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

I will fully admit to knowing nothing about coffee.  Sure I enjoy a cafe au lait when I’m in New Orleans (the secret ingredient is chicory), and loved the one coffee I had from Intelligentsia in Chicago, and I know that a latte from Starbucks tastes far better than a regular coffee from Starbucks.  But, my personal favorite coffee drink in Midtown is an Iced Capp from Tim Horton’s.  So clearly I’m not attending any cuppings in my free time.  That’s why I’m leaving this one entirely to you guys… and not to determine whether or not McDonald’s cheap coffee is better than Dunkin Donuts.  This is for those times when you want a real cup of coffee.  And the nominees are…

• Bouchon Bakery (Columbus Circle)
• Culture Espresso Bar/Intelligentsia (38th & 6th)
• Joe The Art of Coffee/Ecco (Grand Central)
• Macchiato Espresso Bar (44th btw. Lex+3rd)
• Oren’s (Various Locations)
• Zibetto’s (6th Ave. btw. 56+57th)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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The original Bun Bo Hue being served at OBAO

We never really got to the bottom of the whole bun bo hue thing at OBAO (on 53rd btw. 2+3rd). Sure they offered free spring rolls for awhile to anybody who would return and try the soup, but they never quite explained what happened. Were they serving pho by accident? Or were they just serving a terrible version? (Disclaimer: It tasted great to me, it just bore no resemblance to bun bo hue.) Who knows, and we probably never will… but according to this report from Lunch’er “Monstermooch” there is one thing that is certain, they are serving a different soup than the one I was served on opening week.

“Not sure if u ever went back to check out the bun bo hue after hyunh said he revamped it, but see the attached for a picture of what I got when I got it delivered yesterday. Definitely not pho, definitely signs of pig’s feet and beef shin, and slightly spicy lemongrassy taste. Can’t vouch for authenticity, but I can vouch that it’s different from their pho!”

Check out her photo after the jump…

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Apparently yelling loud does get the Department of Health’s attention! A DOH spokesperson emailed Gothamist to claim the whole thing was a misunderstanding:

“The Health Department currently prohibits, and will continue to prohibit the sale of raw shellfish from a mobile food cart. However, the wording in the recent amendments to the Health Code effectively prohibit the sale of all seafood, raw and cooked, and that was unintentional. The Health Department intends to fix this, and will not enforce this amendment as written.“

That’s a huge relief! Now how about the smoothie vendors? Do they all need to outfit their carts with refrigerators, or was that unintentional as well?

It’s time for the 3rd Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year I’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Midtown saw a big-time giant in the falafel business enter the playing field this year (Maoz), and with last year’s winner (Olympic Pita) having an identity crisis this prize could go to anybody. Will it be from a cart? Do Crisp’s crazy “handbags” have a chance? You guys decide. Here are the nominees for best falafel:

• Bread & Olive (45th btw. 5+6th)
• Crisp (Two Locations)
• Kosher Deluxe (46th btw. 5+6th)
• Kwik Meal (45th & 6th)
• Maoz Vegetarian (40th & 7th)
• Moshe’s (45th & 6th)
• Olympic Pita/Baraca (38th btw. 5+6th)
• Pick-a-Pita (8th Ave. btw. 39+40th)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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3rd Ave. btw. 44+45 is about to see some more action. Naya Express, the fast food offshoot of the upscale Lebanese restaurant on 2nd Ave., is getting set to open right next door to the new Five Guys. They’ll be offering soups ($4-5), pastries ($2), homemade breads topped with different stuff ($6), salads and cold appetizers ($3-9). But the main event is their roll/salad/bowl options, which can be ordered Chipotle style- as fully formed items that they’ve created, or in a “build you own” situation. If it sounds similar to Meze Grill on 8th Ave. (in a bad way), don’t worry too much… the menu looks like it’s going to be the real deal.

Check it out after the jump…

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