Midtown Lunch

Just before the new year Time Out New York reported that a new Japanese restaurant called Haru Hana had opened on the main strip in Koreatown (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), serving up “sushi, yakitori and hot pots”. They also have udon, ramen, and katsu, plus a lunch menu in which most of the items are under $10. Ultraclay gets the first taste, and seemed to enjoy his eel over rice and yakitori– although he noted how unusual it is to see a Japanese restaurant in Midtown that does everything, rather than focus on doing one thing well.

Check out the lunch menu after the jump…

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Fresh off their “Best Sandwiches in Midtown” victory in the 2009 Reader’s poll, Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th) has decided to up the ante by turning over their sandwich of the month to you… the ML readers.  They sent over the details in an email this afternoon:

We’re happy to announce that we’re taking the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge in a new direction, this year we want to challenge YOU! Starting this week, we will be accepting sandwich ideas sent to sandwich@certenyc.com. Starting February (which is actually our one year anniversary creating sandwiches for Midtown Lunch) we will choose one sandwich per month to be featured- the sandwich will of course be named for its creator. In some circumstances, if we see fit to quality of the sandwich, we will modify it to Cer te standards- but ultimately it will fit the vision of it’s creator. We will meet with the creator and give them a tasting of their sandwich before we debut it to the public, and at that time we will ask for their recommended changes and perfect the sandwich!

So there it is. Got a dream sandwich you want to see Cer Te tackle? Email it to sandwich@certenyc.com

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, I turn the site over to you at the end of the year to vote for your favorite Midtown Lunches. So… you voted… and here are the results, along with my picks. Some are were expected… some are surprises were mildly surprising… and a few were clearly influenced by Twitter. Here are the results of the 2009 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll:

Best Fast Food Hamburger: Burger Joint

After complete domination by Burger Joint in this category over the past few years I thought this might be the year that Five Guys take the crown.  They jumped out to an early lead- but then twitter took over, and pushed the Burger Joint to the victory.  Both are undeniably good burgers, and which one you prefer says a lot about your personal taste. If you want to eat a medium rare burger that tastes like it was grilled in your backyard on a summer day, Burger Joint is your spot.  If you prefer a thin patty, covered in cheese and toppings (like grilled onions, and mushrooms, and jalapenos), Five Guys is where you’ll be found.  I like the toppings.  Zach’s Pick: Five Guys [view full results]

Best Coffee: Joe the Art of Coffee

Photo Courtesy of Kathy YL Chan

I fully admit that I don’t drink coffee every morning (I’m a PG Tips kind of guy), but those of you who did have a clear favorite.  Joe the Art of Coffee in Grand Central.  For me though, the most exciting Midtown coffee news was the arrival of Intelligentsia- which you can now get at Culture Espresso Bar, a great new spot on 38th btw. 5+6th.  Their sandwiches aren’t too bad either.  I may not drink it ever day, but when I’m in the mood for some coffee that’s where I end up. Zach’s Pick: Culture Espresso Bar [view full results]

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Yes, I ate this salad… two years ago.

This is the most discouraging time of year for Midtown Lunch, because this site is all about finding good food and January is always about people pretending for a month a few weeks a few days that they’re actually going to be healthy.  That’s right… it’s New Year’s Resolution time!  Lucky for me this is my job, so I don’t have to go through the personal charade of signing up for a gym membership (and not using it) or eating salads at lunchtime (but topping those salads with dressing, cheese, and chinese crunchy things.)  Going on a diet for me would be like you deciding that you’re just not going to go to work for a few weeks.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t eat healthy sometimes… in my own special Midtown Lunch way.

So without further ado, I present to you the “healthiest” Midtown Lunches I can stand to swallow.  (Note: I clearly know nothing about eating healthy, and the views expressed in this post are probably completely wrong.  But whatever.  This is how I do “healthy”… so BACK OFF.)

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Got word last week that Urban Lobster Shack has opened a new location in the downstairs food court on 3rd Ave. btw. 49+50th (the one with Sophie’s Cuban and Pampano Taqueria.) Our original Downtown Lunch man Daniel Krieger wrote about their downtown location, where at one time $15 got you a lobster roll, soup, chips, cole slaw, crackers, and a water (although from the looks of their website the combo has gone up to $18.)  $18 is way above the ML price range, but we’re talking about lobster rolls here.  (The one at the very excellent Grand Central Oyster Bar takeout window is $27!)   According to Lunch’er “Andrew”, they were doing a $10 special last week (lobster roll, caesar salad, and cole slaw) but not sure if that’s still going on.  Early adopters, feel free to give us some info in the comments.

Related:
Downtown Lunch: Urban Lobster Shack

Yakitori Totto Lunch Special. Photo by Food in Mouth

• Danny enjoys a quiet lunch at Yakitori Totto [Food in Mouth]
• Courtney Cox & David Arquette are planning some sort of NYC street food sit com? [Eater]
• Looking for a Midtown meat splurge? Get the mutton chop at Keen’s [Me So Hungry]
• Sometimes, Joe the Art of Coffee sells Tumbador ring dings [Blondie and Brownie]
• Nino’s makes some amazing Italian sandwiches [NYC Foodie]
• Chiyoda serves a good bowl of Tokyo style soba [Ramen and Friends]
• The NYC Cravings Truck was originally going to be a giant panda [Taiwanese American]
• James tackles the Go Go Curry Grand Slam [The Eaten Path]
• The roast pork to noodle ratio in Kar Won’s soups is amazing [Eating in Translation]
• Minar makes a great version of chana bhatura [Blondie and Brownie]
• The donburi bowl at Cafe Zaiya is not worth getting again [Tasty Eating]