Midtown Lunch

I know some of you are sick of hearing about cookies… but whatever. Having Dorie Greenspan selling cookies in Midtown is exciting. She’s an amazing cookbook author, an all around great person, and I’m kind of bummed I’m not there to try them myself. Thankfully Blondie and Brownie are there to pick up the slack. It’s Valentine’s Day week people… all you cookie haters should lighten up! -Zach

Dorie Greenspan and her crew baked over 1,000 cookies in preparations for Tuesday’s crowds at her pop up CookieBar (on Park Ave. btw. 59+60th), but when we arrived at 1:20ish yesterday afternoon, they were already down to their last dozen.  Only the Peanut Butter Crisscrosses and the Sugar Topped Molasses Cookies remained.  Naturally we had to try them both.

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• Join stevenp for all you can eat and drink for $18 in Koreatown tonight [Midtown Connections]
• The spicy bibimbap at Woorijip is sinus clearing [Midtown Eating]
• Looking for a good Thai duck salad [Midtown Eating]
• Use Groupon for a year, and win $100,000 [Miscellaneous]
• Got a recommendation for a business birthday lunch? [Midtown Eating]

If you haven’t been following along with Midtown Lunch: Los Angeles, Philly, & Downtown NYC you’ve been missing out! Jamie found Indian tacos from a truck in Philly, Kevin found a good spot for soups and sandwiches on Reade St., and I had my first taste of L.A. ramen (with extra back fat, naturally.) Plus if you’re a fan of the ML Profiled Lunch’er posts you have to check out today’s inaugural profiled lunchers post on the L.A. site. (Spoiler: It’s a double dose of awesomeness- and they love street food to boot!)

Huzzah for horizontal integration! To promote the launch of their new food website, NBC brought on 4 famous chefs to take to the streets in food carts yesterday. So naturally the chefs appeared on the Today Show, and the NBC local news had first dibs on interviews for the nightly newscast. In addition to interviewing the chefs, they also talked to people on the street, and Lunch’er “Jill” (who sent us the first report about the fish and chips) made the cut! She’s the one in the in the serious winter cap talking about “lifting the bar”… a far more positive report than what she sent us… but in her defense it was before she ate. “I had no idea what I was saying. I was so hungry I was light headed.” Nice. Check out the video after the jump…

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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 Steve, an analyst who loves Asian food but would choose tacos over anything and would rather be working in Venice!

Name: Steve

Age: 23

Occupation: Corporate Control Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Right in between Times Square and Herald Square

Favorite Kind of Food: Ermmm…I am Korean, so liking anything ridiculously spicy is just how I was raised…I’m pretty non-discriminatory about foods…my girlfriend one time said, “while most people either have a sweet tooth or a savory palette, you seem to just like things that are tasty.” I assumed that was just another way of saying I like everything flavorful…But if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life? Tacos.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything bland, anything with a squeaky texture, and cilantro. I have no clue why I don’t like it…I just don’t. I love pho, but I’ll pick all of it out…for some reason I just can’t stand cilantro, though I love mexican + vietnamese food…

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The grand slam (with a friend! hopefully) at Go Go Curry (on 38th btw. 7+8th). The spicy chicken sandwich, curry pan, or the crab bowl at Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th). The double sauteed pork at Lan Sheng on 39th btw. 5+6th (preferred over Szechuan Gourmet for it’s nicer service.) The kim bap at E-Mo (a little kim bap only place next to Woorijiip on 32nd btw. B’way+5th – try the cheese!) Jja jja myung at Hyo Dong Gak on 35th btw. 5+6th (oh yes, the special Korean person menu…) Wait, why were these all asian…?

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With Valentine’s Day just five days away, the internets is all about cookies and sweets this week! We just told you about the Treats Truck’s new specials, plus Dorie Greenspan’s new CookieBar opened yesterday on Park Ave. btw. 59+60th (you can get a good look at it on Serious Eats New York and Fork in the Road), and Bouchon Bakery has got their roster of treats ready to go.  And we’re guessing that’s not the last of it…

Lunch’er Jenn sent in this photo and report about Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th) yesterday:

“Notice anything different?? No more Woorijip Gauntlet of Death. The back area where the noodlebar was is now walled up and lined with the hot food units that used to take up the middle section. The beverages that used to be on the right side have also been moved to the fridges across the way. Lots more room to walk now, thank goodness — but, where will the noodles be served?”

Considering what Blondie and Brownie noticed back in November, this isn’t a huge surprise. We’re guessing the noodle bar is gone… UPDATE IN THE COMMENTS: “A couple of my co-workers hit the noodle bar yesterday. Apparently it’s still there but all the way in the back so maybe it was just tough to find.”

Related:
Is Woorijip Distancing Itself From Their Noodle Bar?
What To Order at Woorijip’s Noodle Bar