Midtown Lunch

It’s no secret that Midtown Lunch has traditionally had a bit of an Asian soup bias… aka Zach just didn’t eat non-Asian soups. And while I can respect his assessment that the majority of soups in midtown are overpriced and not terribly filling (I’m looking at you, Hale & Hearty!), I’m a soup fan, and try as I might, I can’t live on ramen alone. Though the dine-in menu at Dervish Turkish (on 47th btw. 6+7th) is pretty much out of the Midtown Lunch price range, they make a mean Red Lentil Soup that’s available for take out and it’s well under $10.
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In case you hadn’t heard, Monday was Friends & Family day at Ma Peche (aka Momofuku Midtown on 55th btw. 5+6th) and the few who made it into the belly of the beast have had nothing but good things to say.  Kate Krader’s early lunch review just makes us wish we could afford to eat in the actual restaurant, and the new “Franken Pie” looks amazing. On the cheaper side of things, UrbanDaddy sort-of suggested there will be $6 sandwiches– which would be a nice lunch’ish addition to the $10 specials and pistachio soft serve we confirmed on Friday. They said the place could open as early as today, but you never know with these things. If it actually does happen, you know we’ll be there to give you the lowdown!

Related:
Ma Peche Update: “I’ll See Your $10 Menu, and Raise You Salty Pistachio Soft Serve”

• “Minarity” is looking to make Minar’s version of Chana at home [Midtown Eating]
• Help finding Citron tea in Flatiron/K-town? [Miscellaneous]
• Any midtowner’s want to be the next Snookie on “Asian Jersey Shore?’ [Miscellaneous]
• Did anyone make it to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution TV Shoot? [Miscellaneous]
• What can I say? If there’s one thing we New Yorkers can boast about it’s our pizza, sorry Philly! [Philadelphia Eating]

Yushi (on 47th btw. Park+Lex) seems to add a new thing every month (like boozy ramen) but when Lunch’er “Jason” told me they had added banh mi, I took a second lunch break and ran there. Since you don’t know I’ll tell you now – one of my life goals is to eat every Vietnamese baguette in New York City (my favorite so far is Nicky’s in the EV, but I admit I’m only just getting started.) Sadly it was a Thursday, and I was informed banh mi day is on Wednesdays! So began the six-day countdown to the following Wednesday. Luckily the wait was worth it.

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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 Eric, a financial analyst who loves Mexican food and is looking for a decent Philly cheesesteak.

Name: Eric

Age: 33

Occupation: Financial Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 52nd & Lex, where I do my best to make spreadsheets look pretty.

Favorite Kind of Food: Raw tuna, the super amazing cheese used on the tortas at El Rey del Sabor, and Mexican/Latin food in general. That being said, I’ll eat pretty much anything.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Blue cheese, cinnamon, dessert. Why would I waste room on dessert when I can have more meat?

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: El Rey del Sabor for their amazing tortas (spicy pork is my fave). Hallo Berlin (on 54th and 5th) – the cart is great but ever so slow, so I usually bite the bullet and get delivery. Try the Brat Burger! Barros Luco (on 52nd & 2nd) for the baked empanada. The BL Ace is definitely a top choice as well. Sophie’s Cuban, for roast pork/steak/grilled chicken platters, and La Bellezza for the grilled chicken parm, are both staples. You just can’t argue with getting nearly 2 lbs. of food for under $10. Halal – I LOVE the lamb over rice at Kwik Meal (on 45th and 6th). Other regular spots include Uncle Gussy on 51st and Park (good white sauce) and XPL on Park and 48th (best quality generic gyro meat). And I’ve been digging the lobster rolls over at Urban Lobster shack (in the basement food court on 3rd btw. 49+50th), although I have to take my time with those or they are gone in 2 bites.

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Lunch’er “Masto” is on a roll! Yesterday he sent in the first look at Cer Te’s new Mr. Potato Skin sandwich, and today he sends along this great news.  Remember the Eggs Travaganza Cart (the breakfast only cart on 52nd and Park that Serious Eats wrote about back in July?)  Apparently they are now open for lunch…

I stopped by the Eggs Travaganza cart on 52nd and Park for my favorite Mexican breakfast wrap when I discovered they had put out a sign with some lunch offerings. I asked Maribel and Arturo about it and they confirmed that they are indeed open for lunch. They gave me a sneak peek at the lunch menu just for Midtown Lunch, photo attached.

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Food Court Alert! With all the restaurants on 32nd Street, it’s practically already an outdoor food court, but now there’s going to be a real one, with at least 10 different vendors inside. This could be the biggest food court news since they closed the one in the Manhattan Mall (or A&S Plaza as some of us still think of it). With all the lights and signs on 32nd Street it’s pretty easy to miss the new sign that popped up in the former home of the Wilshire State Bank, right across from Woorijip. (I would have missed it too, if the words “Food Court” hadn’t drawn me in!) I made a quick call yesterday to the realtor to get some details. (What can I say, we love food courts.)

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