PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Chris”
Every Tuesday we 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 Chris, a Schnitzel Truck loving software developer who is probably eating the new schnitzel down while you’re read this…
Name: Chris
Age: 34
Occupation: Software Developer
Where in Midtown do you Work?: 48th & Madison
Favorite Kind of Food: To generalize, I suppose Japanese food is kind of the pinnacle of food-taken-to-perfection that blows my mind, but man, I’ll eat anything. My short, shameful addiction is buffalo chicken. Tassie’s Buffalo Strips at the Outback, of all places — I’m sure the sauce consists mainly of hydrogenated petrochemicals, but I don’t care. It’s a religious experience. And nice chunky bleu cheese. Anyway, forget you read that and pretend I said something about free range bacon with a salad of organically raised ramps and dandelion marmalade from Wind Rainbow Farms in upstate NY. I don’t want to get kicked out of the foodie club.
Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t generally care for olives. But I do like a good tapenade. Damnit, now I really want a muffaletta. Oh, and I’ve never tried coffee or alcohol. Not because I’m a Mormon or something, I just think it’s fun to maintain a small, pointless eccentricity.
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Schnitzel Truck (pork or veal). Katsuhama: I love me a good katsudon. Tri-Tip Grill (in Rock Center) has got my attention, because it used to be a once-a-year treat to go to Buckhorn when I’m in California. Kati Rolls from the Biryani Cart. At the risk of being excommunicated, I like to get the Santa Fe salad with fried chicken and tex-mex dressing from Chop’t. It’s a man’s salad.
“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? It’s difficult to get my co-workers to eat sometimes. There’s a Pret right downstairs where most of them go, but I consider it off-limits unless I’m just grabbing a pastry in the morning. The core group of us who care about eating the Midtown Lunch way try to mix it up, so it’s hard to think of any “goto” place.
Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? All of them. The day I started working in Midtown, I googled for “midtown lunch” in the hopes I wouldn’t have to eat at the deli, discovered Zach’s wonderful blog, and hit the ground running. The joy of street meat and the fact that that year’s 2nd-place finisher XPL was right around the corner was probably my first big ML discovery.
If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I used to have as a benchmark for success being able to fly to Germany for lunch (oh, those glorious wursts). I don’t know if that counts. I guess if I had to work somewhere because of the local food it would continue to be the dining playground known as New York City. I might stay right here in Midtown, for despite its reputation as a wasteland, it continues to surprise me with tasty new choices.
Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Where can I get a good muffaletta in this city?
Anybody have a a rec for Chris? Put it in the comments. As always, if you would like to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email editor@midtownlunch.com.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:45 am, May 4th, 2010 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
82 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
82 Comments
-
-
hey-I know this dude..didnt i watch his embarassing little video last night?
-
this is not the dude i thought he was.
-
wait, im confused.
-
-
-
Never tried alcohol—b/c it’s “eccentric?” WTF?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That type of statement angers me—seriously!!!!!!
-
I’m pretty sure that never having had coffee or alcohol, while certainly being an ‘eccentricity’, is neither small nor pointless. In addition to which, admitting to maintaining it simply for the sake of having an eccentricity… well, that seems super hipstery/annoying.
I just wanted to say that. I’ll go back to… not this :)
-
and you know how i feel about hipsters..
-
-
-
so, how can coffee and liquor be your lease favorite “food” when you havent tried either?
-
Crucify him!
-
I would if I had a cross, some stakes and a sledgehammer…
-
and btw, the only good muffaletta ive ever had in nyc is from the delta grill, but just a heads up, that’s a bar. You may find those eccentric as well.
-
Mastro is that you!!!??!!! Yup, that’s you profiled luncher.
Why must you drive that stake into my heart, WHY!!!!!
-
Wait a minute, are you the guys with a wallet made out of old green and white printer paper?
-
I’ve heard of the rare software developer that doesn’t drink, but no coffee? That’s unnatural and a crime against nature
-
Yes I realize I invoked nature twice, but I’m flabbergasted
-
-
It’s ok not to drink. But to claim not to do it due to “eccentricity” is the biggest douchebag excuse in the book, and makes me want to burn down williamsburg….sorry to those ML friends I have, if there are any, that live there…..
I am not a big coffee drinker, unless it has whisky in it. But I don’t deny myself the “pleasure” to be eccentric or cool….I just don’t like it as much as sunkist, my regular morning beverage.
-
You would’ve loved the NY straight-edge hardcore scene of the 80’s. No booze, cigarettes, drugs or sex. Thats right, sex.
ps- I wasn’t one of them LOL
-
ah I wish I’d noticed this comment before, I would have posted my obligatory Minor threat reference under this comment instead…
-
-
-
to each their own. but in my opinion, not drinking alcohol is neither small nor pointless of an eccentricity.
-
I meant not trying. Not drinking may have its deserved reasons.
-
-
virginity is also a small, pointless eccentricity. in the pursuit of becoming an interesting person, you should also avoid procreation.
seriously, how can you claim to be a foodie but at the same time avoid degustatory pleasures on a mere whim?
-
This midtownluncher sounds kind of douchey. May not be on purpose, but the whole “I turn my nose on alcohol and coffee might have done it.” I don’t like coffee either, but you’re supposed to, at least, try it before you knock it. Also, there’s so much to be done with alcohol to even knock. There’s a whole variety of drinks out there still waiting to be mixed, shaken, and stirred. This guy reminds me of that guy who hated Thai, but never, ever, tried it once.
-
((generic response of indignant internet nerd outrage))
I’d like to find a good muffaletta as well. I actually emailed the folks at Great Jones Cafe about this a while ago.
-
MEH…it’s not as easy taslk. only good one i had was from Delta Grill. ive contemplating ordering it from new orleans, but was quickly talked out of it.
DONT try Mara’s homemade. It was so horribly it had to be discretely spit out into my napkin. the bread almost broke one of my teeth as well.
-
-
How has no one called him out on the fact that he’s holding a coffee cup in his picture? The only two things I’ve ever put into a coffee cup like that were coffee and booze.
-
I could be tea or hot chocolate, but you’re right. Coffee is used to hide booze smell.
-
that wasnt his original photo either. he changed it about a half hour after this went up.
-
Rabble rabble rabble!
-
-
-
This guy is getting hammered here. I wonder if he sent the link to his friends asking them to “check him out.” I bet he regrets it now….
-
I just tried to answer the fucking question and after 5 minutes of staring at it failing to think of something I really don’t like, I added that comment. I had no intention of driving anyone to commit arson (against, for some reason, a neighborhood 20 miles west of mine).
Look, I was a total loser kid with no friends at the age when normal people get invited to parties and start drinking. At some point I became an all-grow’d-up loser and still never had a drink, so I just decided to keep it up for the hell of it. Ditto with coffee, I don’t know why I don’t drink coffee but at some point I realized I hadn’t so I keep (not) doing it. It entertains my tiny autistic brain somehow to have these two substances I avoid that are not only opposites in a way, but also a Big Deal to some people. Sometimes someone offers me a drink and I decline and they think I’ve got some moral or religious objection or that I somehow think I’m better than them because I don’t drink. So I tried to explain my reason or lack thereof in my answer. It’s not cool or an attempt to be cool or special. Drink all you want, shoot meth into your eyeball, I simply don’t care. Can we just forget about it? I promise I’ll never mention it again, ok?
I don’t even know how to react to the “hipster” accusation. One of us is clearly confused about the meaning of that word.
-
-
i love shooting meth in my eyeball. awesome.
-
Favoritest thing ever.
Also, FYI, coffee enemas: http://www.ineedcoffee.com/01/enema/
-
Loo loo loo, let’s get together, I know what we can do loo loo
-
ah yes, i know of these…robin quivers gets one every day.
-
-
-
Harry Potter on meth
FREAK OF THE WEEK