Midtown Lunch

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Ultraclay was in North Carolina eating delicious looking chicken biscuits, Brownie tried the Cupcake Stop’s fluffernutter cupcake, Blondie had apple stoopwafels at the Brooklyn Flea, and Chris H. had a disappointing experience at Vandaag.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea discovers that Crisp is opening a new location Downtown, Jamie posts an update about the food truck scene around Temple in Philadelphia, and I was busy eating the best pork banh mi from a truck in Los Angeles (spoiler alert: it’s not Nom Nom.)

Lunch’er “Hightemp” checked in again today to let us know that the Financier Patisserie that he told us about back in September (on 59th and 3rd) is now open. “Its very small (any more than 4 people in there at a time would be uncomfortable) but looks like it has the full line of pastries.  Looks like they have a refrigerator case for pre-made salads and sandwiches but it was generally empty when I went in this morning.”

At this point, I’ve come to terms with the maddeningly inconsistent schedule at Café Duke’s Korean counter (on 51st btw. 6+7th). As far as we can tell, their daily specials ($8.95) usually jive with the given meteorlogic conditions, and if you haven’t noticed, it’s getting nippy outside. So it should be no surprise that on a particularly bitter cold day, I stepped into Café Duke and found that they were serving a soup special that bites back. Yuk gae jang is a fiery, tangy, yet refreshing Korean soup, rich with slices of beef flank, crunchy bean sprouts, earthy fern shoots, and pungent scallions. This dish’s raison d’être is to warm the body and soul. Halfway through the peppery bowl of soup, I had loosened my tie, rolled up my sleeves, and had a sheen of sweat on my brow despite the blustery conditions outside. A side of adequately steamed white rice provides relief to the sting of the broth, and the obligatory side of kimchi is the ultimate cure-all for any and all ailments (sez my Grandmother). Baby it’s cold outside, but boy, this yuk gae jang has got me feeling warm inside.

The only downside? You never know when they’re going to have it!

Related:
Café Duke, Give Us Our Bulgogi Tacos!
Korean Food at Cafe Duke

Xi’an Famous Foods home of potentially the best noodles in New York and yummy spicy lamb sandwiches wants to know where they should open their next location. This morning they tweeted a request for fans to fill out a survey on where they should open their next location. So, what are you waiting for? Let them know they should be in Midtown!

Before you get too excited about Uncle Mario’s, the new brick oven pizza place on 9th Ave. that you might have read about in the forums, there’s something you should probably know…. according to Zagat it’s owned by the same people that own Abitino’s (who, apparently, are opening their 6th location on 8th Ave. btw . 55+56th.)

• Best place for pizza delivery in Midtown West? [Midtown Eating]
• Milant/Milano has changed owners again!? [Midtown Eating]
• The Parks Dept. is looking for more vendor suggestions [Miscellaneous]
• Planning has begun for the Nov ML happy hour/meetup [Connections]
• Aaron Sanchez will be in Bryant Park tomorrow [Connections]

You know… I was just thinking that Midtown needed another cupcake option.  The expanding Magnolia Bakery empire, the thousands of locations of Crumbs, the random breakfast cart, the two Cupcake Stop Trucks, and their brick and mortar store in Limelight, Robicelli’s, Junior’s and the like just aren’t cutting it.   Thankfully Lunch’er Steven saw this truck parked on Park Ave. and 34th the other night.  Reinforcements are on the way!  The Cupcake Crew website doesn’t say much (they’re from Brooklyn!) but they’re already tweeting up a storm.  I’m sure we can get Blondie and Brownie to volunteer to check them out…