Midtown Lunch

As mentioned in the forums last week, Tri Tip Grill (in the Rockefeller Center Concourse) has recently opened for breakfast, including an egg sandwich featuring their trademark beef. This is great news for people who believe it’s never inappropriate to enjoy some medium-rare red meat. People like me.

The egg sandwich is a staple of New York City living. Tri Tip’s version isn’t quite a revelation, but it’s also not something you’re going to find anywhere else. For $5 even (after tax) I got an English muffin sandwich with egg, melted cheddar, caramelized onions and a nice little pile of tri tip beef, along with a side of tater tots. The cheddar and onions are sort of uneventful afterthoughts to the the stars of the show, egg and beef. There was nothing wrong with them, but I don’t think they affected my overall enjoyment too much.

The beef was great. It’s thinly sliced thin and tender enough to bite through with no trouble. This was my first Tri Tip experience and I thought the meat was juicy and flavored with just enough fat. The fried egg was slightly runny, just the way I like it on a sandwich. I’m sure they can cook the egg however you want it if you ask though.

The tater tots were a nice addition. They’re very crisp and made for a great way to sop up yolk that escaped the sandwich. You can substitute bacon for your meat or get your sandwich on a whole wheat roll. Tri Tip also has a french toast meal ($4.59) for breakfast. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t come topped with beef though, so you know, what’s the point?

The sandwiches are made to order so it takes a few minutes. Luckily, with breakfast being so new, the place was entirely empty the morning I was there. If it catches on though, things could get a little hectic. At $5, I thought the whole thing was a pretty good value. I certainly wasn’t hungry until lunchtime. People who work near Rock Center have a new, very tempting breakfast option.

Tri Tip Grill, Rockefeller Center Concourse, North Side, restaurant phone 212-664-1003, delivery phone 212-664-1030