Midtown Lunch

Every Friday our man UltraClay goes south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

I’m very late in trying out the generically named Argentinian food truck NYC Mobile Eatery. Back in the fall, luncher “El Dubya El” posted about it in the forums. It’s been on my radar ever since, but I only seemed to find it after I’d already eaten. This week, I finally tracked it down on 26th Street and 6th Avenue and was shocked to find a sandwich I haven’t had since I visited Buenos Aires years ago.
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What would $3.50 get you for lunch? A plain slice? A couple of dirty water hot dogs? Maybe a small cup of soup? At Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), $3.50 can buy you a modest, yet filling lunch. It’s a well known fact that Woorijip is one of the best lunch deals in the vicinity of K-town. We at Midtownlunch have always loved this place for a variety of reason – the fair prices, the variety of food, and their willingness to tinker with special menu items, for better or for worse. I’m personally a frequent customer (I think I fill up a loyalty card at least once a month), and take a quirky delight in sampling any new menu items as soon as I notice them. And today’s new menu item happened to be a spicy chicken wrap, priced at only $2.50.

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Sadness is showing up on the last day of Flex Donuts, hoping for one last hurrah with their spiced chocolate goodness, only to see a sign saying “Out of Doughnuts.” That is a sad sign. One look to the left reminded me of the paradox that is Magnolia Bakery (in the Grand Central Food Court.) Knowing I was not going to be getting a cupcake, I took a gander at the display case to see if anything else tickled my fancy: personal chocolate pudding pie, anyone?

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Oh The Wangen!  A couple weeks ago Cer Te announced a new sandwich for the month of February called “The Wangen”.  Braised Beef Cheeks With Marigold Apples Crispy Sea Salted Cabbage Melted Mountain Gruyere On Finnish Ruis Bread With Coleman’s Mustard for $8.95. I really love cheeks, and despite all the good reviews I had never been to Cer Te- so clearly I had to check it out.  Yes, that’s right.  I have never been to Cer Te (don’t pretend like I’m the only one) but I’ve been meaning to go, and if most of their sandwiches are better than this one you’ll probably find me there once a week.

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Years ago, Zach publicly pined for a version of Taim’s sabich in Midtown, and now he finally got his wish. The Taim Mobile truck has introduced this Israeli dish to Midtown as an intermittent lunch special, though it’s proven to be a fleet fox. Both Jeremiah and I have tried to sample this dish on multiple occasions with little success, though I was finally lucky enough to track down this elusive item last week.

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Can’t decide what’s crazier… the news that Mono + Mono, the Korean fried chicken place (on 5th Ave. btw. 31+32nd) formerly know as Mad For Chicken, is closing up shop in a month?  Or the fact that we got this tip from the drummer of The Roots!?  We sent an email to the owners to confirm, but haven’t heard back yet.  If it is true, I guess Questlove will have to switch to Bon Chon or Kyochon.

Related:
Mad For Chicken’s Mono + Mono Has Begun

Photo courtesy of Chris H./Serious Eats: NY

Blondie had breakfast for dinner at Clinton St. Baking Company, while Brownie was enjoying a delicious looking $5 ground pork sandwich at Beet Thai in Park Slope. Chris H. continues his exploration of Flushing on Serious Eats: New York by eating a hot pot with live octopus, abalone, and lobster, and our newest contributor Donny posted a (food) porn video of chicken and waffles.

Elsewhere in the ML universe… Andrea finds a decent looking alternative to the Biriyani Cart downtown,  Jamie finds a delicious short rib sandwich at Cooperage in Philly,  and I get excited about a food truck that sells french fry burritos in Los Angeles.

Oh, the chocolate chip cookie. One influential group of people have a taste-off declaring a winner, and the matter is settled? Not so fast! I’ve never bought into the supposed “best chocolate chip cookie” stand-bys in NYC. I’m not the biggest fan of Levain’s, City Bakery appeals to those who like their cookies crispy, and flatter, and Pret’s is pretty great thanks to a warming case keeping it gooey.  But if you’re going to say “best cookie in Midtown” you should probably try all the chocolate chip cookies in Midtown, right?  (Don’t mind if we do!)  After all there are a lot of chocolate chip cookies in Midtown alone, and the half of them aren’t even given a fair chance. Like the chocolate chip from Macchiato Espresso Bar (on 44th btw 3rd+Lex), which definitely deserves a mention!

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