Midtown Lunch

Our friends at Scoutmob have got a great deal today at one of our favorite places in Midtown… get 50% off at the Bon Chon on 38th Street (btw. 7+8th), and the best part is you don’t have to buy anything. All you have to do is enter your cell phone number and you score the coupon for free. But wait… there’s more. To sweeten the deal the awesome folks at Scoutmob have $100 in BonChon gift cards to give away to one lucky lunch’er who subscribes to receive their daily email. To enter, just follow this link and sign up by entering your email address in the box at the top ( where it says “join the nyc mob”). Already a Scoutmob member?  Post a comment below and we’ll make sure you’re entered to win the gift cards too.

So… just to recap.  Enter your cell phone number, get 50% off Bon Chon texted to you for free (on 38th.)  Enter your email address in the box at the top of the page, and you’re entered to win $100 worth of Bon Chon gift cards.  What are you waiting for?  You have until tonight (3/7) at Midnight to get the 50% off, but you can enter to win the gift card by signing up for the Scoutmob email through Friday (3/11) at Noon.  Good luck!

Last week we received a tip from the twitterverse that Cyber Café, the home of the beloved Madeleine the Crêpe Lady is now called “Cycle Café”, and that the stalls that were previously home to Tuck Shop and Madeleine, appear to be empty. I stopped by to investigate, and learned that the space is now under new management, who hope to renovate the interior. They’ve started by installing a juice and smoothie bar, and are re-vamping the counter space that Tuck Shop and Madeleine previously occupied. However they’ve assured me that the renovation should only take 2-3 weeks, and that Madeleine will be brought back afterward to keep making her delicious crêpes. We’ll do a follow-up visit next month to see if they stick to their word.

Related:
Madeleine The Crepe Lady (or the Hidden Gems of the CyberCafe- Part 2 of 2)

Last week I issued a challenge to Tri Tip Grill to outdo Dunkin Donuts’ Big ‘n’ Tasty (the new bacon, egg and cheese on Texas toast), and it only took a few days for them to accept our “suggestion”.  From the owner of Tri Tip:

Let me introduce to you, the aptly named “Midtown Toasty.” 3 strips of bacon, a fried egg, melted cheese on 2 awesome toasted pieces of our challah bread. After checking out the Dunkin’ toasty, there’s no doubt that we are going to be anointed the king of the toasties. The best part is it’s bigger, better, freshly made and is only $.50 more… you can also substitute the bacon for tri tip, if you so choose.

TriTip will be serving the Midtown Toasty ($3.99) all week, and they promise “if we sell 100 of them, we will add it to our breakfast menu permanently.”

Tri Tip Grill, Rockefeller Center Concourse, North Side, (212) 664-1003

Photos courtesy of Fork This

• Check out this good looking lunch for the often forgotten Taam Tov [Fork This]
• Yvo recommends Tri Tip Grill in Rock Center [Feisty Foodie]
• Bella Napoli on 31st makes a good square slice [SENY]
• Red Hook Lobster Pound will open a NYC truck in May!? [Grub Street]
• No 7 Sub makes a General Tso’s egg sandwich! [Zagat Buzz]
• The $12 bento from Aoki is a good deal [Tasty Eating]
• Is the NYTimes building cursed? [Gothamist]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

If you’re not as drunk as this guy, then you’re just not trying hard enough

As the good Catholic girl I am… or was raised to be (sorry mom)… I feel an obligation to inform those of you whom are unaware that Carnival is the traditional celebration before Lent. A brief window of time where excess and ecstasy are allowed to take center stage before yielding to a period of self-induced sacrifice, spiritual reflection, and …and wait, I’m writing for Midtown Lunch, screw that.

Ok you filthy philistines here’s what you need to know so listen up!

It’s Mardi Gras time. Fat Tuesday will soon be upon us, and the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost demand that you party hard enough that the hangover lasts until sometime in April. I know it’s rough, but don’t blame me, I’m only a humble messenger. The following are some establishments that have endeavored to help you in this divine mission.

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Becoming a mobile vendor is not quite as easy as ehow would have you believe. So in anticipation of Softee Season 2011 we’ve asked Chrissy (aka Miss Softee) to show us the process of what it takes to become an ice cream vendor in Midtown. We’ll meet the potential new vendors, and track their progress through the selection and training process as all of the candidates make their way towards being a full fledged Mr. Softee vendor. So far you’ve met the first few hires here and here. Now see what it takes to get your paperwork in order to become a licensed mobile vendor. Take it away Miss Softee!

Becoming a mobile food vendor isn’t just about coming up with a cool persona, finding awesome outfits to wear to work, or letting culinary creativity loose with awesome toppings… it’s a long process with many confusing steps along the way! Such a long process that even though we started with 20 total hires at the beginning of February, we’re already down to 16. It’s inevitable that people will drop off along the way, so most smart employers will tend to hire more people than they ultimately need. I can’t speak for every business, obviously, but here’s what a potential Mister Softee driver has to do to work in Midtown for the RollingCones.  (Yup, I’ve given us a new name!) Read more »

A few weeks ago Clay noticed a new truck parked on 33rd and 5th, and wondered how it was.  Thanks to Lunch’er Anthony (aka “GreeZeyFreeZey”) for sending us this photo and giving us the low down…

Hey recently you guys made a post about the cart on 33rd and 5th. It is honestly one of the best carts in the city. I found them at night on 28th and Madison about 5 years ago and have been pushing them to come around during the day. Today I spoke with them and hopefully they will be moving between 41st and 46th on 6th avenue in the next week or two. I am going to attach a picture also so maybe you can throw it up on the site to show people that its just amazing. Also just add if they go make sure they ask for the basmati rice and the hot sauce is amazing just enough spice. I work with a lot of Indian guys and they all say the basmati rice tastes just like what they make at home and they all love this cart. We have all tried pretty much every single cart in midtown and the 2 best hands down are Little Morroco and this one.

White & Hot Halal Food Truck, 33rd St. & 5th Ave.

It’s been a little while since we’ve caught our Flatiron Lunch readers up on the news and openings in the area. With spring approaching and announcements of Schnipper’s bringing the burger wars directly to the original Shake Shack, you know we’ve got some interesting things coming soon. See what’s in store after the jump.

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