Midtown Lunch

Yesterday, Luncher “Matt” emailed in with this report:

Washoku Cafe (aka Negi-Ya) may have closed! A coworker tells me the gate’s down, there’s no sign, and they stopped taking credit cards yesterday. It is the first of the month …

Calls to the Japanese cafe and noodle shop just get voicemail. Personally, I’m going to be very disappointed if the only source of decent tonkotsu this side of 40th Street has gone under. The weather might be warm today, but I know I’m going to need more soup before the summer comes.

Related:
Soup’s on at Negi-Ya (aka Washoku Cafe)

I love a good deal as much as anyone else, but it’s been years since I’ve found any great pleasure surfing the dollar menu anywhere. That said, when I saw the sign for $1 burgers and dogs at Pop’s in last week’s Links, I knew I’d have to investigate. Lunchtime Monday afternoon, I went over to 7th Avenue to check it out.

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Photo courtesy of Amareyui

With all the high profile new ramen spots that have opened in Midtown over the past year (Hide Chan, Totto Ramen) it’s good to see an old school spot get a little love… Eater asked Chef Bill Telepan to recommend an under the radar spot and he went with Sapporo (on 49th btw. 6+7th).

“[My wife and I] love the Shoyu Ramen with pork or she’ll get a veggie version. But one day I saw someone eating a rice dish that looked great, it’s called Cha-han, and it is a fried rice dish that I add pork to. It’s cheap, quick & yummy.”

Sapporo, 152 W. 49th St., btw. 6th & 7th 212-869-8972

I like the sandwiches at ‘wichcraft, but the price to size ratio…not so much. I was excited to read about the new sandwiches that they added in their recent menu overhaul, but sad to see that their prices had inched up as well. Still I’ve been a fan of doing their all day breakfast sandwiches for lunch, so their new potato leek frittata caught my eye. I had to check it out. Read more »

• Sweetery’s ice cream sandwiches are the best [Midtown Eating]
• Pops $1 food shop is ok [Midtown Eating]
• Breast milk ice cream?!  No thanks… [Miscellaneous]
• Del Frisco’s and Keen’s are the best steakhouses in Midtown [Midtown Eating]

If you’ve followed our coverage of Food Gallery 32, it’s been a story of trial and error, but for the most part, a successful one. Bian Dang’s 3rd floor off-shoot, Crêpe Monster, has followed a similar trajectory of small oversights, but this story ends on a happy note as well. You may recall Crêpe Monster’s preview, which was plagued by long lines and a shapeless menu, but I paid them a visit recently, and was quite pleased with what I saw and tasted.
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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 Gabriella, a tourism professional who wishes she could send herself to Rome.

Name: Gabriella (aka The Explorateur)

Age: 35

Occupation: Tourism sales, marketing & public relations

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Northern New Jersey

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai & Italian

Least Favorite Kind of Food: French

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:Main Noodle House (6th btw 37th & 38th) for mixed dumplings and Wonton/roast duck soup, Chai Home Kitchen (on 8th btw 55th & 56th ) for duck spring rolls & green curry chicken, Naya Express (on 3rd btw. 43+44th) for hummus and chicken shawarma, (3rd ave & 44th) and I follow all manner of food trucks to see if my meeting patterns fit in with their daily roaming.

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Ask the simple question, “Where’s the best Mexican food in New York City?” and you’ll likely be met with exasperated sighs, an eye roll, and the fierce proclamation that New York Mexican cuisine could never in a million years rival that of California’s (at least until California is swallowed by the Pacific). Part of me agrees. I’ve had the pleasure of eating at the clapped out taco trucks in random parking lots around Salinas and Fresno, CA – gleefully shoveling down $1.50 tacos meant for the local day laborers, now being elbowed out by DSLR toting hipsters.

But we shouldn’t be so self depreciating, for there’s perfectly acceptable Mexican to be had at Tehuitzingo Deli and Grocery (10th Avenue between 47th & 48th st) – well out of reach of Midtown, but accessible for the lucky lunchers that work on the western edge of Midtown, or those with very lax lunch breaks (they also deliver as far east as 6th ave).

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