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.

Located on an otherwise deserted stretch on 31st Street, Ayza is a wine and chocolate bar that doesn’t immediately come to mind as a place to find a Midtown Lunch. In fact, that point may still be debatable. It’s sort of fancy. I know I walked past it dozens of time without giving it a second thought until I saw that they offer a $9.95 lunch special. Skeptical, I decided to investigate.

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Thanks to Lunch’er Wayne for sending along this news…

“In the time-honored spirit of Chinese restaurant tax-dodging, Ying Du (on 38th btw. 7+8th) has transmogrified into MING Du. Not sure but i believe it involves the principal fleeing back to china while holding unrecoverable debt (i.e. the business “lost” money) while the business reincorporates under a new name. cash kept, taxes forgiven, business stays open, roast pork gets eaten, everybody wins except the IRS.”

We have no comment about your theory, but the name change has been duly noted and we hope the food hasn’t changed.

If yesterday’s post about the Serious Eats review of Food Gallery 32 got you thinking about stopping in for dinner or an after work snack tonight, you might want to hold off. This afternoon, around 3pm, a sprinkler burst over O-De-Ppang! in booth 3 of the Koreatown food court. The FDNY was on sight in minutes to get things worked out. Don’t panic though, word is they should be up and running again in the next couple of hours.

• Toasties makes an excellent corned beef and cabbage!? [Midtown Eating]
• What’s a good place to watch the Final Four during lunch? [Midtown Eating]
• BOGO bubble tea? [Midtown Eating]
• The March ML Happy Hour meetup is less than one week away [Connections]

Back in January we told you that Schnitzel & Things would be opening a brick and mortar store on 3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th. Well, according to this they are hoping to officially open on Monday! (With a soft open as early as this weekend!?) We hear that the construction is not completely done yet, so nothing is guaranteed, but even if Monday isn’t the day… clearly we are only days away from stationary schnitz! Oh, and we’ve been saying it forever… but as Fork in the Road notes, food truck wannabes should take note of Gene’s comments.  Running a food truck is not as “liberating” as you might think. (Emotionally and financially.)  [via Eater]

This here, my friends, is my favorite spot for lunch and just in time for St Paddy’s Day! Blarney Rock Pub (33rd btw 6+7th) is a gem, though most people probably wouldn’t think that by just looking from the outside (doesn’t help that Stout is next door and is also an Irish place with it’s dark wood exterior is way more attractive). On any given day you’ll find some real mean looking guys standing outside taking their cigarette breaks. Don’t be afraid of them because once you go through the doors, you’ll be transported to a place that’s casual, relaxing, serves some damn good lunches and has a great happy hour.

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It’s St. Patrick’s Day! Timing for the eating o’ the green treats. If you’re courageous enough to brave the emerald clad revelers, there are some St. Patty’s Day treats awaiting you at Treats Truck including: cupcakes, crispy treats, and four leaf clover sugar cookies. And Robicellis is now delivering to Joe the Art of Coffee in Grand Central on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so Joe should have a selection of their holiday cupcakes: Irish Soda Bread (with a clotted cream buttercream & Drambuie soaked raisins), Irish Coffee (Bailey’s-espresso cake & buttercream, ganache, crushed white chocolate) and the Car Bomb (Chocolate Guinness stout cake, Bailey’s buttercream, Jameson whiskey ganache). Lily O’Brien’s will be getting a delivery of these flavors tomorrow for those of you still celebrating on Friday (or needing something to get over your hangover).

Also Shake Shack is serving up Mint Chocolate Chip Custard, and if you tell your server “Get Lucky” at The Counter in Times Square they’ll give you a green beer or green shake for just $3. “Like” The Counter on Facebook and show it to them (on your phone or a printout) they’ll give you the shake for free.