Midtown Lunch

It seems like only yesterday we were complaining about freak snow storms and seriously crummy weather, but signs of spring are emerging, whether it be the start of baseball season, OMG RAMPS!, or the Kelvin Slush Truck making its glorious return. I noticed their tweet that they’d be re-launching this weekend, and tracked them down to inquire if they’d be coming to Midtown anytime soon.

First, the good news – barring any serious weather set-backs, they mentioned that they are back for good for the year. However, they were non-committal on any Midtown visits, so we’ll have to keep our eyes on twitter and hope they grace us with their presence. Oh, and my ginger slush with white peach and strawberry? Freakin’ fantastic.

Kimbap is an ideal lunch item for me. It’s cheap, travels well, packs an even and flavorful dose of carbs, proteins, veggies, and it doesn’t suffer if I get pulled into a meeting and it sits on my desk for hours until I finally get to it.

Whenever I get the hankering for kimbap and I’m close to Koreatown, E-Mo (‘Aunt’ in Korean) has always been my go to. I get sentimental when it comes to this place as well – it’s a tiny hole-in-the-wall that’s been around forever, and the old Korean lady that assembles the kimbap to-order is as sweet as can be (at least when she’s not scolding me for my embarrassing lack of conversational Korean). It may not be the best kimbap I’ve ever had, but compared to the other options in K-town, it always held its own. That is until Food Gallery 32 opened up across the street, and started selling its own version of made-to-order kimbap at the Boon Sik Zip stall.

A comparison between the two was inevitable, so we set off to do a head-to-head assessment in our highly unscientific analysis.

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In the sad news department; I followed up with the staff at Cycle Cafe (fka Cyber Cafe, on 49th btw. B’way+8th) on the heels of our earlier report that Madeleine, the sweet old lady who made some pretty awesome crêpes, would only be temporarily displaced while the new management re-jiggers their food offerings. However, on my visit over the weekend, the staff brusquely mentioned that she wouldn’t be coming back. Indeed, the entire food counter has been taken over by a smoothie operation, generic deli sandwiches, and various Italian entrees slowly dying under a heat lamp, leaving no room for a crêpe making station. If this is truly the end for Madeleine, then we thank her for her services to the lunchers of Midtown, and bid her a fond adieu.

It appears that Baked by Melissa will be bringing their (contentious) cupcakes to the lunchers and tourists in the Times Square area (7th Ave. between 38th & 39th St). I happened to walk by their plywood, which promises that these tiny (some would say overpriced) cupcakes will be available in Spring 2011. Try not to get too excited.

Gyoza from Sapporo (on 49th btw. 6+7th). Photo by The Flooz.

• Sapporo’s gyoza are one of the top 3 dumplings in all of NYC [FitR]
• Half Off Schnitzel & Things Grand Opening Party [Gilt City]
• Schnipper’s Mac & Joe is still good [Tasty Eating]
• The kimbap from Food Gallery 32 comes with fishcake soup [Feisty Foodie]
• Happy Hour fave Port 41 was raided by the cops yesterday [Eater]

Once again Mamacita is off this week, so our man Ultraclay steps in to tell us about a friendly Times Square option with some fiery wings.

I try to avoid the Times Square area as much as possible. The tourists, the crowds, the crappy food all make it exactly where I don’t want to be. But, an off-site meeting earlier this week took me to 45th Street, right in the heart of it all and after wading through the crowd just to get out of the building, I needed a drink.

Enter The Perfect Pint. A friend who used to work in the area recommended it highly a while back, so this was my chance to check it out.

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For those of you who looked forward to Lily O’Brien’s Monday and Friday Robicelli’s deliveries, effective this week, the Robicelli’s have terminated their relationship. The  good news is their cupcakes are now available at Joe the Art of Coffee in Grand Central Terminal. Joe gets delivers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (so they’ll be fresher mid-week) and best of all, they are selling the cupcakes for $3 instead of $3.50 at Lily’s. For flavor schedule, you can follow Robicelli’s Tumblr, though be aware that because of space constraints Joe doesn’t get all of their flavors… so if you’re very particular about which one you want, you may want to call ahead.

Joe The Art of Coffee, Graybar Passage (off Lex.) in Grand Central Terminal, 212-661-8580

Tri Tip Grill has quickly become a ML darling. For a chain restaurant they provide a good product at a decent value and they listen to what the customer wants (hello, Midtown Toasty!). And it’s easily one of the best brick and morters to come to Rock Center in ages. While they are best known for their beef, if you’re a huge salmon fan and observing meatless Fridays you might want to make this a Lenten Lunch destination.

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