Midtown Lunch

While on the quest to find a spot for a good cup of coffee (I know I could just walk into one of the many delis in the area for a cup of $1 coffee but once in awhile you want something better), I discovered Manhattan Espresso Cafe on 49th btw. Lex+3rd. After digging a little further, I realized that besides having coffee, pastries and donuts they have sandwiches as well. I decided to check this place out and see whats up.

When I walked through the door there were a few men in suits standing in the corner sipping their double shot espresso. I know this is pretty typical in Europe, but there is something about a bunch of men holding tiny cups with saucers that I find quite hilarious. I know there’s a similar scene at Zibetto on 6th Ave. but I’m just more used to seeing people holding paper cups filled with coffee walking down the streets.

Looking through their sandwich selections, I ended up getting the BLT ($8) because I couldn’t say no to bacon. To tell you the truth, I had low expectations for this sandwich. Wasn’t sure how long it had been sitting there and really, how often do you find delicious sandwiches at coffee shops?

After taking a bite of the sandwich, I realized I was wrong. The sandwich was actually quite good. The ingredients tasted fresh and the bacon was perfectly salty (also they did not go cheap on the bacon, I had bacon in every bite). One thing I didn’t like about the BLT was the bread. It just wasn’t a good bread and it was hard to chew which made the whole sandwich difficult to eat. If only I can convince Previti in giving Manhattan Espresso Cafe bread for their sandwiches then we might just have ourselves a great BLT in Midtown east.

Manhattan Espresso Cafe, 146 E 49th St., 212-832-3010