Midtown Lunch

With cold weather upon us (hello, Snowtober!), most of the Softees are snug in their depots until April. But Coolhaus is still on their streets and they’re packing hot chocolate in addition to special fall ice cream flavors including Bourbon Pecan Pie, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, & Sweet Potato with Marshmallow and pumpkin pie cookies. Besides their signature hot chocolate they will be debuting hot chocolates inspired by ice cream flavors including Dirty Mint Hot Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Chipotle Hot Chocolate and Nutella Hot Chocolate. Follow Coolhaus on Twitter @CoolhausNY or via the ML Twitter Tracker. Early adopters let us know your thoughts in the comments!

There’s been some buzz recently in the forums about SoomSoom, a new-ish falafel shop on Lex. Commenter Alphadog says:

Have been to UWS location a bunch and its much better than Maoz. The pita is incredible and the felafel is non-greasy delish. I recommend the eggplant and hard boiled egg w/ hummus and all the fixings. This place will be packed with people

Here’s what I found…

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A few months ago, we paid a visit to Midtown West newcomer E&E Grill House and learned that most of the lunch menu items were well above our $10 price limit, including their very good take on a classic BLT.  But there’s good news for the cheap asses (like us) who want to try the rest of their menu, but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. They’ve recently launched a Monday lunch special where they’re offering the whole sandwich menu for just $9. Each sandwich will also come with their house made chips (which I absolutely loved on my last visit) or a green side salad. Considering that this almost cuts the price of some of their pricier sandwiches, such as their tempting steak sandwich, by up to 35%, this sounds like a pretty good deal.

If you are on the lookout for Halloween goodies and have a little extra to spend, Bouchon Bakery has some adorable bat versions ($3.25) of their TKO (Thomas Kellar Oreo). The TKO is made from a crunchy, buttery, extremely chocolatey sable cookie with a white chocolate ganache filling. It’s like an Oreo on steroids and you can’t help but smile at the bat shape.

Bouchon Bakery, 1 Rockefeller Center, (212) 782-3890

Tabata Ramen. Photo courtesy of Food in Mouth.

• The namesake ramen at Tabata is coconut flavored!? [Food in Mouth]
• Get 40% off dinner at Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote [Chubby Chinese Girl]
• Who Eats at Sarge’s Deli? [Eater]
• Cinnamon Snail is coming to NYC [Gothamist]
• The Lunch Box Buffet’s pork buns are surprisingly decent [Me So Hungry]
• It appears as if the Subway Inn has closed for good [Eater]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” posts 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. Halloween is creeping up upon us and Mamacita compiled a list of bewitching bars to haunt on All Saints Day.

Putting aside the chaotic pyromania that is 4th of July, I can safely say that Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. When done right, it’s a masquerade of mayhem doused in a wave of luscious libations. Festivities start tonight and stumble through the weekend, culminating in a Monday monster mash that will leave you calling in sick on Tuesday. So start complaining about your sore throat to your boss now -in preparation.

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Ever since Andrea posted about her unsuccessful attempt at ordering from Potbelly’s secret “underground” menu downtown, I’ve been on a mission to get my hands on these elusive little sandwiches. My only previous experience with Potbelly was years ago at the Chicago airport (I remember them being quite tasty) and I certainly wasn’t hip or in-the-know enough at that point to ask for one of their secret sandwiches. All the underground sandwiches use the same ingredients from one of their signature menu items, but in a different arrangement. So unfortunately, there’s no secret hidden ingredients involved. No foie gras or face bacon, I’m afraid.

After doing some research online, I learned the names of some of the creations, so I was prepared when I walked into the 44th Street Location (between Lex and 3rd). I ordered “the Wrecking Ball” without flinching and to my surprise, the employee seemed to know what I was talking about. He had to check with a manager to find out exactly what was in it, but he made the sandwich no problem. For those curious, the Wrecking Ball is a combination of their Meatball sandwich (minus the marinara sauce) and their Wreck sandwich. I could have also ordered the Fire Ball (meatball sandwich topped with chili) or the Cheeseburger (meatball sandwich with ketchup, mustard, cheese, and pickles).

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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.

Madison Square Eats may be over and done with until spring, but Flatiron Lunchers seem to have more options than ever with a new spate of restaurants opening over the last month. See what’s on it’s way or already here after the jump.

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