Midtown Lunch

I never got to try Diamond Dairy, the hidden gem of a kosher dairy restaurant that closed back in 2009. Zach loved their potato pancakes and there were rumors in the forum last summer of a new restaurant finally opening upstairs in the back of National Jewelers Exchange on 47th. Well, word leaked last week on Lost City that a new dairy restaurant has finally taken its place.

I ventured through the aisles of Hassidic jewelers and found the stairs leading up to Dairy Cafe. The dining room is bright, but looks like just another generic deli. The menu doesn’t sound much different than what you’d expect (although there is no meat here, since this is the dairy side of kosher): sandwiches, salad, wraps, soups, etc. They do serve blintzes (3 for $7.95) and have a separate counter (and menu) offering the “largest variety of kosher sushi in NYC.”

Not sure what kosher sushi means other than there is no shellfish (although they do still offer imitation crab meat in the California Rolls).

I ordered a tuna salad panini since I wanted something warm and savory. I was tempted to get the blintzes, but was worried they’d be too sweet. The panini was a little pricey ($8.95) for what you got, but it was rather tasty. I’m glad they didn’t saturate the sandwich with cheese because fish and cheese in general is always a slippery slope, but there was no cheddar as the menu had promised. Yet the bread was toasty and the tuna salad had the right balance of mayo – there was enough there to prevent it from being dry, but didn’t overwhelm the tuna. It’s served with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions (all fresh) and a side of pickles. It was a perfectly fine tuna panini.

The most exciting thing is thanks to Dairy Cafe and old time favorite Taam Tov, you once again have options for all your hidden kosher needs in the Diamond District.

Dairy Cafe & Catering, 4 West 47th Street (bw 5th and 6th), (212) 221-7242