Midtown Lunch

Walking down 53rd Street recently I passed a tiny hole in the wall, a barely signed new space that for some reason caught my eye. Turns out it was Tomiya, a tiny grocery selling authentic Japanese sundries, treats, snacks, and…drum roll…a small assortment of prepared foods priced in ML range. I’m pretty sure this place is the real deal because the only things I could read in there were the helpful handwritten signs posted around the place to help us Americans navigate. See what I’m talking about after the jump…

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On the ML Twitter Tracker today… Bob & Jo are on Vanderbilt btw. 45+46th, the Treats Truck are in an “old favorite” spot, Fishing Shrimp is on 48th & Park, Crisp on Wheels are on 53rd & Park, Eddie’s Pizza is on 46th btw 5+6th, Kimchi Truck is on 55th btw. 6+7th, Domo Taco is on 46th & Park, Phil’s Steaks is on 45th & Mad, Korilla is on 45th & 5th, Cinnamon Snail is on 55th & Broadway and donating 20% of their profits to Earth Share NY, and the Our Heroes Truck- which you can read all about on our Downtown site– is in Midtown today parked on 51st btw. Park+Madison.

The other day, while I was walking to work, I was surprised to see a Lenny’s and a big “Coming soon” sign on 43rd btw Lex and 3rd Ave. I was surprised because I was expecting another random deli to take over the space that used to be a random deli. This will finally be the first Lenny’s in midtown east (sorry I’m not including the one on 54th and 2nd). I’m curious to see how they will do since they will be located directly behind Potbelly on 44th btw Lex + 3rd. Let the sandwich war begin!

Lunch’er ‘Harry’ recently tipped us off in the forums that Kar Won appears to have shuttered:

Kar Won is my go to chinese place. I really like the food and the cranky environment. I went there today and it was shuttered Behind the shutters was a broken front door and a trashed restaurant. I don’t know what happened, but Kar Won is shut down. I have sent the pictures to ML.

A little further investigation has revealed that they are not closed forever, but are undergoing some renovations and should be back up and running in three to four weeks. Sad for now, but they’ll be back!

Kar Won, 116 East 60th Street (btw Lex + Park), (212) 486-1359

Once upon a time it was difficult to get a gourmet (read: overpriced) cup of coffee in Midtown, but now your options are endless. Zagat reported this week that a new coffee shop opened inside the Sanctuary Hotel on 47th Street between 6th and 7th. Aside from a sign outside, you wouldn’t know Spresso Cafe was nestled inside the fancy hotel lobby. They’re serving drinks brewed with Lavazza coffee and a small selection of French pastries, like financiers and caneles. And as a special promotion, now through the end of April, if you check in (presumably on Foursquare) and purchase a coffee drink, you can get a free canele.

Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Megan, a digital strategist who wishes she worked in Chinatown and is looking for some good sushi recs…

Name: Megan

Age: 22

Occupation: Digital Strategist

Where in Midtown do you work? The wonderful corner of 57th and 3rd.

Favorite Kind of Food: Vietnamese, Dim Sum, Brussels sprouts and all the sandwiches of the world.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Bean sprouts

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The Buffalo Artichoke and Italian Wedding slices at Pizza by Cer Te on 56th btwn Lex and Park are killer (dab a little bit of their habenero sauce for an extra kick). At Chola Eclectic Indian Cuisine on 58th btwn 3rd and 2nd, $8 gets you all-the-indian-food-you-can-stuff-into-a-to-go-container and it’s pretty damn good but always makes me super sleepy. Korilla BBQ was awesome but then they stopped parking at 56th and Lex (what’s up with that?).

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Little Morocco on 39th and 7th might have the most weathered history of any street meat cart in Midtown. After a slew of disappearances, a solo venture, a robbery, and a move to Los Angeles, Omar is back working the grill. Luncher Kopper tipped us off to this exciting news last week in the Forums and I finally made it down to 39th and 7th to see for myself. Omar was as upbeat as ever and seemed happy to be back at Little Morocco with a renewed love of the city. He told me he is indeed back for good (although he plans to take a lengthy vacation this summer) and will be slinging his usual garbage plate street meat. Plus, starting today will have fish and kofta once again. This might be the best news of the year! Here’s hoping it’s an easy ride from here on out.

When Gyu-Kaku opened their new Times Square location a month ago, they didn’t offer lunch, which was a major bummer. Now that they’re in a groove, they’ve added lunchtime hours starting today (on weekdays lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), and more importantly, a lunchtime menu that starts tomorrow. While the sets don’t qualify as a Midtown Lunch, I’m happy to see on the online menu that the rice and noodle dishes will be offered at a deep discount, making them viable ML options! The chicken garlic noodles (a favorite of mine) is $6 (usually $10), which means you might be able to squeeze in an appetizer as well (they start at just $2). No word yet if these lunchtime price reductions will stick — Gyu-Kaku’s promotions tend to ebb and flow — but either way, the chicken garlic noodles have been calling my name, and you can be sure I’ll be by to check ’em out in the coming days.

Gyu-Kaku, 321 W. 44th St. (btw. 8+9th), 646-692-9115

Back in February our man Brian Hoffman tried out the Domo Taco Truck and was less then impressed, but according to Lunch’er “Mike” they may have improved.  He submitted this report last week…

Stop the presses, pull out the stops, press the stoppers – the mid-30s have been blessed with a roving truck visit! Domo Taco, a newcomer, came around [last Tuesday]. After I saw how tacos and an order of nacho tots failed to overwhelm I was a bit skittish. I resolved to give them a shot and if it came down to it, to hold the crema.  There was zilch of a line. I was disappointed at this – am I the only one on West 37th who realizes how rare a proper truck visit is?! Coolhaus and Taim are as close as we can get, and even then they’re usually more towards Bryant Park. I mean, yay for no wait, but boo for nobody taking advantage. Here’s hoping I was just on the late side to lunch.

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