Midtown Lunch

I have to admit, when the Chicken Bar on 45th and 8th boarded up for renovations in February, I thought that was the end for the fast food joint. But, now it seems the former Ranch 1 is undergoing another re-branding. Carve Cafe signs are up in addition to, not instead of, the Chicken Bar signs (so far). The name sounds schmancy for fast food chicken, so I’ll keep my eye on the progress…

Chicken Bar, 717 8th Avenue (at 45th street)

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 Stephanie, a marketing director who is looking for some Midtown East tacos.

Name: Stephanie

Age: 28

Occupation: Marketing Director / Commercial Real Estate.

Where in Midtown do you work? 49th & Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: Mexican. I have a penchant for tacos.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: If I’m in a sandwich mood, I’d go to Toasties (48th St) and I’d order the Tuna Melt, the Italian or the Sue’s Combo (Turkey, Brie, Honey Mustard). Favorite pizza in the area is Harry’s in Rock Center or Little Italy Pizza.

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I’m not sure if Midtown needs another Chipotle inspired restaurant but here you go. Hot Clay Oven, an Indian fusion restaurant which “>started off with a downtown location, has taken over what was the last of the Hello Pasta locations on 3rd Ave btw 44th and 45th St. Here’s a look at the menu but basically you get a choice of rice, salad or naan then you add your protein, toppings and dressing. This whole Indian food with the Chipotle way of serving food isn’t new to Midtown. Desi Shack on Lexington and 39th St has already been doing it since last October but I wasn’t a fan of their food. And from what Andrea wrote, Hot Clay Oven may just turn out to be a solid lunch spot. More than anything though we hope that like their downtown location, they will open their doors on the first day with some free food!

Remember the Batali Pang, the first in what was supposed to be a series of special Num Pang sandwiches designed by famous chefs for charity.  Well, according to Grub Street the second in the series of collaborations launches tomorrow. The “ABC Pang” ($9.25), created by Jean-Georges and Dan Kluger, features chicken salad with Thai basil, jalapeños, chile mayonnaise, and lime, topped with crispy chicken skin (!) and spicy cashew butter, spiked with Thai chiles and candied ginger and will benefit the Edible Schoolyard Project and the Double H Ranch. Can’t wait to get this masterpiece in my belly!

The Cinnamon Snail, which was parked on 21st and 5th today, is debuting several new menu items this week. The breakfast crowd can now get Blackberry Amaranth (a grain similar to rice) pancakes topped by honeysuckle syrup, with lunch getting four new items like Applewood Smoked Tempeh and a Gochujang Burger Deluxe. They also now have iced coffee that can come in two flavors: mint chocolate or with star anise-spiced coconut milk. The truck is heading downtown tomorrow, but should be in Midtown West on Wednesday and Midtown East on Friday. Did any Flatiron Lunchers get to try the new stuff today?  Let us know how the new items are in the comments.1

Summer is finally here and as much as I love eating massive lunches like a roast beef sandwich or a whole platter of fried chicken with rice and peas, I tend to lean towards the more simpler (and lighter) lunches. First thing that comes to my mind and stomach are cold noodles. We have talked much about the cold ramen (Men Kui Tei and Sapporo ) and lets not forget Korean cold noodles. These are all great summer treats that don’t make you feel disgusted after eating them, but sometimes I want something even more simple.  And that is when the Chinese version steps in.

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Food Freaks, a grilled cheese cart that’s been parking in Fort Greene Park for the last few months, is making an appearance near Central Park on 60th and 5th today. It was started by a food blogger who teamed with chefs (one who was featured on Chopped a while back) to make gourmet grilled cheese. They said that they will be open by 11:30, but check their Twitter or the ML Twitter Tracker to make sure.

A photo from our first trip to the Treats Truck, 5 years ago this week.

• The Treats Truck turns five years old this weekend [Blondie & Brownie]
• Sarge’s cures their own pastrami [Lunch Studio]
• Pie Face is opening two new shops in Midtown [DNAinfo]
• Hing Won’s duck banh mi is decent [SENY]
• Take a look at Pop’s $1 hot dog [SENY]
• A history of the building that houses Prime Burger [Lost City]
• Potbelly launches a vegetarian sandwich [Fork in the Road]
• Lucky Cheng’s has moved to Midtown? [Grub Street]
• Foodparc is now the Brighton Food Court [Gothamist]