Midtown Lunch

While I am still majorly bummed about Katsuhama pricing their oyako don out of the ML budget, I’ve been trying to find a new go-to spot. Recently, I hit up Men Kui Tei to check out theirs — don’t count out the rice dishes at this probable Bittman secret favorite restaurant — even though ramen is half the menu, they do very well with most everything they offer. So how did their oyako don stack up?
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Last week we started getting tips about, Mausam Curry N Bites, a new curry truck parking around midtown. With some solid recommendations trickling in from Lunchers in the field we had to check it out.

First lets hear from Lunch’r ladyeatalot

I know we have a few good Indian carts/shops popping up in our nabe but I have to say this one is pretty darn good.

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Simpsons photo taken from Eater

• We would support a Khlav Kalash mega restaurant [Eater]
• Get a finnish lunch at MOMA through October 12th [SENY]
• A video look at 10 years of the Burger Joint [Eater]
• Sam Sifton is filled with regret and self loathing because of his lunch choices [Grub St.]
• Strip House opens next week- unsurprisingly there’s nothing on the menu for us [GS]
• Serious Eats does their own compare contrast on the 53rd & 6th Street halal carts [SENY]
• Fun Buns get an honorable mention in this best NYC pork buns post [FitR]
• Like food trucks, but don’t like leaving your office? This could be for you. [FitR]

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 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.

O Glorious Day. I’ve found a happy hour with not just decent, but GOOD deals… maybe even bleeding into the territory of awesome deals (for Midtown)… right around the corner from my office and mere steps away from Grand Central Station. This mythical place I speak of is called Vander Bar (45th and Vanderbilt) in the Roosevelt Hotel.

How do Midtown Lunchers not know about these amazing speacials already? I think, in part, because even though the happy hour boasts dive prices, Vander Bar is disguised as a lame, highly overpriced bar. But it’s not what you would expect at all. It’s actually pretty awesome. High praise, high praise for Vander Bar!

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Momofuku Milk Bar’s cookies used to top my list for funky cookie creations in Midtown, but then Schmackary’s burst onto the scene earlier this year and stole my heart. These two spots each have their own unique cookie combos, but I recently realized that they have something in common: the corn cookie. Well, there’s a clear way to make a comparison — let’s give it a shot.
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A new truck has been parking in Midtown recently called The Trusty Truck and their slogan is “Five Stars on Four Wheels.” Checking out the menu, I’m not too sure of that. They focus on something they like to call durgers, which seems to be hamburgers in the shape of a hot dog. Their sides include fries, mac and cheese bites, meatballs, and jalapeño poppers. They’ve been on the street now for just two weeks and today it looks like they’ll be on 47th btw. Park+Vanderbilt. Anybody tried this truck out? Thoughts in the comments…

Every Friday we go 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.

MidtownLunch has a long and amorous history with buffets (thank you, Zach Brooks!) When I walked by the above sign, I knew it was my Contributor duty to check it out. Additionally, I was excited that I would get to try Sri Lankan food. Given the proximity to India (and after reading a little online, I learned about Sri Lanka’s role as a major trading hub leading to additional influences), Banana Leaf was a good bet.

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It’s been a good week for Café China. The hot Szechuan restaurant not only received a Michelin star this week, but they also found themselves included in Time Out’s Annual 100 Best issue, which was released yesterday. Sadly, Cafe China’s $9 spicy diced rabbit dish is TONY’s only real ML option (leaving me to wonder how it stacks up against Lan Sheng’s version.) Other Midtown dishes on Time Out’s list are either past the $10 mark (the cassoulet at Chez Napoleon, the fried pizza at Don Antonio) or are not available for lunch (the Shacked Cheese at Reunion Bar, the Spicy Fries with Wasabi Cream at Mr. Robata). Still, I’ve managed to find some mighty tasty bites from their previous lists, so if you’re feeling like a splurge, these might be worth a look. You can check out their entire list at Time Out’s website.

Related:

Did you know that today (October 4th) is National Taco Day? [crickets] Neither did we, but you can bet that now that we’re aware of it, it will forever be a highlight on our calendar. In honor of the day that celebrates the taco, please find some of your humble Midtown Lunch contributors’ favorites right now. Not ever, and not in the history of the universe, just some tacos we’re digging at the moment that will hopefully inspire you to celebrate this national food holiday with us.

Rachel Goldner: beef taco at Blend Latin Fusion Truck

Blend truck’s $6 taco trio is a really great deal. My favorite option is the beef taco that Brian also enjoyed back in May, but you can mix and match your three with different proteins. These tacos are colorful, flavorful and with a nice portion of shredded meat in the double tortilla wraps. A little crema and hot sauce on top, and you’re good to go!

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Don’t pinch yourself (unless it’s what floats your boat), don’t power-cycle your monitor, don’t panic. This is legitimate, this is for-real, you are not experiencing a wire cross somewhere in the tubes. Papa John’s has a location that does dollar slice pizza. It is on 28th between 7th and 8th. We have reviewed it. Yes, this is still Midtown Lunch. While we generally aim – rightfully so, IMO – to steer our lunch dollars towards the little guy, we are still doing a comparison of individual pizza slice purveyors that sell for a dollar per plain cheese slice. This fits the criteria, and it is up to us to advise for or against. In the past, there’s been no issue calling out awful dollar slices just as easily as there’s been no issue lauding surprising good finds in unlikely places. As this, the final column in $1 Slice-o-Rama comes to a close, do we end off with a corporate underdog story or do we merely shake our heads at having done a necessary, but not joyful, service to the lunch community?

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