Midtown Lunch

In lieu of our regular Flatiron review, we wanted to encourage you to do your part to help our neighborhood eating establishments who all took a hit during Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Fellow Lunch’ers,

We hope your lives are starting to return to normal. With so many in the tri-state area still without power and heat, it is hard to feel normal putting in 9-5. I can tell you I have been feeling the pull of wanting to volunteer all last week and this week. I spent a couple hours last Sunday with 20 other volunteers helping to demo a restaurant that took on about 8 feet of water by South Street Seaport. At the risk of sounding preachy, it made me feel like I helped even if it was just a couple hours, and throwing out a restaurant-sized fridge worth of spoiled food made my fridge and freezer clean out seem minor (and it was). I can also tell you week old scallops without refrigeration can stink up a city block instantly. If you want to help, Occupy Sandy continues to post needs and volunteer opportunities.

For something we can all do a little closer to home to help – EAT OUT! What did you say? We all already do that? Well, keep doing it!

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Since food trucks are still out doing the important work of helping Hurricane Sandy victims, Midtown Lunchers have more limited choices than usual. But it’s a great thing! I love that the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City has embraced our food trucks, and it seems this effort is benefitting everyone involved. Plus, I’m getting a chance to hit up one of my favorite classic carts: El Rey Del Sabor.

El Rey Del Sabor is a Midtown Lunch sweetheart, and it has recently been voted one of the fifteen top places for Mexican food in NYC by Eater’s readers. I’ve been attempting to go through the menu slowly but surely, trying their tamales, pastelillos, and… now their tortas. There are many culinary examples of tortas that vary from country to country, but in Mexico, they are a meat-filled sandwich on a white, crusty roll. Zach put them on his Midtown wish list way back in 2007, and since then they have popped up at Certe and Mexico Blvd. Mamacita also gave a good rec to a torta of the pork variety in a write up about El Rey Del Sabor not long ago. I was really looking forward to giving them a shot.

Well, readers, in a nutshell: I fought the torta, and the torta won. Twice.

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OUR NOVEMBER SANDWICH – “GIVING THANKS” STARTS 2DAY! TURKEY MEATLOAF, CRANBERRY KETCHUP, STRING BEAN CASSEROLE – NEED WE SAY MORE??

— Certé NYC (@Certe) November 7, 2012

Certe‘s November sandwich hits today, and not surprisingly, it’s Thanksgiving themed. They also tweeted a photo of the giving thanks sandwich, which includes turkey meatloaf, cranberry ketchup and string bean casserole. It kind of reminds me of Milkbar’s Thanksgiving croissant (which is now on their menu, btw), in that it’s Thanksgiving leftovers in a nice little package. I wonder if Certe’s version will also become one of our favorite turkey dishes in Midtown?

I love pumpkin, and I get really excited during this time of year when seasonal pumpkin dishes start popping up on menus. Yet, if there is one thing I can’t stand, it is the pumpkin spice latte. It makes me nuts when Starbucks declares that they have the seasonal drink in stores (which was months ago, by the way — waaaaay too early for my pumpkin cravings), and people get so excited. Every couple of years I think to myself, “Self, you should give that drink another shot — it can’t be that bad if everyone and their mother is excited.” And then, half a second after the first sip, I think to myself, “Self, it can’t possibly taste this way on purpose, can it?!” It is coffee for people who hate coffee and clearly don’t understand the nuances of the pumpkin.

Now that that is off my chest, let’s talk about some of the wonderful pumpkin dishes Midtown is currently offering, for when you get that pumpkin craving.

Pumpkin Muffin from Le Pain Quotidien

If you’re looking for pumpkin for breakfast, Le Pain Quotidien does a very nice pumpkin muffin ($2.85). I am especially a fan of the pumpkin seeds on top — they add a textural contrast and sweetness to balance the spices inside the muffin.

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We already reported on the fact that some of our favorite food trucks are noticeably absent from Midtown because they are donating time and food to help the hurricane relief efforts. After support from Jet Blue and individual donations, the program is being continued with the help from none other than the Mayor’s Office. The New York Food Truck Association, which includes Schnitzel & Things, Taim, and Souvlaki GR as members, is being sponsored by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. This is really wonderful news for those victims of Hurricane Sandy and let’s hope this will also be good news for the city’s thoughts about the food trucks when they get back to serving the streets.  Get more info and donate to the cause yourself on the NYFTA’s website>>

As we reported a few months back, 99 Miles to Philly is bringing their cheese steaks and munchies back to Midtown. Luncher Brad sent us an email alerting us that the new location on East 45th Street (and Second Avenue) is finally open. He sent over the photo of the menu and assured us the sandwich was good enough to eat.  Anybody else been since they re-opened?

Upon surveying Midtown post-hurricane, I noticed two things since I was here over a week ago: the population of both human beings and newer, fancier food trucks had gone down. Why the absence of food trucks? Many are in Red Hook, Staten Island, the Rockaways, and New Jersey, helping with hurricane relief by providing free food to victims. Others, like Red Hook Lobster Pound, were devastated by Sandy. Others, like Vendy Award sweethearts Cinnamon Snail and Uncle Gussy’s ran into problems with gas and power shortages. However, the older food carts, like hot dogs carts, street meat vendors of all kinds including Kwik Meal and Trini Paki Boys, El Rey Del Sabor, and Hot Soup Cart were all chillin’ in their same spots like nothing had happened. Baked Potato King, which has been around for eighteen years, was no exception. Although Lunch’er Jasmine reported on it back in 2008, this veteran cart hasn’t received much coverage.

As I approached I could smell sweet potatoes as well as regular, and since they are $4.50 each and I feared one wouldn’t be enough, I went ahead and ordered one of each. Although $4.50 seems steep for a baked potato, they are very big mf-ers with ample toppings. I’ve got to admit, my bag-o-food was a lot heavier than what I would normally schlep back to the office for under $10 in Midtown!

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Many people are slowly making their way back to work today and most restaurants are back open, but you may notice less food trucks and carts on the street. And this time it’s not because of the NYPD. Many of the gourmet food trucks are continuing their effort of donating food to the hardest hit areas like Staten Island, Red Hook, and the Rockaways, thanks to the generous support of Jet Blue, the New York City Food Truck Association, and private donations. You can continue to donate money with their indiegogo campaign. These neighborhoods need Phil’s Steaks and Wafels & Dinges much more than we do right now.

But it’s not all feel good stories coming from the food truck world…

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Potbelly Sandwich Shop is expanding to take over the old Taz space next door to Sophie’s (on 45th btw. 5+6th).  They were supposed to open last Tuesday, but Sandy ended up pushing the opening to tomorrow at 11 a.m. I guess this is a step up from the generic deli that once kind of almost served up Vietnamese food … but are we actually excited for yet another Potbelly?

Potbelly Sandwich Shop, 19 W. 45th Street