Midtown Lunch

Fun Buns returned to Midtown earlier this month with an updated menu that not only tweaked their signature food, but also added baguette sandwiches to the mix. This is exciting for Fun Bun fans who won’t fill up on just the tiny buns, themselves. However, having not had the opportunity to try Fun Buns last year, I stuck with their bread and butter: three buns for $9, which allowed me to taste more flavors.
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Lobster fans, get ready. Luke’s Lobster will be selling their lobster rolls in Midtown for $10 (usually $15) on Thursday and Friday!!! On Thursday, they will be at their usual spot on 57th and Broadway, and on Friday they will be parked at 47th and Madison Avenue. According to Gothamist, the lobster for the discounted lobster rolls was a donation from the Maine Lobster Council, and as a result, all proceeds from the discounted lobster rolls this Thursday and Friday will benefit the Mayor’s Fund Sandy Relief Efforts. Do your part and eat some lobsta!

Luke’s Lobster Truck, Thursday: 57th and Broadway, Friday: 47th and Madison

Over the years, we’ve kept track of the ongoing issues with being a food truck vendor in Midtown. Block after block has gone from hot bed of truck activity to crackdowns and being literally off-limits for months or years. One thing we’ve always advised to the owners is do not congregate on the same block as it inevitably leads to complaints and the Alpha Unit. Such advice is not being heeded on 47th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, the bona fide home of Jianetto’s Pizza Truck…

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Feels like summer is definitely here to stay, and with a change of seasons comes a change in the ‘wichcraft menu. I’m happy to see a couple of my favorites from last summer making a return, including the grilled flank steak (with romesco, grilled red onions and aged cheddar on grilled country bread) and the zucchini and mozzarella (with basil, Parmesan and roasted tomatoes on grilled country bread). Chicken salad is also back with kale, cucumber, walnuts and pickled red onions on multigrain bread. There’s chickpea hummus with a greenmarket vegetable salad, tahini, za’atar and mint pesto, also on multigrain bread. Not into a veggie option? How about some slow roasted Berkshire pork with red cabbage, jalapeños and dijon mustard on a ciabatta roll? Last but not least, this season’s frittata includes greenmarket veggies, oregano and aged cheddar on a ciabatta roll. Oh, and don’t forget Tom Colicchio’s special mortadella sandwich remains on the menu as well.

‘wichcraft, multiple locations

Sweet Chili NYC isn’t the first Top Chef-helmed food truck, but let’s hope it’s the most successful after the untimely closure of the Frying Dutchmen. Chef Lisa Fernandes was a runner-up on Season 4 and she was known for cooking Asian food. The new truck’s menu (which you can check out here) describes itself as Thaietnamese with platters like Spicy Caramel Pork and Miso Glazed Tofu. You can get a taste of the food today at the food truck lot on Third Avenue between 48th and 49th. They’ll be there every Monday. Early adopters, let us know what you think…

Last week, I noticed a truck I hadn’t seen before parked on 46th street between 6th and 7th. Grill on Wheels is relatively new to the streets, adding a new certified Kosher option to the lunch scene. Their menu isn’t going to make Midtown Lunchers very happy, with most items passing the $10 mark, including shawarma, schnitzel and something called “crazy chicken.” But, the burger falls within budget, so maybe that’s worth a taste. You can follow Grill on Wheels on twitter for their location.

But wait… there’s more.
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Sunrise Mart Burger. Photo courtesy of Robert Sietsema

• Smokey Burger Organic and Sunrise Mart both make Sietsema’s list of Oddball burgers [Eater]
• S Dynasty is good for porn buns and sticky rice [Food in Mouth]
• Certe’s This Little Piggy gets honored by Restaurant Hospitality [RH]
• 40th btw. 8+9th isn’t as seedy as it used to be [Jeremiah’s Vanishing]
• This post looks like a familiar topic [SENY]
• More on the new Ippudo’s new Midtown “flagship” [Diner’s Journal]
• Looks like the Famous Halal Guys are expanding to the East Village [EV Grieve]

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.

Subway Inn (60th St. btw. Lex + 3rd), has long been heralded as the dive of Midtown’s northern realm. On my journeys with Midtown bars, I’ve tried to steer clear of those that have been covered in the past. But Subway Inn had been beckoning, waiting for me to do an update since Mamacita visited over four years ago.

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