Midtown Lunch

The first time I checked in with Neapolitan Express, the pizza was undercooked and the dough was gummy. They had just launched a few weeks earlier and some of their staff may not have been trained to properly cook the pizza. The second time was at Choice Streets where the pizza seemed to be improving. I stopped by the truck for my third taste last week with my highest expectations yet.

They were parked on Park Avenue just two blocks north of the glut of food trucks on 47th Street.  Fortunately for me, there was no line here and the pizza was in my hands in a matter of minutes.

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Bento Sushi is new to Midtown East, but not to Manhattan. We’ve covered the Canadian chain over the past few years, enjoying their rice and noodle-based dishes while shrugging at their sushi. Let’s face it, MLers just aren’t the type to go wild over packaged, refrigerated sushi. So how is Bento’s new outpost on 3rd Ave. (btw 43rd+44th)?

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I discovered a new food truck amidst the hungry crowds on 47th Street between Park and Madison on Friday. By the time I arrived around 1pm, the Wing’n It truck was so overwhelmed that I left without any food. First the cashier told me they only had certain items with a long wait for others and then after some questioning, she told me they were completely sold out. This was their second day in Midtown (and the first on this most densely populated food truck street).

Their Facebook page feed says they’ll be back soon and next time I’ll either come early or wait until they get up to speed to handle the crowds. Check out the menu after the jump.

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I was so excited to check out Ippudo Westside for it’s first official weekday today.  After a weeklong soft opening they had they’re official grand opening this past Saturday, July 13th. Sadly it just wasn’t meant to be today. Assuming it would be crowded as hell today on the first real business day of opening, I got to 321 West 51st at 1:15pm and was super surprised that there was no one to be found. I almost thought I struck gold until I looked closer to see a “Closed” sign. I managed to talk to an employee who said that there was an emergency in the kitchen and technicians had to be called in. The employee said that Ippudo would be closed for at least a couple hours, but would probably be open for dinner tonight.

I guess we’ll try again tomorrow…

Ippudo Westside, 321 West 51st Street (btw. 8th and 9th Avenue)

What once brought kati rolls and an often-panned buffet to Midtown South at the late end of the Brooks Era has been shuttered. Touch of India, which was across from my last job on 37th btw. 7+8th (shout out to my guys on the 11th floor, you know who you are) and didn’t really do much on the Midtown Lunch radar, has closed. If you’re looking for your Indian fix, there’s always Kati House not too far away (on 36th btw. 8+9th).

Variety is the spice of street food life. You’re probably reading ML thinking that you don’t want any more damn generic deli crap for lunch, and you’re through with Chinese food too. Mix it up a little – this is New York freakin’ City, and the world is your oyster (unless you wanted Balkan kebab – I miss you, Cevap Truck) with Sweet Heaven throwing their hat into the ring. With the 40th to 38th St. corridor swiftly emerging as the Restaurant Row of 8th Avenue, is Sweet Heaven really the pearly gates of creperies on this side of town? Or are we descending to the 9th Steam Table Circle of Hell?
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Because 9th Ave didn’t have enough Thai places already, Isan Authentic Thai Cuisine has swooped into the Fusion 9th space (on 9th btw. 36+37th). No longer an empty, abandoned shell, the insides had people swarming around and decorating. Unless the Fusion 9th people took out the appliances and kitchen equipment, it looks like Isan will be good to go pretty soon.
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After months of inspections and permit obtaining, the eagerly awaited Wafels & Dinges storefront (on 2nd Street and Avenue B in the Lower East Side) finally opened their doors this morning at 7am. Obviously this news doesn’t help us Midtown Lunchers too much but if you are as big a fan as we are of W&D and you get a chance to visit after work the full sweet and savory menu (including the savory Bastogne waffle) will be available. I recommend the speculoos shake, which we can only hope will find its way onto the trucks soon. Congrats to Thomas and the gang!

Sad news in the Midtown Lunch world; it looks like Oriental Noodle Shop (45th btw. Lex and 3rd) has closed for good. A Luncher contacted us this week letting us know that the storefront had a “for rent” sign up. No longer will we be able enjoy the buns or whole lobster; no longer will we be able to stage a wonton battle between Oriental Noodle Shop and Hop Won. We could surface no clues either from their website or DOH (it’s last rating was an A). Perhaps the politically correct police had something to do with it? If anyone knows the story behind the closing, please let us know in the comments.