Midtown Lunch

Considering the number of times I’ve been to Schmackary’s lately, I’m not sure how I missed that OBAO opened a third location this summer on 45th and 9th. The new spot is offering $8 set lunches, a deal I hadn’t noticed at their other locations. Given the number of 9th avenue Thai restaurants, many of which are a within a couple of blocks, the deal makes sense in order to be competitive in the area. OBAO’s three locations each offer different specials at lunchtime, and at their other Midtown spot on the east side, OBAO will give you a free starter with the purchase of an entree. Since a main dish at lunchtime can run you north of the traditional ML budget, $8 seems like a pretty good deal.

Here you’ve got the grilled Japanese eggplant appetizer and the pad see iew, which comes with beef, egg, Chinese broccoli and mango relish.

And here you’ve got the tofu tod and grilled chicken thigh, which also came with a small bowl of rice.

Both lunches were a decent amount of food for the money. Personally, I’d skip the tofu appetizer, which I found to be dry, but the eggplant was a nice, big portion. Both entrees were worth ordering again in my book. Pad see iew can be cloyingly sweet at some Thai spots in the neighborhood, but this was thankfully not my experience at OBAO. The Southeast Asian grilled chicken was a nice departure from the noodles and curries you usually find on lunch menus around here. Depending on your office location, OBAO’s new restaurant may seem like a huge trek, but the good news is that they deliver if 9th avenue is too far west of a walk for you.

OBAO, 647 9th Avenue (btw. 45+46th streets)