Midtown Lunch

I knew that I was in good hands when I sat down in the comfortable dining room of the newly opened branch of Hot Kitchen (251 E 53rd St between 2nd & 3rd Ave) and heard not a lick of English spoken amongst the wait staff and customers. Instead, at this East Village transplant, I heard only Mandarin being spoken. And I knew I was in even better hands when confronted with a diverse lunch menu (27 items in all) that rang in at $10 or less. The lunch specials include rice as well as a choice of soup (wonton, hot and sour, or egg drop) or soda.
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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.

I know. I know. I am supposed to stay away from Indian food for a while on Flatiron Lunch, but this was too exciting. Remember back in August when I tried twice and failed twice to order the quail curry at Lahori Kebab? Well, I was walking by recently on Thursday looking for dinner, and they had it! It was as amazing as I was hoping. Where else in Flatiron can you get a whole curried quail? (Seriously, if you know of any place, let us know in the comments.) It tasted great (as did the saag I ordered with it), and the only drawback was that it isn’t eligible for the $8.99 combo specials. I managed to convince them, with the help of a regular customer, to let me do it with an up-charge bringing the total to about $13. I think it was totally worth it.

Lahori Kabab, 124 Lexington Avenue (between 28 and 29 Streets), (212) 400-1166

But wait… there’s more.

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When we reported the news of pastrami cart Katz n Dogz legal troubles with Katz’s Deli, many commenters reminded us of the cheapest legit pastrami sandwich in Midtown. Few of us venture over to Cafe Edison since it is inside a very touristy hotel and you must cross over either Times Square or the equally mobbed Eighth Avenue to get there.

Zach reviewed the stuck-in-time Eastern European diner back in 2007 and I used to frequent this spot back in my early days living in NYC (back in the early aughts). Back then, if anybody had asked me where to get a good affordable meal in Midtown, this would have been my only answer.

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Village Voice just keeps the food festivals coming. After the gluttonous Choice Eats last week, they’re focusing their attention to street food. Tickets for the third annual Choice Streets go on sale today at noon. Once again, more than 20 food trucks will board the Intrepid for a night of food, music, and fun.

The event is on Wednesday, May 7 from 7-11pm. General admission tickets are $50, but for $60 you get early entry at 7:30 and for $70 you get a VIP ticket with an hour’s worth of early eating, a gift bag, and a special drink experience (probably not from a food truck). This year, they will also be offering a special passport system, which should allow guests to sample a dish from each truck.

Already on the roster are Solber Pupusas, Moo Shu Grill, Love Mamak, and last year’s reader’s poll winner Sweet Chili. More trucks will be announced soon and if the previous years are any indication, there will be a few surprises and exclusive truck debuts. You can get your tickets and more information here.

Image provided by Puff Cha

When we got word that a new Thai eatery called Puff Cha was opening in Hells Kitchen (457 50th St between 9th & 10th Ave), we responded with an indifferent eye roll. In my opinion, there are simply way too many generic Thai restaurants in Hells Kitchen – and ever since I discovered my one and only love, I rarely mix up my routine. However, I love a scrappy specialist, and these guys are serving up a menu that’s focused on Thai puff pastries, both savory and sweet, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Aside from the puff pastries, there’s a curtailed menu of soup, noodles, and most intriguing, a lunch special that rings in at only $6.95.

We’ll definitely be checking this place out soon and bringing you a full report. In the meantime, any early adopters, please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments.

Puff Cha, 457 W. 50th St (btw. 9+10th Ave)