Archive for January 2016

Hide-Chan is Bringing Even More Ramen to Hell’s Kitchen

Just in case you didn’t think there were enough ramen options on the west side (with two Totto Ramens, Ippudo, and Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen), Hide-Chan is opening across town. We’re big fans of their lunch specials and excellent pork bone broth ramen at their original East 52nd Street location. And now our friends on the west side don’t need to walk as far.

Gothamist reports that this second location will open sometime in the spring on 53rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenue. We’ll keep you updated. But Hell’s Kitchen will certainly never go ramen-less again!

The Pennsy Has Some Highs and Lows, but is a Worthwhile Splurge

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Let’s get this out of the way first: The Pennsy is not really a cheap destination. To get a full meal here, we have to raise the ML budget a few dollars. But in the changing economic times, it’s a pretty fair splurge.

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Panda Express Will Most Likely Open Locations in Midtown

We may start seeing a lot more of Zach now that his perennial favorite Chinese steam table buffet is descending on Midtown. Last year, Zach came back to the city to hand out free orange chicken in celebration of Panda Express’ arrival. At that time, the only sure things were that they would be opening a location on 69th and 1st and up in the Bronx.

Now Commercial Observer brings news that they have acquired two spaces in Midtown. Firstly, the old Zen Palate space just out of bounds on Ninth Ave and 46th Street will begin to smell like orange chicken. And at 835 Third Avenue (at East 51st), they have leased a large space in a former Pax. Plus, there is still talk about them opening a location on 8th Ave and 31st Street.

No dates or official confirmations have been set yet, but I know someone who is very excited.

New Dos Toros Opens Today on Lex with $1 Menu Items

The tenth location of Bay Area-style taqueria Dos Toros is opening today on Lexington and 54th Street. It’s the second location in Midtown (the other is just a few blocks down on 45th and Lex). I’m a big fan of their burritos, especially when filled with the carne asada or carnitas.

Even better news is that today, they will be selling burritos, platos, tacos, salads, and quesadillas for just $1. The offer is good from now until 3:00pm at this new location only. So if you had lunch plans already, it’s time to change them.

Orale!! Tacos!! Shows Up on 46th Street and Second Biryani Cart Opens Downtown

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A few weeks ago Meru from Biryani Cart told me he was moving his second cart next to the original on 46th and 6th. Last week I noticed a brand new Mexican cart (complete with sombrero) in its place.

Meru has moved his second Biryani Cart downtown to Greenwich Street, where Kwik Delights and El Rey del Sabor are also currently vending. The menu down there is the same. If only Andrea still worked downtown, there’d be lots of news to report.

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Between the Bread is Surprisingly Light on Sandwiches

A new location of Between the Bread opened a few months ago next to Gregory’s Coffee on 40th Street. I never visited the Midtown West location, but Yvo was a fan despite needing an Amazon Local deal to afford it. I didn’t have any deal here either, but I figured I’d see if I could get something filling for remotely near the ML budget.

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The Pennsy Opens Today with the Return of the Cinnamon Snail

I can only imagine the crowds will be insane. Today is the first officialy day of The Pennsy, the new food court just above Penn Station. Gothamist has a look with photos of the offerings, including a sandwich stall from Pat LaFrieda, an Italian spot by Mario Batali and Mary Giuliani, a place for lobster rolls and other shellfish by Marc Forgione, a new location of The Little Beet, and perhaps most notably, the return of The Cinnamon Snail in their first brick-and-mortat venture. Bring on the crowds and the vegan donuts.

We’ll have a closer look at the food in the coming week or so, but early adopters, leave your comments below.

The Pennsy, 2 Penn Plaza (at Seventh Ave and 33rd St)

Taste A Real Portuguese Sweet at Pastel de Crema inside City Sandwich

Last year, I was lucky enough to travel to Portugal for vacation (and lots of eating). One of the most ubiquitious dishes I discovered is the pastel de nata. This is basically a sweet egg custard tart topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It’s served all over Portugal as breakfast, dessert, or a snack with an espresso.

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Get A $12 Meal Delivered to Your Office Today by Maple

Eater reported that the popular food delivery service Maple (which counts David Chang as one of its investors) has just expanded to south Midtown. And while I expected this to be an over-priced fancy schmancy delicery service, it sounds like it could be a true Midtown Lunch option if you’re willing to splurge by just 2 bones.

Every day, you can choose from a list of chef-prepared dishes like shrimp biryani and cumin-roasted chicken breast. The food will be delivered to your office (assuming you work in the delivery zone) for $12 total. Tax, tip, and delivery fees are included and they guarantee a 30 minute delivery time.

The added delivery zone is between Eighth Avenue and Park Avenue anywhere between 14th and 42nd Street, but I imagine that will expand in the future. There are also desserts available from Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi and Ample Hills ice cream. Check out the website and app by clicking here.

I think it’s fair to increase the ML budget to $12 for this, but what remains to be seen is if the food is worth it and the portion sizes match the price. Anybody have a chance to check this out yet? Leave feedback in the comments below.

Update: Chick-Fil-A Reopened Today After a Week Long Closure

Over the weekend, I noticed an unusual thing. There was no line at the normally mobbed Chick-Fil-A. Turns out it’s because they’ve been closed since Christmas. That was when the Department of Health stopped by and gave the fast food chain 59 points (which warrants a C grade) due to things like filth flies and food not protected from potential contamination. They decided to voluntarily close to make changes, but were supposed to re-open yesterday. According to Grub Street, they will remain closed until further notice. Now where will Midtowners with too much time on their hands wait in line??

UPDATE: The location reportedly reopened this morning.