• Yvo & Hagan eat there way through everything at Bouchon Bakery [Feisty Foodie]
• The “crap” food in this Pump Energy video looks delicious! [Serious Eats]
• MomoMidtown’s take out service is “seamless” [World's Best Ever]
• Dinner at Szechuan Gourmet looks amazing through Robyn’s lens [Girl Who Ate Everything]
• Did you know Financier Patisserie might be a good place to meet Japanese girls? [Ramen & Friends]
• The BBQ Beef sandwich at Xie Xie is now $10.50!?!? [High Low Food Drink]

I will fully admit to knowing nothing about coffee.  Sure I enjoy a cafe au lait when I’m in New Orleans (the secret ingredient is chicory), and loved the one coffee I had from Intelligentsia in Chicago, and I know that a latte from Starbucks tastes far better than a regular coffee from Starbucks.  But, my personal favorite coffee drink in Midtown is an Iced Capp from Tim Horton’s.  So clearly I’m not attending any cuppings in my free time.  That’s why I’m leaving this one entirely to you guys… and not to determine whether or not McDonald’s cheap coffee is better than Dunkin Donuts.  This is for those times when you want a real cup of coffee.  And the nominees are…

• Bouchon Bakery (Columbus Circle)
• Culture Espresso Bar/Intelligentsia (38th & 6th)
• Joe The Art of Coffee/Ecco (Grand Central)
• Macchiato Espresso Bar (44th btw. Lex+3rd)
• Oren’s (Various Locations)
• Zibetto’s (6th Ave. btw. 56+57th)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

Vote for your favorite Midtown Lunches in these other categories:
2009 Readers’ Poll: Best Falafel
Best Fast Food Hamburger

The kick off event is a free dessert tasting this Friday at 5:30pm with free desserts from Bouchon Bakery, A Voce, Landmarc and more (hello double truffle brownies!) That one is completely open to the public, but in the future events will only be open to members. You can get more info and sign up now at www.circleoftaste.com

• Forget about the cuban… there’s a pernil sandwich at Margon!?! [Fressagirl]
• If you like fancy ass bars, a new one is opening Monday on 48th btw. 5+6th [Strong Buzz]
• This answer my question about dipping fries in milkshakes [Blondie & Brownie]
• The owners hope to open the Midtown Piada in Mid September [Fork in the Road]
• No surprise here… taxi drivers love Tony Dragonas’ cart [Taxi Gourmet]
• You can get a great egg cream from Prime Burger [Vanishing New York]
• Anybody know what happened to this outdoor space on 5th and 32nd [Ultraclay]
• The BLT is back at ‘wichcraft [Blondie & Brownie]
• Man, this doughnut from Bouchon Bakery looks good [Food in Mouth]
• And yes… my kid now eats Tea Smoked Duck [Fork in the Road]

Name: Andrew

Age: 22

Occupation: Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 52nd and Lexington

Favorite Kind of Food: Pho, Banh mi, Ramen, Yakitori, Seafood (in particular: Sushi, Sashimi-I love uni, Lobster rolls, crabs, both soft and hard shell, oysters, clams, mussels, pretty much anything that comes from the sea, really), Corned beef and pastrami sandwiches (with hearty mustard), Macarons, Baked goods in general (cookies, breads both sweet and savory, pies, cakes)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I tried Ethiopian food once and didn’t like injera, so I guess there’s that. I’m open to trying anything at least once though

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Tacos and Quesadillas from Pampano Taqueria on 3rd Ave. btw. 49+50th (love the free chips and salsa, I usually get the chilorio, shrimp, and fish tacos or one of those fillings in quesadilla form), Sophie’s Cuban (either a roast pork sandwich with plantains or the fried fish sandwich with plantains, and with extra green sauce), Fried Coconut Shrimp and French Fries from Gourmet 53  in the food court on 53rd & 3rd (awesome place that almost always has a long line, but they are very efficient about moving the pace and they give samples so that helps too, lunch comes with a free cookie and soda for under $10, and the rest of their food is tasty too.)

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? We eat at Pampano a lot…we’ve been eating there ever since they started renovating the place (like 2-3 years ago.) It’s a lot more crowded now that the place doesn’t look like its under construction anymore haha

Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Sophie’s Cuban, La Bellezza Pizzeria on 49th btw. Lex+3rd (pizza is okay, chicken parm is pretty good), FreeFoods NYC, Bombay Bistro on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd (solid lunch combo for takeout, with good naan), Daisy May’s BBQ Cart on 50th btw. 6+7th (I learned about the cart but I go to the restaurant when I’m in the area), Hawaiian Island Grill on 53rd btw. 2+3rd  (love the Korean BBQ Dark Meat Chicken), Hallo Berlin Cart (on 54th and 5th), Five Guys Burgers and Fries (on 55th btw. 5+6th), Café Cello (on 46th btw. 5+6th), the Biriyani cart (on 46th & 6th)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I would love to be in Paris, enjoying a fresh baguette with pate, or any kind of charcuterie for lunch and macarons for dessert… so satisfying

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? I would love to hear about more tasty places to eat/anything I’ve missed in my area of Midtown East… especially lobster rolls, if there are any (Grand Central Oyster Bar has a decent roll, but maybe I’m missing out on something nearby?) Also, a place to get great macarons, now that Tafu has closed and Itzy Bitzy isn’t available there anymore…

Now that Tafu has closed, the best place to get macarons is the Macaron Cafe (on 36th btw. B’way+7th), which also has a great selection of Parisian sandwiches and salads. (Sounds right up your alley.) You can also get them at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle.  As far as lobster rolls go, I heard that Certe (on 55th btw. 5+6th) but it’s over $10 so I haven’t tried it.  Anybody else have a suggestion for Andrew?  Put it in the comments.

And as always if you want to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email me at zach@midtownlunch.com.

• The Treats Truck is now stocking a full array of St. Paddy’s Day cookies [Blondie and Brownie]
• It looks like the Rainbow Room won’t be converted into office space after all [Diner's Journal]
• Surprise!  The grilled cheese sandwich at Applebee’s on 50th St. isn’t good [NYP]
• The guy eating everything on Tony’s Top 100 List hits up Sophie’s Cuban for the “Pernil With a Twist” [Amuse My Bouche via TONY's Feed Blog]
• Kathy’s most excellent cookie list includes Oren’s (which has multiple Midtown locations) and Bouchon Bakery [A Passion for Food]
• Adam Roberts has devised a Foodie Scavenger Hunt that includes the Biryani Cart on 46th & 6th [Amateur Gourmet]

But wait… there’s more. Midtown East izakaya action, another drugstore sandwich, something bad from Bouchon Bakery, and another photo of my kid with food (sorry, I’ll stop posting them when he stops doing adorable shit at lunch) all after the jump…

That’s my boy! At the just outside ML boundaries Manganaro’s Grosseria (on 9th Ave. btw. 37+38th)

• Want more Izakaya action? Here’s a look at Shochu Bar Hatchan in Midtown East [Serious Eats: New York]
• The Bon Appetit Super Club will be returning in the fall, but not to the old Hard Rock Cafe building [Life Vicarious]
• The Ebi-Chili at Cafe Zaiya is a bit disappointing [Lunch Studio]
• Avoid the “creamsicle” at Bouchon Bakery at all costs! [Dessert Buzz]
• Duane Reade is now selling sandwiches, but they are made by Eli Zabar- so naturally they are a bit better than Walgreens.  (But still not good.) [Food in Mouth]
• Citysearch has launched a new site devoted to food under $4- but there’s not much for NYC… yet [3 Buck Bites]

• The comment that inspired the above photo [ML]
• A sneak peak at what we have to look forward to when Kyochon opens in Koreatown [Feisty Foodie]
• Bouchon Bakery’s bacon maple brioche looks might tasty [Dessert Buzz]
• Haiku responses to the anti-Chipotle haiku you put in the comments last week [Chipotle Haiku]
• A whirlwind tour of Murray’s Salami in the Grand Central Market [Wandering Eater]
• What are tourists going to do when Sbarro’s goes out of business? [NYC Tourists]
• It’s hard to argue against an Olympic Pita obsession [Miss Menu]
• Daisy May’s Chili has been chosen as one of the best in the Country [Bon Appetit via Grub St.]
• I can totally relate to this ice cream cone sculpture artist’s creed [Blondie and Brownie]