The Ever Changing Face of Midtown Lunch…

On Monday I finally headed over to a place called Lahavash Co. on 8th Ave. in the high 50s to redeem a $2 off coupon that I had gotten a few months ago when they first opened up.  I had been meaning to try it, and the coupon expired on Monday… so it finally spurred me into action.  I think the owners were Lebanese, and the menu featured sandwiches served on a traditional flat baked bread (called Lahavash) and filled with all sort of delicious ingredients like avocado, portabello mushrooms, markouk grilled chicken, hummus, and more.  I use the past tense, because when I got there on Monday, this was what I found:

 

 

A totally closed up Lavash Co.  Who knew the coupon’s expiration date would actually outlive the restaurant itself.  So disappointing.  I love coupons, and was pretty pissed that I missed out on my chance to use this one (… oh yeah, and I was upset this place closed before I got to try it.)  Midtown lunch is a very volatile thing.  Places open and close all the time for all sorts of reasons.  I wonder where these guys went? Were their sandwiches bad or was it the location that did them in.  No PR company is getting out the word on this sandwich place…

I try my best to keep the site up to date, but I only have an hour for lunch and Midtown is a big place.  Remember Jaques-Imo’s To Geaux, in the Grand Central Terminal Food Court:

 

 

It closed about a week after I wrote about it, to make for a Manhattan Chili Co.  Carts are of course the hardest to keep track of.  Changing locations, going on vacation, construction- all take their toll.  That teriyaki cart that I wrote about a few weeks ago:

 

 

It’s been M.I.A. all week.  Is that cart gone for good?  Will it ever be back?  Maybe it’s back today.  Nobody knows… until you go and are disappointed by the cart that no longer is there.  The Mexican Cart with the Sombrero that used to be next to it… it’s on the opposite side of the street now.  Who knows why…

Some sought after carts are a total mystery.  I’m still searching for the ever elusive Miriam’s Falafel cart that is supposedly located on 46th & 6th.  People still email me and post about it on Chowhound…. “Best falafel in Midtown!”  But when was the last time somebody ate there?  I’ve walked by that corner a million times and never once seen anybody that resembled a “Miriam” selling falafels.

Then there are the changes you may not notice at first.  We reported a few weeks back about the price hike @ the Hallo Berlin Cart (thanks to a reader email), and the fact that Daisy May’s BBQ was scaling back to one Midtown cart for the winter.  What we didn’t notice is- Daisy’s May’s raised their prices too!  Now the already a tad bit pricey $8 sandwiches are $9.  No word on whether this is a winter thing, or permanent.

So what it really comes down to is, I’m pissed I didn’t get to use my $2 off Lavash coupon… and I’m wondering if anybody knows what happened to those Lavash guys.  If you know about those guys- or have any other Midtown Lunch news/opneings/closings to report, please email me @ zach@midtownlunch.com   I can’t be everywhere, and it always helps to get email tips.  You’d be doing a great service to the readers of this blog, and the eaters of lunch in Midtown.

Oh and by the way… I decided to change the look of the site (but at least the address of the blog didn’t change).  Let me know if you like the new one or old one better (by commenting below or emailing me.)  I’ll probably change it back to the old one tomorrow… after all, change usually sucks.

9 Comments

  • The upgrade is nice, but the background color needs to be changed. The white is too bright.

  • I agree with Steve. You should tone down the white a bit. Otherwise, looks great. By the way, I can’t get near Hallo Berlin. The line is always 20 people deep!!!

  • Looks nice. I like the little hidden smiley face. But the white is a bit bright.
    Lahavash was really good the first time I went (even though they got my order all wrong). Then, the next time I went it was crappy. Whatever, they were overpriced anyway.

  • They closed Jaques-Imo’s To Geaux?! I loved that place! That and it’s sister restaurant next door had some of the most authentic and tasty BBQ and New Orleans food in the city. Grrr.

    Thanks for the recommendation on the Hallo Berlin cart. I had one of the lunch specials and it was excellent. I definitely want to go back soon.

    Ditto for ‘witchcraft, which I’ve been to like 5 times. Pricey, but definitely worth it.

  • Im pretty sure the Mexican Sombrero cart moved back across the street because construction over there is now complete. I’m a big fan of the gyro cart on the same block (50th & 6th) and the owner there said he was finally able to go back acoss the street last week to his original home on the south side of 50th. For the most part it seems like carts want to stay in a single spot for obvious recognition reasons.

    By the way, try the lamb over rice there–he’s the guy with the actual rotating spit of lamb. It’s really good. And he’s a hell of a dude.

  • No wonder I couldn’t find the Daisy May cart! I never seem to be able to find carts, especially, after hearing about them. A little bit like the Great Pumpkin, or something.

    Anyways, I love the site. The new design and nice and clean and easy to read, but a tad plain-jane…

  • The new look is delightful, with a light airy feeling – very easy to find what one is looking for, with some space between the links on the right so one can hit the right one first time.

    Keep up the good work.

  • Hmm, I like the old site. Change does suck.

    If you stick to the new layout, at least change the white background…

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