PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Chris”

Every Tuesday I turn over Midtown Lunch to a random Midtown worker, for their favorite places to eat lunch in Midtown.  Today, it’s Chris- a Sales Development Manager who sits around and dreams of street carts and all the things they could possibly serve.

Name: Chris

Age:
30

Occupation:
Sales Development Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
Field & Stream/Outdoor Life on Park & 33rd

Favorite Kind of Food:
Chicken Parm

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Liverwurst

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
The Chicken Parm Hero at Bella Napoli (30th+Madison)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: I often visit Mercury Bar (33rd and 3rd). Anything on their $5.95 lunch special menu is a great value for the price and the portions. Prior to moving down to Park Ave, my favorite lunch spot was the 696 Deli (3rd Ave btw 44+45th). Great sandwiches and hot food. Especially the “Thanksgiving Sandwich”… Hot Carved Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: Nothing yet, but I want to check out the Hallo Berlin Cart, the Jamaican Dutchy and the Bulgogi Cart. I’m a big cart food guy (I hit up Rafiqi’s once a week for the lamb and chicken in a pita).

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Aruba. But unless I hit the lotto that’s not happening. In NYC, my dream job location for lunch purposes would have been atop the construction beams when they were building the skyscrapers in the city- like that famous picture.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? What food/features would your dream lunch cart entail?

 

Dream cart, huh?  Well, for me that’s easy.  They already exist (albeit very very far away).  Pictures, after the jump 

Both of my favorite carts ever were in Thailand.  A Pad Thai cart (which I think would be huge in Midtown)

Or, my second choice would be one of these carts…

 

 

… so I could get a plate of crispy fried pork and delicious sweet thai sausage, covered in a curry sauce and topped with a hard boiled egg.  (The watermelon shake next to it came from a different cart.)

 

 

What’s your dream cart? Real or Imagined…  post it as a comment below.

And, as always, if you have news, suggestions, or you want to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er- email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

22 Comments

  • On my uncle’s old street in Taipei, there was a family that ran this scallion pancake cart for generations. It was hands down my favorite food. The pancakes were huge, thin, and cut into pizza slices. The dough was chewy and scallion-licious and the outsides were crispy. Oh god…I miss it.

  • A dumpling cart – something that is portable quick, warm and yummy, with endless flavor possibilities. I also really dig the pierogi carts at street fairs. Would love to have one on my corner!

  • Chris – I love you like a brother, but aren’t you just a tad outside of Midtown? Your recommended midtown lunch shpot is on 30th & Madison!

  • An Indian chaat cart would be heavenly. I’ve never encountered so many vibrant tastes coming from one lil cart.
    This just made me realize that ny doesn’t have many savory snack carts/stands. Chips and hotdogs fall a little short to kimbaps and onigiris and crepes in my stomach.

  • A cheesesteak cart. Because sometimes you’ve just got to have one. (And they do in Philly! These carts/trucks also usually make bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll. Yum!)

  • A good taco truck/cart would make my day. There are a few around the 5 boroughs, but I guess I haven’t travelled far enough to find a really good one like I used to visit in California yet.

  • A Slurpee cart. Preferably Blue Raspberry or a cart that only hands-out Reuben sandwiches.

  • Most definitely a banh mi cart.

  • another uninspired profile.

  • Thailand is definitely cart nirvana. I was there last year and this woman near where we stayed had an omelette cart. Every morning we’d get up and this woman would make us a spicy fresh omelet AND you’d get a side of noodles. Noodles for breakfast? Yes, noodles for breakfast. When they’re this good you don’t ask questions. Plus the whole thing was like 40 cents.

  • A panipuri/phuchka cart! They’re on every corner in India and I can’t believe someone hasn’t hopped on this, even in Jackson Heights. Not that I ever ATE at one of these carts because I feared for my stomach, but it would be neat.

    For the uninitiated, it’s these minature puff pastries (like a mini puri), with a tamarind-based liquid filling. The basic objective? Stuff your face before the filling soaks through the pastry!

  • Um, I don’t have a cart preference… um um um…. damn it.

  • Zach: Thanks again for profiling me! Truly an honor!

    JK: Sorry if my profile was “uninspiring”…unfortunately I’m now working down on Park and 33rd which is cart/culinary wasteland. Hard to find inspiration down here :)

    DDR: Yeah, I’m in that Midtown/”SOMA” border land…but I worked for 7 years in various spots in Midtown and ate at just about every place in the midtown east area. I would love to get over to midtown central/west cause that’s where all the action seems to be. But i’m telling you…do yourself a favor one day and take a trip to Bella Napoli for either lunch or dinner. I used to walk down from 45th and 3rd to get lunch there…or just hop on the 6 and get off 28th and park. Good stuff. $6-$7 will net you a huge plate of pasta/salad and a chicken/veal/eggplant dish of your choice.

    The picture of me btw is at the Minnesota State Fair last summer. I’m eating Belgium Waffle on a Stick. Awesome stuff. They had everything on a stick there: Walleye, alligator, “hot dish” – which is like a dinner on a stick. Great stuff if you’re a fan of fair food.

  • @ DDR, and Chris

    I was totally psyched to see someone closer to my side of manhattan-cubicle world profiled! I work just outside the boundaries of midtown lunch and am looking forward to testing out Bella Napoli. I’ve been looking for a good eggplant parm since I left Boston! Thanks for your input, Chris!

  • Sarah, are you fake cursing at me?
    If so, I don’t understand your rage, but really weak effort.
    P.s. I still love you like a sister!

  • No problem Sarah…glad I can represent us “slightly outsiders”

    DDR…i think she was meaning that her message was directed at (@) us.

  • I’d like to find a cart that has non-greasy vegetables! Like a veggie stirfry or something. Something other than “street meat”.

  • Chris, to think your stomach has elevated you to such levels! Congrats on the profile.

    How about an Armenian Dolma cart? Could be a big seller! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolma)

    Take Chris’s word on food. Man has never let me down for a good meal.

  • Chris is a food god

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