PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Dan”

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Dan, an Economist with a life changing sandwich recommendation…

Name: Dan

Age:
31

Occupation:
Economist

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
Midtown East

Favorite Kind of Food:
Eggplant pizza

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Alfalfa sprouts

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
Fresh Bites on 57th and 6th. The #12 sandwich is a life-changer (I think it’s called Tijuana Chicken). The lemon poppy pound cake is also incredible and I don’t usually even eat dessert. On the east side, the soba noodle salad at Nippon (52nd btw. 3+Lex.),  and whitefish on an onion bagel at Ess a Bagel (3rd btw. 49+50th).


The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often:
Pampano Taqueria (3rd & 50th) and Simply Food (48th and 3rd). The last one is one of those jack of all trades places but they do some pretty incredible stuff. They regularly have a roast pork line on their hot buffet, which they can turn into a mean pork on focaccia sandwich.


Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: 
The 47th St. Japanese Convenience Store & Deli on 47th btw. Lex+3rd.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why?
The East Village. Because that way I could have Prune’s lamb-burgers, Bereket, and Katz’s every day for lunch. Not to mention $5 lunch specials from Mingala Village.

Your roast pork on focaccia sandwich intrigues me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.  I’ve walked by that place so many times, but it scares me with it’s lime green sign- and general Midtown Deli’ishness.   Can anybody else vouch for the hot food line at Simply Food?  Feel free to post a comment below.

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

27 Comments

  • I’ve walked in and out of Simply Food on several occasions and never gotten anything. I suppose it’s always in hope that something with jump out at me, but it always just looks so… blah. Roast pork sandwich? Maybe I’ll have reason to finally purchase lunch from this place.

  • I went to Simply Foods only once. I got a bacon egg and cheese and it was truly detestable. They microwaved all of the ingredients (which had already been cooked once) and it was just all around bad. I cannot speak for their hot food line because I vowed to never go back after my nasty breakfast sandwich.

  • On the bagel/ess a bagel trail…any recommendations for lox/whitefish in the Bryant Park vicinity? I love ess a, but it’s too far for me to make during my lunch break.

  • Matt – I think I saw a decent looking bagel joint on lex across from the grand central market entrance.

  • Zach, what “newsletter” are you talking about?

    Are you high or am I? Someone is high.

  • whatever you do, just do NOT get the roast beef at simply food. it looks all pretty and yummy behind the glass, but once you take it back to the office and attempt to eat it, it’s all tough and chewy and will have you yearning for arby’s. no, seriously, arby’s. beef n’ cheddar all the way.

  • I can’t believe no one has asked this already, but would you please tell us more about the life-changing Tijuana Chicken sandwich? What goes in it, other than poverty and unmentionables? Why is it so good?

    Thank you.

  • Matt – on 41st between Park and Madison there’s a deli-like place (on the south side of the street) that has decent bagels. I don’t know about their whitefish, but in my opinion the quality of the bagel is the hardest part of the battle.

  • Tijuana Chicken sandwich is a hilarious name!
    Did you know you can get velvet paintings in along the border in TJ? I even got a black velvet statute of David. Don’t ask ha ha!

  • Crackhead – the “newsletter” is a Simpsons reference. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that no one’s high.

    In other news, the “Tijuana Chicken Sandwich” sounds like a sex prank.

  • Not really close to Bryant Park, but the best whitefish salad (talk about life changing!) is at Daniel’s Bagels, on 3rd Ave. between 37th and 38th, I think?

  • TOTALLY OFF SUBJECT but….

    Did anyone catch the “clean sanchez” reference on the Sarah Silverman show (truly THE most brilliant new show on the air.)

  • Bart: Teamwork is overrated.

    Homer: Huh?

    Bart: Think about it. I mean, what team was Babe Ruth on? Who knows.

    Lisa+Marge: Yankees.

    Bart: Sharing is a bunch of bull, too. And helping others. And what’s all this crap I’ve been hearing about tolerance?

    Homer: Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

  • I like that we’re incorporating Simpsons jokes now. also, I never thought I’d say this but 10 pts to DDR for his description of the Tijuana Sandwich. Food? Oh Food. I might get th lunch special from ThaiNY today which is presently my fave: app and entree for 6.95. Decent Thai too. Its closer to my work than to midtown though, so sad for you uptown folks.

  • Ah! Thank you Super Nintendo Zach!

  • Question: you are trapped on a deserted island, what do you do?
    Economist: First, let’s assume I have a boat.

    Dan is the answer to the thongs that called for brevity and following instructions. Result, we need more information . . .

  • @Matt
    For the perfect bagel & lox:
    -Zeytinz Fine Foods has a nice selection of lox/smoked salmon. Its on 41st, by Bryant Park and the library, btw 5th and 6th, closer to 5th.
    Their bagels are ok though…but I’d rather walk 5 minutes after I pick up a 1/4 lb of lox to
    -Milk and Honey, on 46th, btw 5th and 6th, and get a whole wheat everything bagel!

  • Zach, you should review Milk and Honey. I walk by it frequently but have never eaten there. Right next to Bread and Olives. It’s a real clash of civilizations.

  • Why? Because it’s Kosher? A boring “Midtown Deli” is a boring “Midtown deli”- no matter what religion the people running it are. (Sorry Mom)

    http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2006/08/15/monotony-for-the-koshers-first-look-milk-n-honey-nyc-2/

  • Open a Deli between them both and call it the Gaza Strip.

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.