Profile: Midtown Luncher “Jill”

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 Jill, a photo editor who loves meat, but not “organ meat”.

Name: Jill

Age:
40

Occupation:
Photo Editor

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
Rockefeller Center Area

Favorite Kind of Food:
Italian, Indian, Mexican, Japanese

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Honestly? Organ Meats. I can’t even sit at the same table as someone who is eating tripe. It’s just gross.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
Del Frisco’s (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for the steak, chateau potatoes and the outrageously huge slice of lemon cake; Pam Real Thai (49th btw. 9+10th) for the vegetable red curry and spring rolls; Hallo Berlin cart (54th & 5th) for the currywurst combo; Ruby Foo’s (B’way & 49th) for the veggie sushi and chicken pineapple rice; Sosa Borella (8th Ave. btw. 50+51st) for the roast beef sandwich or the steak salad; Le Bonne Soup (on 55th btw. 5+6th) for the salad/soup/chocolate mousse lunch special; Poseidon Bakery (9th Ave. btw. 44+45th) for the spanakopita, baklava, and cherry cheese strudel; Two Boots (Rock Center) for a Cleopatra Jones slice (OK, two slices); Burger Joint (55th btw. 6+7th) for burgers and fries (although my true burger love is the ridiculously expensive burger at 21 Club. It’s amazing.); and I love that chicken from Popeye’s! (40th btw. 7+8th)

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Mi Nidito on 8th ave and 51st street. It’s a bit more expensive than, say, Chipotle, but the ingredients are so fresh and they use tons of veggies in the soups and burritos. There’s a bar menu with a soup/combo special for $8.99 or $9.99, but I usually go with PKs black bean soup or my special favorite, the very spicy chicken tortilla soup. Years ago when I was feeling like I was coming down with a cold, my boyfriend at the time brought me some of Mi Nidito’s chicken tortilla soup. Turned out we got engaged that night. We started calling it the proposal soup. The next time I ordered it for delivery, we told that story to the guy and, along with the order, he sent a little bottle of champagne. It was very nice.

Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Jamaican Dutchy (51st & 7th), Sapporo (49th btw. 6+7th), Hallo Berlin Cart

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Domestically: somewhere in Maine. I could never tire of eating crab rolls or lobster rolls and blueberry pie. Internationally: a farm in Tuscany would be great for simple, incredibly fresh italian lusciousness. and Buenos Aires or Paris because I like to eat a huge steak and drink red wine in the middle of the day.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Yes! I’ve been craving a fried fish sandwich. Is there a great one in midtown? Also, any shabu shabu restaurants nearby? And, lastly, what’s the best crab dish in midtown?

I don’t know about great one, but my favorite fried fish sandwich (once again) is after the jump…  

Whiting Sandwich @ Kim's Aunt Kitchen Cart, Midtown NYC

The fried whiting sandwich from Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart (on 45th btw. 5+6th).  Oh, and that is one sandwich that gets folded up together- I shit you not.

For those of you who may not be interested in slumming it at the Kim’s Aunt Kitchen cart- I’d highly recommend the much forgotten about take out window at the Grand Central Oyster Bar.  They’ve got a halfway decent fried oyster po’boy, and surprisingly, almost everything is under $10. 

Got any other recommendations for Jill? Please comment below… (Recommendations please! Not comments about her appearance.  I like boobie jokes just as much as the next guy, but there have been some recent complaints, and I don’t want to have to start moderating comments!  It’s hard enough finding people willing to be profiled… you guys aren’t making it any easier!) 

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (can’t imagine why though, with this crew), or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office (a much better idea, right?) email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

28 Comments

  • Try Shaburi (39th b/w Lex & Park) for shabu-shabu.

  • Out of midtown – but if you’re craving fried fish head down to A Salt & Battery.. doesn’t get better than that.

  • Really, no organ meats? That’s where all the flavor is concentrated. Not even a bone marrow taco?

  • Mi Nidito seems quite expensive. Does the quality exceed neighborhood Mexican joints enough to justify $14.95 burritos?

    Did you marry the guy?

  • I’m anxiously awaiting fish sandwich rec’s also! A Salt and Battery is a little too pricey for my world. Same with Chip Shop. Also I hate to break it to you Jill, but as a native I know, if you worked in Maine you’d probably be just eating Italian (pronounced ‘eye-talian’) sandwiches for lunch:
    http://www.amatos.com/

    But points for not saying ‘spain’, ‘tuscany’ or ‘chinatown’

  • Don’t like organ meat? Jill, you just haven’t had the right organs in your mouth yet… ask Mamacita, she’ll tell ya.

  • At the very least, everyone likes one organ meat: skin. Fried chicken, crispy pork skin, chicharrónes, pork rinds, salmon skin tofu, etc …

  • Err, salmon skin sushi. Not sure what salmon skin tofu would be.

  • hahaha @wayne. keeping it classy. I like it.

    this might be outta the way, and definitely not for lunch but Al di La in Park Slope used to do this tripe dish that’s divine. You wouldn’t even know it’s tripe.

    In short, tripe is good. And no sandwich recs, sorry. Don’t go to Red Lobster.

  • Thanks Danny. When Zach threatens moderation, we clean up our acts. Kudos to Tom too for not listing skin flutes.

  • Embrace the tripe, people.

  • For a delicious fried fish sandwich try Blaggards Pub – specifically the one on W35th and 7th Ave.

  • @ sarah… But she DID say Tuscany…

  • The fried fish sandwich at grand central oyster bar is pretty yummy and $6.95 I believe. No sides are included though. The crabcake sandwich is also awesome but I can’t say the same about the crab salad sandwich- heavy on the mayo, light on the crab.

  • Fish burger at Edison.

  • @ chris. crap, you’re right. 1/2 point off. And @ Danielle, that’s a good tip!

  • You have not asked to profile me, the Doc, the hamster, the blow-up doll, or the wife

  • You can get shabu shabu @ East on 55th St. btwn 7th & 8th Ave.

  • Zach, have you expanded the ML lunch boundaries to include the known universe?

    I wonder how the bubble tea is on Alpha Centauri.

  • My dearest Jill:

    It would not have killed you to wash and set your hair before having your picture taken.

    My wife is in the personal grooming business and she would pass a gallstone over such inattention.

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