Midtown Lunch

Thanks to Donny T.’s review, we already know that the Amish Market in Midtown East (45th btw. 2nd+3rd) has killer sandwiches. But did you know that some of the best, most unique sandwiches they offer take inspiration from the classic charcuterie of Europe, that of Italy, France, and Spain to be exact?

Donny covered one of those in his review: the Roma, which sports sliced porchetta, fire-roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, lettuce, and tomato. Despite the fact that the “porchetta” isn’t the juicy pork you might expect, it’s a good sandwich that relies on some of the simple food that comes from Italian culture. You could count the Di Parma as a classic Italian sandwich as well, but it’s mix of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette it’s fairly ubiquitous as sandwich shops around the city.

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I was on my way to grab a sandwich at the Amish Market on 45th St. – a favorite for my office – the other day, when I saw a new lunch spot hidden by recently erected scaffolding. Good to Go Organics (45th St btw. 3rd+2nd) looked like it served food you’d find at a sports stadium – hot dogs, chicken fingers, sausages, etc. – but all organic. Indeed, as it turns out, Good to Go has a location inside Metlife Stadium and started out with hot dog stands in Central Park. Simple food made with quality ingredients is an idea I can get behind, so I stopped in to try out the Midtown East newcomer.

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Last week I swung by the latest addition to the Kwik Meal empire, Kwik Delight on 3rd Ave. and 45th Street.  I was interested in sampling their brand new chicken shawarma, which isn’t offered at either of the other two Kwik Meal carts (how could I not, right?)  In a Iot ways, I feel like chicken shawarma is chicken shawarma (much like gyro is gyro, if leave it on the spit long enough), but the white sauce and hot sauce are what Kwik Meal is known for, and they clearly make the difference.

As for their famous lamb, a few commenters remarked that it was chewy… but for those who are unfamiliar with the Kwik Meal carts, it kind of goes with the territory. 

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When I started this blog a little less than a year ago, I quickly set up boundaries that defined exactly where a “Midtown Lunch” could be.  We’ve only got an hour for lunch (and some of us less), so there had to be a border.  8th Ave. on the West, 3rd Ave. on the East.  Central Park to the North, and 32nd St. to the south.  The south part was pushing it a little, but I was biased by my love of Koreatown.  The whole point of doing this is to give me an excuse to stuff my face every day at lunch… how could I leave out Koreatown? 

There have been many temptations to cross those imaginary lines. Thai food on 9th Ave. has been recommended to me often, and people seem to love the falafel at Azuri Cafe, which requires you to trek almost all the way to 10th Ave!  I thought I was going to crack for the new Bahn Mi place on 2nd Ave., but luckily they charge way too much for what I’ve heard are pretty mediocre sandwiches, making it a little easier to skip (I still may end up trying it, we’ll see).  It’s been tough, but I have managed to hold it together.

Well, I finally met my match.  A few weeks ago, I received an email tip about something that I just could not ignore.  A place that embodies everything a Midtown Lunch should be (under $10, unique and adventurous), while combining the qualities of two of my favorite cuisines (Latin & Asian).  And they’ve got a lunch special to boot.  Readers of Midtown Lunch… I give you… BAYAN CAFE.  Filipino Food in Midtown.  That’s right.  Filipino.  What’s Filipino Food?  I’m not exactly sure.  But it’s freaking good.  So what if it’s East of 3rd Ave.  What’s an extra 15 feet for something that exists nowhere else in Midtown? And for that, I will now break my self imposed, meaningless to everyone but my feeble brain, Midtown Lunch boundaries. 

What they got, photos and the +/- after the jump…  Read more »