Archive for '57th & 6th'

Everything You Wanted To Know About Danku (But Were Afraid To Try)


Photo by Food in Mouth

I had a couple of stupid titles ready and waiting for my post about Danku, the new Dutch/Indonesian fast food place on 57th btw. 5+6th. I narrowed it down to “Danku But No Danku” and “Danku Shame”, but sadly it looks like I won’t get to use them. Is Danku good? No. But it’s also not so bad that I feel the need to publicly humiliate them on the site. How good or bad it is will also depend on who you ask, and what you order. After my first visit to Danku, on their opening day, yielded pretty terrible results, I decided to step back and give them some breathing room. Let them work out the kinks before returning to give them their full +/-.

Well, 6 weeks is plenty of time and last week I returned with a serious group of Midtown Lunchers, waiting to pass judgement on this new fast food chain: Danny from Food in Mouth, Blondie and Brownie (from the blog of the same name) and Bartender Extraordinaire Don Lee. I was actually surprised Don was willing to come, since he accompanied me on the first trip to Danku- and was less than thrilled with his decision.

We were able to try most of the menu, but with eaters like this Danku would have to bring their A game… and I’m not sure they were up to the challenge.

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First Look: Lunchers Weigh in on Danku

 Danku

Yesterday, dutch kroket chain Danku opened their first chain in the United States on 57th street just east of 6th Avenue.  I was pretty excited, not only because they serve krokets (fried balls of stuff) but they also have “Indonesian” items like curry, satays, fried rice and noodles.  (The Dutch occupied Indonesia until WW2, so that explains the connection.)  After visiting Bali a few years ago, I got to love Indonesian food; and while I wasn’t expecting the real thing- I was hoping it would at least be to Indonesian food what Panda Express is to Chinese (i.e. tasty!)

The dishes we tried, after the jump…

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Shop At Target During Your Lunch Break?

This has nothing to do with food, but everything to do with being a cheap bastard.  I love Target, so I was pretty excited to see that one of the four temporary “Bullseye Bodegas” they’re opening in NYC is in Midtown. I know it’s lame but there is something about living and working in Manhattan (and not owning a car) that makes me crave crap like strip malls and Target.  The pop up store is taking over the space that used to be inhabited by the Delta Pop Up Cafe on 57th & 6th Ave. The store will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Monday. If you’re into using your lunch break to do a little shopping, you can get more info here, here, and here.

Photos of the inside are after the jump…  Read more »

ANGELO’S IS APPROVED BY SLICE: It may not fit the strict Midtown Lunch feel test, but Angelo's coal oven pizza on 57th btw. 6+7th has been approved by pizza king Adam Kuban over at Slice.  He used to be hesitant to recommend the "uniformly bland" pie, but it "seems to have improved," and now he would "send [someone] to Angelo's without hesitation—but only under [certain] circumstances. It's good for the 'hood, but there are outlying pies I'd rather scrap with."  Isn't that the way it is with everything in Midtown?

Free Food Alert: Upscale Asian & Italian Food at the Delta Lounge

Apparently the Delta Sky 360 lounge, which opened on 57th & 6th Ave. in October to “showcase Delta’s award winning in flight experience”, is still open (who knew!)… and in honor of Restaurant Week (which is going on this week, and next) they will be giving away free food samples today and tomorrow, from Noon to 2pm, courtesy of some pretty well known restaurants.

Today will feature samples of (Mario Batali’s Sous Chef on Iron Chef) Anne Burrell’s Ricotta Sformato with Artichoke Caponata, Crostino with Chicken Liver Pate and Balsamic Onions, and Truffled Deviled Eggs from Centro Vinoteca, plus Basa Rolls and Claypot Chicken from Mai House, an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Tribeca.

Tomorrow, they will be giving out an assortment of sushi from Asian fusion palace Ruby Foo’s (a Midtown expense account staple), plus Fattoush Salad and Balsamic Glazed Short Ribs from Amalia.

I’m not one to shill for the man, but when free food is involved, all bets are off. There are also places to sit, which is great this time of year for anyone who wants to grab some street food- but not go back to eat their desk…

UPDATE: The chefs themselves are making the food as part of a live demonstration, so you may have to wait for food depending on when you show up… but there are free sodas.  Yea!