Midtown Lunch

Nate Silver Number Crunches the Salad Bar: Numbers guru Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight.com) penned a brilliant piece for the New York Times today about beating the by the pound salad bar buffet at Whole Foods using the power of math. Obviously, we loved it... but he did forget a few important things (we're looking at you fruit and fake shrimp!)

Today is Going to Get Messy: In more ways than one... with 5th Ave. closed between 44th and 86th Streets you'll need to carefully plan your lunch today.  If you want street food, you'll definitely want to check the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out. Frites N Meats has already headed to Flatiron, and Papa Perrone didn't even bother, but Korilla, Bian Dang, Taim, Schnitzel & Things, and Uncle Gussy are supposedly working.

St. Paddy’s Day Pizza!?: We've come to expect craziness from Cer Te's Chef Edward, and today is no different. Over at Pizza by Cer Te (on 56th btw. Park+Lex) they'll be celebrating St. Patrick's Day with two specials: a corned beef & cabbage pizza and a shepherd's pie pizza.

Don’t Let the Rain Discourage You From Lunch: Even though Sweetery has a special truck giving out freebies, their regular truck is on 52nd and Lex. Also on the ML Twitter Tracker, Papa Perrone is on 55th with portobella rice balls, Taim Mobile is on 51st, Kimchi Truck is on 52nd and 6th, Eddie's Pizza is on 46th, Rickshaw is on 50th, plus get 15% off any order at Goodburger.

Free Treats From Sweetery Today: SweeteryNYC is teaming up with the Food Network Magazine today to promote their new cookbook by giving away desserts made from the book- like cheesecake Pops, crispy crunchy bars and chocolate nut buttons."  After a quick trip Downtown, they'll be on 50th St btw. 6th and 7th Ave. from 11:00am– 2:30pm, before heading up to Union Square. Freeloaders... prepare to engage!

The Depressing Side of Midtown Lunching: Subway and McDonald's are fighting it out to be the biggest food chain in the world, landlords would rather have Pret a Manger's and Olive Gardens, and food trucks are heading in the same direction. We, however, will keep fighting the good fight, and hold out hope that at least a few of our old favorites will be able to survive.

Bethenny’s Food Blog Nerd is a Midtown Lunch’er!: Did you know that Nicholas, last week's Profiled Lunch'er, was a reality TV celeb?! It was mentioned last week in the comments, but apparently he's been tapped as the resident food blogger by Bethenny Ever After, and appeared on the show again last night doling out recommendations like The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and the halal cart on 53rd and 6th!

Cer Te Agrees to $100 Prize For Sandwich Challenge: Yesterday we reported that Cer Te was once again accepting submissions for potential sandwich specials, and we gently nudged them to offer up a prize.  Well, they heard the message and loud and clear; the Chef now says that the winner will get a $100 gift certificate to Cer Te.  Nice!  We would have been happy with a couple of free sandwiches...

What Does Korilla BBQ’s Chef Dream About?: I suppose if you dream about Korilla BBQ maybe you're interested in knowing what Korilla BBQ's chef dreams about? This week Eater's Dream Journal column features Korilla BBQ chef Edward Song, who reveals deep mysteries about his subconscious (like... he smoked pot in college. And he loves cookies.)

This Week Bian Dang’s Pork or Chicken is $6: On the ML Twitter Tracker today... Rickshaw is on 50th and 6th, Mexicue is on 55th btw Park+Mad, Frites N Meats is on 52nd btw. 6+7th, Taim is on 45th btw. 6+7th, Korilla is on 55th and Lex, Big D's Grub Truck is on 40th and 6th, and Bian Dang is on 50th btw. 6+7th, and their pork or chicken will be $6 all week long.