Midtown Lunch

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Congrats to our man Chris H. who started writing a new Flushing eats column for Serious Eats this week.  First up: Gamjatang at Geo Si Gi. Looks amazing! Blondie enjoyed a Luke’s Lobster roll and a chicken and waffles cupcake at Park Here last weekend (the new Nolita pop up indoor park.) And Ultraclay is still plowing through everything he ate on his trip to Southeast Asia, like this jealousy inducing pho.

Around the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea checked out yesterday’s free food madhouse at the newly open Hot Clay Oven in the FiDi, Jamie posted about all the great food she ate on holiday trips to New Orleans and Austin, and I discovered the Cafe Zaiya of Downtown Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy of Ultraclay

Curious how the different ML contributors have been ringing in the New Year? Brownie had brunch at the Farm on Adderley, before heading out to Brighton Beach for a primer on Uygher Food, Chris H can’t stay away from Danji, and Ultraclay had a pricey seafood lunch at David Pasternack’s new Eataly restaurant.

Around the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea tried out the newly open FiDi branch of Hello Pasta, Jamie was all about the shawarma at Sahara Grill in Philly, and I followed up my healthy lunches list with a trip to an all you can Kerala buffet in L.A.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Ultraclay shows you the best way to render lard using his new Christmas present, Blondie recounts her favorite moments of 2010, after telling us how good Brooklyn Mac is in Greenpoint, and Brownie was in CT eating her family’s version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes.  In the rest of the ML Universe, Andrea was in South Dakota dreaming about the day Downtown will get its own branch of Culver’s butterburgers, Jamie was in Philly discovering the smallest hole in the wall Chinese joint of all time, and (in case you missed it) I posted all of the L.A. lunches I ate in 2010 in one gigantic photo.

I recently received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do a meet and greet with the Myth, the Man, the Legend, Mr. Tony Bourdain. To say that I’m a fan of Tony would be an understatement. I’ve been a disciple of his teachings since my formative foodie years. In fact, I can point to a single instance over 7 years ago, where I sought out and tried pho for the first time because of his description of the dish in A Cook’s Tour, and from then on, I was hooked on eating, reading and writing about food. Needless to say, his writing and TV shows have heavily influenced my path towards being a “foodie” and food blogger.

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A Pizzacone from Tribeca’s Da Mikele.

Blondie was at The Cookie Takedown Sunday night at The Bell House, while Brownie takes another opportunity to let us know how amazing Four and Twenty Blackbirds is, Ultraclay compares Paris Sandwich to the banh mi places he tried while in Vietnam, and Chris H is a huuuuge fan of the newly opened Danji (on 52nd, btw. 8+9th).

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea discovers that pizzacones live on in Downtown NYC, Jamie tries a Vietnamese food truck near Temple U, and I had one of the great Korean lunch specials of all time in Los Angeles.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Photo courtesy of Ultraclay

Clay is back from his trip to Hong Kong, but still posting photos- like this one of guts on a stick.
Brownie was checking out the cookies at the Union Square holiday market, while Blondie was baking cheese straws from a recipe in Saveur.   And finally Chris H. took on the Absinthe based punchbowl at 1534 in Nolita and won.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea got a first taste of the newly open Toloache Taqueria Downtown, Jamie checks out Marabella Meatball Co. in Philly, and I was super excited to discover an under $10 lomo saltado Peruvian lunch special in Los Angeles.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

These doughnuts are making me want to start being a better Jew

Brownie found some special Hannukah doughnuts across the street from DiFara’s, while Blondie was busy at Doughnut Plant with the more X-Mas’y doughnut flavors. Chris H. seemed to really like Ardesia, a Hell’s Kitchen wine bar and Ultraclay is still in Hong Kong- which he is regularly posting about on his blog.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea tried the pho from Nicky’s Vietnamese downtown, Jamie discovered made to order fresh mozzarella courtesy of Jose Garces in Philly, and on Monday I went off about all the things I *don’t* like about Lunch’ing in L.A.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Tabla’s Infamous Crab Cake

Blondie had one last dinner at Tabla before they close on December 30th, while Brownie was in Canada wondering why foreign McDonald’s are so much better than the ones here in the US.  Ultraclay was in Philly having tapas at Bar Ferdinand, and as you all know Chris was in Hawaii.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea tried the new Downtown location of FIKA Espresso Bar, Jamie had some tacos from a cart near the campus of Temple in Philly, and I was all about this all you can eat Brazilian pizza rodizio in L.A.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Pork Belly Bun from Chairman Bao in San Francisco. Photo by Blondie.

Blondie was in San Francisco over the weekend checking out their food truck scene, Brownie was (presumably) at Shopsin’s enjoying the fact that they are now open on Sundays, and Ultraclay splurged for a lunch at the newly open John Dory Oyster Bar at the Ace Hotel.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea reluctantly tried the vegetarian banh mi at the Downtown Baoguette, Jamie surprisingly enjoyed a vegetarian cheesesteak in Philly, and my favorite Iranian sandwich shop in L.A. just opened a sit down restaurant.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (They’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Ultraclay was in North Carolina eating delicious looking chicken biscuits, Brownie tried the Cupcake Stop’s fluffernutter cupcake, Blondie had apple stoopwafels at the Brooklyn Flea, and Chris H. had a disappointing experience at Vandaag.

In the rest of the ML Universe… Andrea discovers that Crisp is opening a new location Downtown, Jamie posts an update about the food truck scene around Temple in Philadelphia, and I was busy eating the best pork banh mi from a truck in Los Angeles (spoiler alert: it’s not Nom Nom.)