I stopped into the Cosi on 48th btw. 5+6th to *ahem* “research” the free bread bowl and noticed something a little out of the ordinary… no line. On a Friday at 12:40. This place is usually packed. As you can see there are far less free samples in the bread bowl also! Although, I suppose if you have fewer customers, you don’t need to put out as much free bread? I guess they didn’t realize I was coming…

Afterwards, I walked by Moshe’s Falafel and the Biryani Cart and both had lines of 15+ people.

I know… I know.  What is wrong with me?  I’ll apologize up front, because it’s just not right.  I don’t eat salads.  I’m supposed to be killing myself, lunch by lunch, bite of fat after bite of fat, for all of you to see.  Salads ruin that plan.  Despite the timing, I did not eat the salad because of some stupid New Year’s resolution (I don’t believe in those), or because I had a fried pork and plantains sandwich at Tina’s Restaurant on Monday, followed by free Chinese food on Tuesday.

The salad is actually Fresh Direct’s fault.  See, the dirty little secret of Midtown Lunch is- I don’t eat out every day.  In an attempt to convince work that I’m not spending every lunch hour photographing street carts, plus to be a little “healthy”, and save some money (this shit gets expensive), I actually only eat out 3 days a week.  The other two days, I’ll bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to work (cute right?).  Maybe not the healthiest lunch in the universe, but it certainly has less calories than every single lunch I’ve ever eaten for this site.  Well, this week Fresh Direct forgot to deliver our damn peanut butter- leaving me feeling like I should at least attempt to eat healthy (and close to the office).  A salad it is.

I ate the damn thing- so I might as well tell you what I thought of it…. after the jump.

Not surprisingly, so many people at work ask me for lunch recommendations every day.  The conversation usually goes something like this:

“Hey Zach, where should I eat lunch today?”

“I don’t know.  Tell me what you’re in the mood for and I’ll give you a suggestion.”

“Um… I don’t know.  Something healthy.”

“Riiiiiight.  Does it look like I eat healthy?  Sorry, I don’t really know too much about that stuff.  Come back to me when you’re looking for lunch that doubles as a heart attack inducer.”

The last time I ate a salad was at Variety Cafe, in June of 2006, and I bragged about how I ”fat guy’d” it up by adding cheese, fried chicken and those fried chinese noodle thingys to it.  Once Variety Cafe was closed by the DOH, that was the end of my salad eating days… until yesterday. 

A friend from work has been trying to convince me forever that the Signature Salad from Cosi is delicious.  So, looking for that “healthy” lunch, I heeded his advice and headed over.  One of your garden variety fruit, nut & cheese salads, Cosi’s Signature Salad is mixed greans topped with pears, grapes, dried cranberries, pistachios and gorgonzola cheese (or as I like to call it- ”the savior”).  If I’m going to eat a salad, you better believe it’s going to have cheese in it.

All in all, it was pretty tasty (for a salad) but for $8.33, it was not particularly hefty (i.e. “Where’s the fried chicken???”),  and I couldn’t help but feel I had been ripped off.  Is this how ”normal” people feel, going to these places every single day and paying these prices for sandwiches and salads.  Luckily, it came with a piece of fresh baked Cosi bread, the saving grace of an otherwise generic chain, and I was able to convince myself it was worth it. 

Picking up my *cough* salad from one of the closest places to my office possible, and taking it back to my desk to eat, while convincing myself it was worth the $8+, I almost felt like a real Midtown worker for a day.  I don’t think I liked it.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Cosi.  The bread is just so damn good, and baked fresh right in the middle of the store.  We can make jokes about chains all we want, but a sandwich on fresh, brick oven baked bread is good.  I don’t care what anybody says.  And if you put free pieces in a bowl at the front of your establishment, I’m going to show up.

Pizza?  Now that’s a different story.  I’m sure when Cosi decided to add Flatbread pizzas to their menu, New York was not the market they had in mind.  Anybody who pays $7+ for a Cosi pizza, when there are great slices on every corner of the city, is just nuts.  That being said, if you love Cosi bread, and the idea of having two pieces of it for lunch, topped with mozzarella cheese, and their (too sweet for me) marinara sauce- you just might be into it.  Me?  If I ever move to Oklahoma, I’ll be all over this.  For now, I think I’ll stick with this or this or even this.

• Piece of Chicken on 45th btw. 8+9th, is back open after closing for a week to build a permanent wall between them and what used to be Jezebel.  They also have added Fried Chicken & Waffles ($2) to their menu (replacing the void left by the long closed Ressie May’s)
• The ‘wichcraft in Rockefeller Center opened this weekend…
• … but the Zen Burger on Lex. btw. 44+45th did not.
• And it looks like the Midtown Pop Burger is going to be delayed one more week as well.   
• Yum Thai on 44th btw. 6+7th is still closed, they have construction permits littering the window, and their phone number is out of service.  It’s not looking good.
• The Jamaican Dutchy cart on 51st & 7th is having trouble renewing their permit, which expired at the end of the last month.  They are hoping to get it on Thursday, and be back up and running on Friday.

Another sandwich that probably won’t see much action today, after the jump…

_{The latest “limited time only” sandwich from Cosi.} 

Both look good, just not today.

Having a lobster roll at a place like McDonald’s for less than $10 can really make you wonder- “What the hell is in this thing?”.  But a real lobster roll is pretty simple.  It’s just lobster meat served in a hot dog roll.  From there, the argument will begin as to what makes the “perfect” lobster roll.  Mayo or no mayo.  Lemon juice or no lemon juice.  Celery is sometimes added, and often a layer of lettuce can be put under the lobster meat or salad.  Grilling the hot dog bun first, and brushing it with melted butter can’t hurt either.  But there is one thing that everybody can agree on- the more lobster (and the bigger the chunks), the better.  Claws always welcome!

Unfortunately, the more meat in the sandwich, the more expensive it’s going to be.  That’s why a good lobster roll will usually run you $14-18 in New England, with many fancy New York restaurants charging upwards of $25+ for their version.  While some purists would never eat a fast food lobster roll, some of us more frugal diners want to be able to experience that taste, without dropping a ton of money.  So when Cosi introduced their limited time only “Lobster Salad Sandwich”, I was pretty excited.

What it looks like, what it tastes like and the mayo filled +/- after the jump…

I hate spending $8 on a sandwich for lunch, but for some reason it doesn’t bother me at Cosi.  I don’t know if it’s the amazing bread, or their knack for introducing amazing limited time only sandwiches… but whatever the reason, it’s one of the few generic sandwich/salad chains I’ll eat at in Midtown. 

A tell-tale sign of a cheap lobster roll is tons of mayo and unfortunately Cosi’s version is no exception.  On the positive side, it tastes a little more like a lemon aoli, then straight up mayo- so it’s very tasty.  But there is no denying it, the lobster “salad” is drenched in it.  There’s no way it’s healthy, and if you are not a fan of mayo you will probably hate this sandwich.

They don’t actually call it a lobster roll, because it’s not served on a hot dog bun- but rather on Cosi’s bread, which is fine with me.  Their bread is wider and longer than a hot dog bun, making the sandwich much larger than a traditional lobster roll.  The $8.99 price tag is a bit higher than the normal Cosi sandwich, but it’s understandable for something that has lobster in it, and there are some larger chunks of meat- which is always a good thing to see.  And people seem to be into it.  The sandwich has been selling out by 1:30pm at most of the locations…

As with everything, you get what you pay for- and this Cosi sandwich falls right into that category.  If you are a lobster roll snob, there is a good chance you won’t be into the Cosi version- but if you are like me, and just want to have something that is lobster roll’ish for less than $10, you can do alot worse than Cosi.  Namely, McDonald’s.

THE + (What people who like this would say)

• It’s the only inexpensive lobster roll option in Midtown
• I love Cosi sandwiches
• I love Lobster
• I love mayo
• It is slightly better than your average cheap lobster roll.  Lots of mayo, but the mayo has very nice lemon flavor.  And there are chunks of lobster scattered in the sandwich.

The – (What people who don’t like this would say)

• I hate mayo
• Too much mayo
• Not enough chunks of lobster meat
• I don’t like to eat seafood that is priced too cheaply, because it makes me wonder what I’m eating.
• Most stores have been running out by 1:30pm, so get there early.

Cosi, Multiple Locations in Midtown

• 61 W. 48th. St. (btw. 5+6th)
• 11 W. 42nd St. btw. 5th & 6th Ave.
• 60 E. 56th St. btw. Madison & Park Ave.
• 38 E. 45th St. btw. Madison & Vanderbilt
• 685 Third Ave. on 44th St.
• 498 7th Ave. btw. 36+37th St.
• 1633 Broadway btw. 50+51st. St.