Midtown Lunch

I love the blog but i’m currently in a serious midtown lunch depression as three of my favorites have packed up and left all at the same time. The Jamaican Dutchy has disappeared and my two bento delivery places (Yozu and Washoku cafe) have stopped delivering. Do you know anyone else offering bento delivery in the Rock Center area? We have a lot of Japanese people in our building and bento used to be delivered outside but now it has all disappeared. As lunch is all we have to look forward to this is seriously depressing! I can’t stand our cafeteria and won’t be able to eat indian food everyday. Please help!!

Well the Jamaican Dutchy is on vacation, and will most likely be back soon. But I’m sad to hear the sidewalk bento guys on 50th street are gone. I know Cafe Zaiya recently launched a huge online ordering system. You can try that. Anybody else have any good suggestions for Lunch’er David? Put it in the comments…

Just a friendly reminder that “Delivery Week” has begun, Seamless Web’s clever take on Restaurant Week. $12.09 gets you an app, entree, and dessert or drink from a number of different places in Midtown, and just like the real Restaurant Week the arguments discussions have already begun over whether or not its worth it. This was posted to the ML Forums by Lunch’er “hightemp”:

I was going to order “Delivery Week” for lunch today but perusing the options in my neighborhood I opted against it. Seems a lot of places are switching out “dessert” with “beverage”. And in one instance <> pop burger <> the savings add up to a grand total of …. wait for it… 41 cents. Anyone tried delivery week yet? Any good deals to be had or things worth trying?

$12.09 for a burger, 1/2 an order of shrimp dumpling pops, and a drink from the Volstead is still a pretty good deal (although I was hoping in vain for lobster roll sliders!) And just like Restaurant Week, Delivery Week actually lasts two weeks (through October 31st). Anybody else found any keepers? Post them to the thread in the forum>>

You know I’m morally opposed to workplace delivery (everybody should be able to take their full lunch hour!) and totally not down with spending over $10 for lunch…  so technically Seamless Web’s “Delivery Week” (happening October 19-31st) has already got two strikes against it.  On the other hand, $12.09 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert (all delivered to your office) could be too good a deal to pass up (depending on who is participating, and what their menus consist of).  And there’s nothing that says you can’t pick up your food in the lobby of your building, and just keep on walking.  A few Midtown Lunch’ish spots are on the list, like Little Thai Kitchen and Pop Burger, but you can get out of those places normally for under $12.  I’m more interested in seeing the menus being offered by some of the more expensive places… like The Volstead! (Remember when they gave away all that free food to Midtown Lunchers?  That place is goooood.)  You can find a complete list of participating restaurants here.

When Kati Roll lost their lease, and was forced to move from 46th St. to 39th St. (btw. 5+6th), it was at the peak of Midtown Lunch popularity.  There were long lines to order, 20+ minute waits for your food and it even spawned two copycat carts down the street (only one of them survived).

Now, 4 months later and in their new location, the lines are gone.  The crowds, nowhere to be found as the new Kati Roll waits for the lazy, set in their ways workers in Midtown South to discover them for the first time.  One thing that hasn’t changed, is the food, and if you work near the old Kati Roll and don’t have time to walk the extra 7 blocks to the new location, they now offer delivery.

The minimum order is $20, but they told me if you got above $15 they would probably do it.  The delivery area is from 30th St. to 50th St., between Lexington & 8th Ave.  They’ve also added a new, and fairly strange take out menu- for those who are not so good at reading. 

Check it out after the jump… Read more »

It is not often I will write about food delivery.  I admit, it is probably something everyone would be interested in reading about (whether or not your favorite place delivers), but I don’t write about it because I never order delivery.  I don’t believe in it.  I am a staunch advocate of taking time to get out of the office for a little bit.  You’re supposed to get a lunch break.  You need a lunch break.  Use your lunch break. (Even it’s just to walk around for 20 minutes.)

But like all rules, there are some exceptions.  For example, when delivery is made to be fun!  Like in the case of Chiyoda Sushi.  Chiyoda is a place I’ve written about a few times.  Along with Yagura & Cafe Zaiya, it makes up the Japanese Trinity on 41st btw. Mad+5th., my favorite block for Midtown Lunch’ing.  Unfortunately it’s a little too far for me to make it down there too often-  but last week, I discovered (thanks to an email tipster), that they have delivery- and it’s fun!

Chiyoda has a special online delivery menu that is really fun to look at, even if you don’t want to order.  Each day they offer three different lunch boxes, and the schedule for the entire week is posted here (http://www.chiyodasushiny.com/bento_en.html).  But it gets better.  Not sure what one of the items is?  Each morning, you can click on the box and it will show you a picture of the item.  How cool is that?

The boxes range in price from $6 to $8 and there is no delivery charge, or tax- the only requirement is that your office orders a minimum of 3 boxes.  Don’t have two friends who want to order weird Japanese boxed lunches… there is still one more way to get your bento fix- and it’s the best part of the whole story.

The Chiyoda guy on the street with Bento boxes, after the jump… Read more »