Midtown Lunch

_{“Latke from Ben’s” (on 38th btw. 7+8th)
Posted to Flickr by Joshwand}

• Ed Levine endorses the Edison Cafe Potato Pancakes.  “Not trancendent”, but the best in the area [Ed Levine Eats]
• And also loves this pasta dish at Insieme [Ed Levine Eats]
• Burger King & Madame Tussaud Make it Official.  Times Square is hell on earth…  [Grub St.]
• …And Bryant Park is trying to follow suit.  Lifesize snowglobe anyone?  [Gothamist]
• The Midtown branch of Ray’s Famous on 7th Ave. & 54th doesn’t make the cut [Gridskipper]
• The take out window at Grand Central Oyster Bar may be the place to go for a fried oyster po’boy [Chow Times]
• Another price hike means lunch at Midtown Subway now costs over $10 [East Village Idiot]
• If you are a banker at Citigroup, your secretary will pick up Burger Joint for you.  And if you’re Anthony Martignetti, you’ll still be hungry enough after for a falafel on 59th & Lex. [Grub St.]

_{R.I.P. Bobby Van}

• ‘wichcraft introduces an eggplant & chickpea sandwich designed by students for charity at the Rock Center location [Diner’s Journal]
• Another strong vote for the double cooked pork belly with chili leeks, at Szechuan Gourmet [Ed Levine Eats]
• One Million Burgers later, Burger Joint turns 5 years old [Eater]
• Pop Burger Facade & Obika Plywood, revealed! [Grub St.]
• Citysearch “discovers” the Del Frisco’s steak deal [Citysearch]
• Apparently there is a sweet ass gingerbread house on display at the Marriott Marquis [NY Daily News]
• The Wandering Eater has a disappointing lunch at Le Bernardin, but the photos look delicious! [Wandering Eater]
• Anybody who considers the “Soul Food Mix” at Hallo Berlin a “Snack” is alright in my book![Snaxploitation]

• Hearst beats Conde Naste in the ultimate battle of Cafeterias I wish somebody would invite me to!!! [Epicurious]
• Recap of the Norwegian Christmas Fair at the Seaman’s Church [Eating in Translation]
• Theater District Restaurants are offering discounts during the strike [NYCVisit via Citysearch]
• Frederick’s in Midtown becomes a French Bistro [Restaurant Girl]
• A Chef gets caught stealing from a restaurant on 36th St. in Midtown… [NY Post]
• … the restaurant has not opened yet, but is probably hiring. [Grub St.]

Photo Posted to Flickr by Nadalove2brich

• Yolato claims that Wednesday was a “misunderstanding” and “no one has complained at the store” [Eater]
• There’s no accounting for taste when discussing the “Best Slice of Pizza in New York”! [Slice]
• The Theater Strike is effecting Carnegie Deli & Insieme? [Grub St.]
• Babies Love Fika, the Swedish Espresso Bar! [Sohokind]
• Burritoville introduces a lunchtime Combo Meal.  Included are already free tortilla chips.  [Super Vegan]
• The Best Korean in the City includes newcomer Madangsui [Chow]
• Bagelfeller on 48th makes a Taco Salad with Basil??? [I Hate Cilantro]
• Cafe St. Barts is getting a name change [Citysearch]
• Go Sushi on 34th is Closing.  9th Ave. Location will pick up the Delivery Slack [Grub St.]
• Free WiFi for Midtown West, Courtesy of CBS [Gothamist]

_{On Wednesday, The Treats Truck was parked on 45th & 6th
it’s first day in Midtown north of 42nd St!} 

• The DOH finally posts the reasons why Yum Thai was closed.  Don’t click if you’d like to keep eating there [NYC Dept. of Health]
• On the weekend, Five Guys Burgers is a completely different place! [Scoboco]
• The turkey sandwich from City 75 is the real deal, but get there early or else [Plate of the Day]
• Is there a better lunch than Woorjip, followed by a visit to the Treats Truck?  [A Passion for Food]
• A few words with the guy from the Chapati Roll Cart [Meatloafing]
• A few Midtown choices pop up in a list of NYC’s best soups [AMNY]
• The Pranzo Pizza Truck appears side by side with Jiannetto’s on a list of NYC’s best food trucks?!?!  [Gridskipper]
• I had to eat a lot of interesting things on Wednesday night… check out the winner of the Brooklyn Kitchen’s “Bodega Challenge” [NY Daily News]

_{Sandwiches from the Bon Appetit Pop Up Cafe, which closes after today
Added to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group by thewanderingeater}

• First Look at the decor of the new Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill in the Time Warner Center 6 Columbus… [Zagat]
• …And here’s the first word on the food [Ed Levine Eats] 
• One of the original Original SoupMan Locations (the one on 3rd Ave. in the 40s) has closed [Zagat]
• The Hawaiian Tropic Zone gets a “Cabaret License”, so now the “dancing” is legal [NYPost via Eater]
• The Pork Belly w/ Chili Leeks from Wu Liang Ye looks pretty awesome [Food in Mouth]
• Alto Gets Upped to Three Stars from Bruni [NY Times]
• The Banh Mi from Boi to Go gets the lowest score in this round up of the city’s best Vietnamese sandwiches [Citysearch]
• Yum Thai has been closed by the Board of Health [Email Tipster]

• The Brooklyn Kitchen are celebrating their 1 Year Anniversary with a “Bodega Challenge” and I’m a judge!  Get all the info here… [The Brooklyn Kitchen]

_{“Lunch at Obika” Posted to Flickr by Shaunaforce aka Gluten Free Girl}

• European Mozzarella Bar Obika is opening a branch on Madison btw. 56+57th [MUG]
• Nizza opens in the western outskirts of Midtown known as Hell’s Kitchen [Eater]
• Sip Sak is great Turkish food on the Eastern Outskirts of Midtown known as Hell [Grub St.]
• Nosher continues his tour of Midtown at db Bistro Moderne [NYC Nosh]
• There is a Ramen Eating Contest at the Nintendo World store in Midtown tomorrow [Epicurious Blog]

_{Double Sliced Pork Belly w/ Chili Leeks from Szechuan Gourmet
Posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group by Food In Mouth}

• In 2002, the NY Times wrote about the 38th St. Restaurant & Bakery [Becoming a New Yorker]
• Brasserie 44 debuts today in the Royalton [Zagat]
• The 2nd Ave. Deli is returning, and it’s a little closer to Midtown Lunch’ing range [Ed Levine Eats]
• Oms/b has “sloppy joe sushi”, and celebrates their 4th anniversary [Mouthing Off]
• Yakitori Totto is opening another branch on 43rd St. below Sakagura [NY Mag]
• Eataly, a giant Italian specialty market will open in Midtown, combining a “a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, [and] a high-end food court.”  Holy Mackerel!!! [NY Times]

• I really like Toloache, but there is no excuse for Citysearch Shilling [Eater]
• Looking for great Italian coffee in Midtown?  Zibetto’s is your place. [NYCNosh]
• The Yogurt Parfait at Bread Market Cafe is not as big as it used to be [Plate of the Day]
• Debris falls from the building on 42nd & 6th Ave…. [Gothamist]
• … and ruins the day for two Street Food Vendors [NYTimes]
• Cutlets recommends The Carnegie Deli off the 7th Ave. Stop on the B Line [Grub St.] 
• Has the Jamaican Dutchy fixed their slowness issue!?! [Chowhound]

• Heartland Brewery is not only terrible for us eaters, they treat their employees like crap too [NY Mag] 
• The Pad Kee Mao at Yum Thai looks really good [Food in Mouth]
• Beacon Bar adds a new Kitchen counter where you can get a burger at lunchtime [Strong Buzz]
• Maribelle Chocolates is coming to Madison Ave., just outside of Midtown Lunch boundaries (and is probably worth walking the extra few blocks) [Serious Eats]
• District is empty, and for a good reason [Nosher]