Midtown Lunch

Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch. This week we’re excited to welcome a new Flatiron contributor… Sarah Z. Make her feel welcome!

Keko Café caught my eye with their somewhat odd but welcoming sidewalk blackboards that venture beyond the power of suggestion. “You need a cup of coffee.” “I do? Okay.” Inside, the interior and menu reflect an eclectic but charming Parisian café serving baguette sandwiches, crepes and quiches, among other things.

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

During the late summer last year, the restaurant Resto expanded into a neighboring space and opened The Cannibal (29th btw Park+Lex), a beer shop and butcher that serves small plates at a rustic, masculine communal bar area and a small backyard patio which is open during warmer weather. When I stopped by it was full of men in suits watching ESPN’s coverage of the Australian Open. It’s basically a spot after our own hearts complete with fridges holding about 350 brews, eight taps, a back area butcher’s counter selling homemade charcuterie among other meats, and a menu that includes a Pigs Head Cuban. I decided to leave the Cuban for Clay to try, and went with another delicious sounding sandwich just at the ML ceiling, their Grilled Cheese. But this wasn’t an ordinary cheesy sandwich.

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

New York got its first taste of Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen when the Midtown branch (8th Ave + 41st) opened up a while back, and it seemingly became known for its burgers. Late last year, the second location opened on 23rd at Madison, almost directly across from Shake Shack. I think we all know whose burgers are better, so when I stopped by the Flatiron Schnipper’s this week, I wanted to try something else, maybe something for the token vegetarian in your group who always complains when you hit up the Shack that there’s nothing for them, but fries and deep-fried mushroom sandwiches!

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

Tappo (on 24th btwn 5th & 6th) opened just as I was leaving the Flatiron area, but with a menu full of lunch specials and combos at or under $10, my curiosity was piqued when I first stumbled across Tappo back in the fall. And once I saw Blondie’s post about their chicken parm, that settled it. I was hitting the place up the next time I made it to the neighborhood. So, when I had a lunch meeting with someone who had just recently started working nearby, I jumped at the opportunity to take a look for myself.

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

The other day, I was feeling under the weather and in need of some hot soup. After perusing various menus, I settled on Bao Noodles (on 2nd btw. 22+23rd), which Clay recommended back in August for their lunch specials. Unfortunately, I ordered this meal on Seamless, where apparently the lunch special is not offered (so long, free starter). But I settled on Saigon Style Egg Noodle Soup (Mi Saigon): egg noodles with slices of pork, squid, quail egg, shrimp, garlic, chives, and bean sprouts in chicken broth ($9.95).

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

When I reviewed Saravanaa a few months ago, it reminded me of a great vegetarian Indian lunch I had across the street at Bhojan. It’s now been almost a year since I visited Bhojan and realized it has never been properly written up on this site.  I finally made it there late on a rainy day this week to try to re-live that experience.

Unfortunately, the food wasn’t exactly as good as I remembered, but I did discover a cheaper option than at Saravanaa. Last time I was here I had an amazing version of papdi chaat and a great sweet and spicy cauliflower dish. This time around I was trying to stick to the ML price point and the one thing that kept catching my eye was the Lunch Thali. It was priced at $8. The lunch thalis across the street are $11.50. I could have maybe put together some small plates from the menu (priced around $5 or $6) or ordered one of the vegetarian entrees for about $10. But this seemed like the most likely option to fill me up.

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Have you been craving delicious Filipino baked goods lately? Have you been scouring New York for hard-to-find Philippine pastries and rice desserts to no avail? No? Just me?  Pan de Sal, a sister restaurant/bakery to Grill 21 popped up on the corner of 21st + 2nd not too long ago (okay, maybe a year or so, but it takes a while to get to these things when you don’t work in the area). The bakery’s name sake, pan de sal, is a sweet-ish bread from the Philippines and one of my favorite childhood breakfasts, so it has been high on my list of places to check out for a while.

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If there’s one thing that Midtown Lunch loves it’s the chicken parm sandwich. It dates back to when Zach ran the site, and from time to time, I feel the need to continue his search for best cheap chicken parm around. So when I stopped by to check out the newly-opened Tappo (24th btw 5+6th), I skipped the thin-crust pizza part of their menu–though there were some pretty awesome pies spotted–and went straight for the $9 chicken parm sandwich lunch special. And what I got was one high-quality sandwich that may not qualify in the “cheap” criteria, but is definitely going for the crown.

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As I’ve mentioned for the last couple weeks, a ton of new places have opened this fall in Flatiron Lunch bounds. With so many new places popping up, I’d be posting ‘first looks’ for the rest of the month, so I decided to consolidate them into one handy post. After the jump, get a closer look at two Midtown transplants and a fancy, but budget friendly Italian spot.

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It’s one of the curses of New York City that some of the best foods that would be cheap eats where they came from are super pricey here. In the years since quality barbecue arrived in New York with places like Blue Smoke and Hill Country, it’s been the rare spot that has been anything like a Midtown Lunch. Nearby, I was happy to find some good deals at RUB NYC, but it has stood as the exception to the rule. But, has that changed?

Back in September, I reported that BBQue’s Smoke Shack was opening up on 6th Avenue just a few doors down from the Limelight. It’s now open for business and this week, I took the opportunity to get a closer look.

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