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.

As someone who has lived in Houston and Denver, I love Mexican food. Really, any type of cuisine influenced by Mexican food: Tex-Mex, Southwestern, other types I have yet to discover. Uncle Moe’s strikes the sweet spot that so many others in New York miss (see my post about Rocking Horse Café, another Mexican restaurant that got it right, for further clarification about my opinions about New York Mexican restaurants.) The fact that Uncle Moe’s looked promising when I walked, by combined with a recommendation from a friend, meant I had to give it a try.
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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.

Before Summer Fridays are a distant memory, I wanted to share with you the perfect spot to waste away a Friday afternoon with lunch and drinks. As an additional enticement, Barfly has a small area (about 10 tables) of outdoor seating. So if you are able to find a beautiful, sunny lunch hour, I recommend spending it here.

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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.

About three weeks ago, a new player hit the Flatiron truck sweet spot on Fifth Avenue in the low 20s. They weren’t totally prepared (no twitter account, website under construction, and a dish or two missed the mark), but they had a great concept with Lebanese food. The news got better when I found out that the truck is a family endeavor. The truck doesn’t say that, but I heard the man out front taking orders proudly mention that his daughter picked the name of the truck. For your reference, the name is a Lebanese garlic spread or as gourmands like to call it, aioli.

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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.

OPENINGS:

Shorty’s has been slowly invading the New York market. They started with the original location in Hell’s Kitchen. Near the end of last year, they opened an outpost just north of Madison Square Park at 66 Madison (btw 27th and 28th). Not quite everything is ML budget friendly, but there are certainly options (you can check out the Shorty’s menu) and the bar always seems busy. In May, Shorty’s on Wheels hit the street.
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Here’s a bit of Flatiron Lunch news before we lay this week’s review on you…

So even though the Olympics don’t officially open until tomorrow, they are already in motion with USA Women’s Soccer/Football team taking down France 4-2 yesterday. Hester Street Fair is joining in the fun by converting the weekly Hester Nights at Eventi Hotel into their own little international Olympic food fest tonight and for every Thursday during the Olympics. It would be very easy to argue this is nothing new considering they opened in May with a line-up of La Sonrisa, Bombay Sandwich Co, Schnitz, Bian Dang, and La Crepe C’est Si Bon. This week includes Hong Kong Street Cart, Solber Pupusas, Oaxaca Taqueria and Family Recipe (serving home-style Japanese).

And if you don’t have Olympics Opening Ceremony Party plans yet, Eventi Hotel will be throwing a viewing party on Friday. Throughout the run of The Games, Eventi will be dedicating their massive screen to Olympics for those who can’t get enough streaming on your computer at work. They will be tempting you to play hooky with Astroturf Wars and Olympic “Onion” Rings.

Hester Nights & Eventi Olympics, Eventi Open Air Plaza, 851 6th Avenue (btw 29+30th)

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.

We really try to listen to our readers. Especially when they are also our friends. So when news of a Cambodian truck in the Flatiron district popped up in the Forums AND my friend, Profiled Lunch’er “Jessica”, messaged me about it, I clearly had check it out a.s.a.p.

Before even going, I did some snooping online to try to scope out the menu and strategize about what to order. First, I found UltraClay’s post about visiting the truck near Washington Square Park one night. Based on his experience, I knew to avoid ordering the sandwich. On the truck’s own site, the rambling and sad story from the owner of Cambodian Cuisine Torsu, Jerry Ley, about being screwed out of a restaurant space in Brooklyn, was distracting. Not to mention, the Menu on Wheels page is pretty illegible. Taking all this into account, I went into the situation fairly unprepared, but with the comforting fact that I was supporting a struggling small business owner.

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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.

As Midtown Lunchers, we are always looking for hidden gems. And this past week I found one! Of course, our type of gem isn’t the shiny kind you put in jewelry, but the kind that fills your stomach and makes you start telling your friends. H.I.T. Korean Food and Deli (but you can mostly ignore the Deli part) is one of those places. Did I mention that H.I.T. is located through the lobby of an office building, which is the next best thing to serving food on a loading dock.  Start telling your friends.

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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.

Hey there lunchers, Sarah’s out of town this week, so I took a trip down to my old stomping grounds to see what’s new in the old Flatiron bounds. Sarah had mentioned a new truck, Comida Mexicana that she hadn’t checked out yet, so I decided to see what it’s all about.

When I came across it on 28th street, I realized it was just around the corner from the delicious options at both the no name cart on 6th Avenue and the hidden Korean/Mexican gem that is New York Bakery. I got excited. If this truck was nearly as tasty and I testing as those two places, I was in for a great meal.

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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.

Since we went pretty low brow last week, it is only fair we went upscale this week. Granted, this is a place that Clay previous checked out, but, selfishly, I have been wanting to try. I was first drawn into tbsp because of the cozy feel noticeable from the street (the same atmosphere that Clay wrote about last winter). The pressed tin ceiling and hanging lights casting a nice glow over the whole place made an impression when I peeked through the large glass windows while walking by.

I figured it would be out of the ML price range by a few dollars but was pleasantly surprised that almost everything on their menu was in budget. By digging around their website, I also discovered that they have daily specials. The specials are published online every day but are also on display in the restaurant. The online menu doesn’t show the prices, so when I called in my order, I found out that one of the two entrees of the day was under $10. Clearly, I had to get it. I was also tempted by the southwestern chicken salad with lime chipotle marinated chicken, fresh corn, grated cheddar, chopped tomatoes, and black beans on romaine with tortilla strips and chipotle dressing on the side ($9.25), but the words “our house roast beef” on a sandwich distracted me. I tend to be a sucker for places advertising house specialties.

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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.

So I have long been a fan of Desmond’s for after-work drinks. Mamacita gave a fairly accurate review previously that it is falling apart and has some interesting smells. But, in my opinion, that is really part of the charm. And it doesn’t hurt that Anthony Bourdain used to go there in-between double shifts as Chef of Les Halles which is just a block south.

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