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.

About a year ago when I started contributing to ML, I came across Great Burrito. What a find! Of course, it had been previously covered by Jason in March 2010. I figured now was a good time to revisit and try some of the other items on the menu, and, why not the pizza?

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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 closing of R.U.B. made me nostalgic for barbecue, so I decided it was high time to visit one of the remaining barbecue spots in Flatiron – BBQue’s Smoke Shack. Given UltraClay’s tentative “first look”, I went with mild expectations.

On a previous walk by BBQue’s, they had handed me a flyer for $2 off a sandwich combo or platter. Of course, it would have been useful, but alas, as these things always work, I didn’t have it on me when I needed it. But considering this discount would bring most of the sandwich combos into the ML budget and the platters would be only $11 or $12, it’s worth trying to get your hands on one.

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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.

After a very successful outing to Kalustyan’s upstairs cafe, I decided to check out the recently remodeled – and still associated with Kalustyan’s – Curry Leaf.

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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 first spotted Gyro King, I was convinced that it would be legit. I am not sure exactly what that meant, but I vaguely had in mind a sublime doner kebab sandwich from London. Even with the differences in gyros and doner kebabs, I was hopeful for something amazing. I think the fact that Gyro King is set down off the street, but still has the feel of a cart furthered my anticipation. I was excited.

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We thought we posted this yesterday, but because of a glitch you may not have seen it so…

After several months of checking in almost weekly to see if they had opened yet (it was supposed to be Winter 2012), UltraClay delivered the wonderful news that Flatiron Num Pang has opened!! The folks over at Experience NoMad posted a preview of the space earlier this week, as did Mad Park News.

I stopped by last on Wednesday night to see it for my own eyes, and it is spacious and beautiful (old subway tile, etc) and has a ton of new menu options.

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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.

Shortly after Street Meat Palooza and my corresponding post about City Halal, a reader sent an email suggesting a cart in front of the Museum of Sex on Fifth Ave. He said: “The food is consistently awesome. Way better than Rafiqi’s, which is really the only other option around where I work.” Seemed worth a try.

I hope in the many months it took me to try this cart, the reader has discovered the halal truck on Madison and 28th. It is well liked by those in the area and beyond (I have a friend who lives nearby and her father often insists they go there when he comes to visit her from Connecticut.)

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Here’s a bit of Flatiron Lunch news before we lay this week’s review on you…

Say it ain’t so!!! It looks like after bouncing back from a Hummer going through their front window, R.U.B (Righteous Urban Barbecue) has closed. This is a huge loss in the barbecue genre for Flatiron and Manhattan as a whole. It seems like now we have to get our bbq fix at BBQue’s Smoke Shack or go over budget at Hill Country or Blue Smoke. And if you are really desperate, Dallas BBQ, at 23rd and 8th Avenue.

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.

For those of you not familiar with Kalustyan’s, do yourself a favor and become acquainted! It is the best spice and import store I know of in the city. While Eataly and Buon Italia do a great job with Italian imports and Spice Corner, Foods of India and Little India are all within a block, Kalustyan’s has shelves upon shelves of spices, herbs, chutneys, honeys, jams, frozen foods, dried beans, rices, nuts, syrups, teas, breads, pickles, specialty pots and pans, etc, etc…need I go on? Serious Eats did a nice slide show to give you a visual idea. They sell largely Indian products, but they offer items from all over the world. So when you need a random ingredient you have never heard of for a recipe, try here on your lunch break.

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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.

I feel like I have been neglecting the readers in the northwestern corner of the Flatiron boundaries, so I ventured towards Madison Square Garden this week. On past walks through this area, I haven’t seen that many exiting options (sorry all of you who work up there!) But Urban Kitchen seemed worth a try, and the prices were good.

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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.

Recently, a friend who works in the northern boundaries of Flatiron Lunch asked me for udon recommendations. From her location, I would probably recommend she head to K-town, but it made me think of Ennju which I passed many months ago.

What can I say about Ennju? They manage to cover most of the bases of Japanese food with a mix of premade and made to order dishes. While the online menu will give you an idea of all they have, but I tried to take photos of most of the stations to try to illustrate how many options they have. Before you even walk in, you will see several photo menus in the front window.

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