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.

Sometime last spring, I walked by Rohm Thai and put it on my list for a future FL post. Throughout the year, it kept floating on the list, but I never made it a priority to try. Perhaps I feared it wouldn’t be as good as Jaiya. Perhaps it didn’t quite distinguish itself from the several other Thai spots in the Flatiron and Chelsea areas. A few weeks ago I was talking with friends who live in the Gramercy area about Flatiron Lunch, and they said I must go to Rohm. They go there regularly and started telling me about the great food. So to the top of the list it went.

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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.

Remember the Banh Mi Craze of the late ’00s? Everyone went nuts dissecting if the baguette had the right balance of crunch and softness, if the meats were authentic, and if the pickled and cilantro toppings were appropriately portioned. Lunch’ers even organized their own Banh Mi Palooza in 2010. While a few years late to the game (they seemed to have opened around 2011), Luu’s Baguette could have thrown its hat into the ring.

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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.

Perhaps I would feel differently if I had been to Al Yeganeh’s Soup Kitchen International before it closed, but I am not convinced that soup can be a filling lunch. After a former boss who often ate soup for lunch highly recommended Café Medina, I had to see for myself if I could be satisfied with soup for lunch.

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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.

Over the summer, the famous Bedford Cheese of Williamsburg opened a branch in Manhattan on Irving just south of Gramercy Park. I was very excited what this might mean for us Flatiron Lunch’ers.

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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 have fond memories of my first Lucky’s burger in the LES about 6 years ago. It was an unmistakably great burger, but I had so many other burger joints to try in NYC, so I wasn’t able to become a regular. And then I made the terrible mistake of having a Lucky’s milkshake (which are delicious, by the way) after eating a Gus’ spicy pickle. Curdling in your stomach is soo painful. Needless to say, I haven’t been since. But I think it was time for a revisit.

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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 know I talk about my love of Curry Hill too much, but really, it’s the best (in Flatiron Lunch at the least!) I recently went with a few potential spots in mind for lunch, but willing to make a game time decision. In the process, I stumbled upon Singapura – A gem of a restaurant that adds a new dimension to Curry Hill. Specifically, a Hakka Chinese/Malaysian/Thai dimension.

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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.

Several months ago, I was excited to see an Ethiopian restaurant setting up shop in our neighborhood. While I know a few people who just can’t get behind Ethiopian food, I have had great experiences the few times I have tried it, and I am all for new cuisines in the area.

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In lieu of our regular Flatiron review, we wanted to encourage you to do your part to help our neighborhood eating establishments who all took a hit during Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Fellow Lunch’ers,

We hope your lives are starting to return to normal. With so many in the tri-state area still without power and heat, it is hard to feel normal putting in 9-5. I can tell you I have been feeling the pull of wanting to volunteer all last week and this week. I spent a couple hours last Sunday with 20 other volunteers helping to demo a restaurant that took on about 8 feet of water by South Street Seaport. At the risk of sounding preachy, it made me feel like I helped even if it was just a couple hours, and throwing out a restaurant-sized fridge worth of spoiled food made my fridge and freezer clean out seem minor (and it was). I can also tell you week old scallops without refrigeration can stink up a city block instantly. If you want to help, Occupy Sandy continues to post needs and volunteer opportunities.

For something we can all do a little closer to home to help – EAT OUT! What did you say? We all already do that? Well, keep doing it!

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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.

With the talk of Ivan Ramen coming to New York on the Food is the New Rock podcast with Deerhoof (What? You don’t listen yet? You should. It is kinda like ML in your ears) and my ensuing drool-inducing research on Eater, I needed a ramen fix. I can’t say there are many options for us Flatironers, but I had my eye on Ajisen Ramen, and, with the cooler weather, now was the time.

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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.

Not being able to attend the Yom Kippur break the fast I was invited to this year left me craving whitefish salad on bagel. It’s a combo I love, but don’t think to get unless it is placed in front of me. I remembered previously walking by a Kosher bagel cafe in the Flatiron, so I decided to take care of the craving. (Hey! You, reader, about to type, “Whitefish salad??? Are you kidding me?” in the comments section, don’t bother. We can agree to disagree on whitefish salad.)

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