Midtown Lunch

A few months ago, Lunch’er “mewantfood” tipped us off in the forums about a new Korean restaurant called Danji currently under construction on 52nd btw. 8+9th.  I reached out to Chef/Owner, Hooni Kim (formerly of Daniel and Masa) who let me know that they’ll be open for lunch on weekdays and will offer rotating, seasonal lunch combos of “dup-bap’s”, which is an “over rice” dish. Every day, they’ll offer one meat dup-bap and one vegetarian dup-bap, which will be served with a daily soup and 2 side-dishes (banchan). However, prices are currently TBD (come on under $10!!!)  And yes, there will be Korean tacos as well.  According to their blog the grand opening is scheduled for December 15th.

When I first found out about Paris Baguette, I was a little perplexed. Like many of us, my mind first turned to Vietnamese sandwiches, but when I found out that it was really a Korean chain of French-inspired bakeries specializing in pastries and desserts, I was even more confused.

I’ll go for sweets here and there, but they are rarely a big draw for me, so I didn’t rush to check it out. After reading Blondie’s dessert report, I decided it was worth a second look. What I found when I got there was that the menu was even more diverse than I had expected. What really got my attention was the cross-cultural menu of sandwiches from lobster rolls and cheesesteaks to bulgogi and chicken parm.

See the good, the bad and the just plain different after the jump.

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Pinnacle Bagel & Deli (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) is the latest to enter Midtown’s growing Korean taco craze, with a sign proclaiming Tacos Zen (I’m not sure if that’s the name of the taco counter within, or simply the mental state they expect their tacos to leave you in). I’ve never been to Pinnacle before, but they have the salads and sandwiches you can get anywhere. I’m not sure when they started serving this Korean-Mexican fusion (they also have burritos, burrito bowls and gimbap in addition to tacos), but it’s sure to make them stand out from their deli brethren. Chris H. has already written about Pro Hot Korean, Cafe Duke and Bann Next Door. Can Pinnacle be added to the list of places to satisfy your Korean taco craving?

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After reading Chris’ early word on Korilla BBQ, I made a mental note to check it out next time it came to my nabe. When I read on the Twitter Tracker that they’d be on 46th and 7th the other day, I took the opportunity to hit them up for lunch.

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I headed to Koreatown for lunch yesterday hoping to get some of my favorite katsu in the neighborhood, only to find the door locked up at Arang (on 32nd btw. 5th+B’way). A quick phone call got no answer or voicemail. Judging by the Halloween decoration in the window, it doesn’t seem like they’ve been closed for very long. Has anyone heard about them closing up shop? Let us know in the comments.

The inaugural opening of the Korilla BBQ truck has come and gone, and like the launch of any splashy new food venue, there’s been significant hype, incredible lines, a few missteps in execution, and of course, plenty of dissenting opinions. Given the amount of hype that Korilla BBQ has received in the foodie blog-o-sphere over the past months, it was guaranteed that they would be victimized by their own successful marketing campaign. And having sampled the food, I agree with the general consensus on the ML commenters. However, all things considered, I’ll make a bold claim and state that the Korilla BBQ launch was for the most part, a roaring success.

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Walking down 32nd street the other day, I caught this moving sign in front of the old Red Mango space. Typically, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it – I never got on board with the frogurt craze – but the new address was familiar. 11 West 32nd street is the site of the Koreatown Food Court we reported on back in the spring. The initial word was that they hoped to be open by September or October. That could be any day now, although word on the street is that they’ll probably open early next month.

With FoodParc and Eataly open within 10 blocks, the whole food court scene has changed dramatically from the spring. Still, I’m pretty excited about the potential for some underrepresented Asian food to finally come to the area. Back in the spring speculation was that we might get some “Korean Pizza”, and I’m still holding out hope for some Vietnamese sandwiches.  Plus NYC Cravings’ brick and mortar will be in there.  But with the Korilla truck and Baorrito seemingly covering our Korean Taco needs, what else are you all hoping to see in the new food court?

Earlier this week we let you know that the Korilla Korean BBQ truck would be holding a public launch party and true to their word Kum Gang San was packed last night with throngs of freeloaders, food bloggers, and curious passers-by. Waiters delivered tray after tray of tacos, and despite the crowd, there were plenty to go around.  Naturally I stopped by to stuff my face, and find out more about Korilla’s planned launch today (incidentally they’ve pushed it back to Monday).

Taco porn, the menu, and more about Korilla’s future plans, after the jump.

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It looks like the days of Mad For Chicken being a “hidden bar for those in the know” are all but gone.  Yesterday they put this big honkin’ sign up announcing the news that was reported last month… Mad For Chicken is now Mono + Mono. Based on what we heard from the staff when the name change was announced (and this report from the new downtown branch) things aren’t expected to change considerably. They updated the menu a few months ago to include maki and some bar foods, but it sounds like there isn’t going to be anything new or exciting beyond what we’ve already seen. That doesn’t mean that a return visit isn’t warranted, just to be sure… y’know, for science.

Related:
Mad For Chicken to Become Mono + Mono
Korean-Fried-Chicken-Palooza: Kyochon vs. Bon Chon vs. Mad For Chicken

Now that the newish Koreatown location of Bon Chon has had a couple months to settle in, it’s time to really give them the once over. The opening was much more low-key than Kyochon’s, there haven’t been any lines out the door or anything, which is a good sign. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some long waits and service confusion. See what we’ve found after the jump.

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