I’ve been very curious about the French onion soup that recently returned to the menu at Macaron Cafe. I’ve been a huge fan of onion soup since I first had it on my honeymoon in Paris a couple years back. When done right, it’s an amazing bowl of oniony beef broth with chunks of bread inside and topped with a thick layer of gooey, chewy gruyere on top and a bit more tossed in the middle for good measure.

Luncher HungryK9 recently gave it a try and posted about it on her blog. She was sorely disappointed. Apparently, she searched and searched but barely found any cheese to speak of. Now, that’s just not right. Has anyone else tried the soup with more success? Or know of a great French Onion Soup in Midtown?  Let us know in the comments.

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.

I’ve been to Paris a few times and I can’t say that anything about this place seems particularly French, certainly not the berets and striped shirts. Similarly, there is very little about the menu that reminds me of anything I’ve seen in France, but really, that’s besides the point. The gimmick is unusual, but generally irrelevant. It’s all about the food.

As Blondie mentioned, the desserts are gorgeous. Display after display shows off all sorts of sweets. I still haven’t tried any, but they look pretty great.

The sandwiches are not small, exactly, but certainly aren’t massive by any stretch of the imagination. In most cases, the fillings make up for that by being pretty good. Take the bulgogi sandwich ($6.80), sweet shreds of marinated beef were topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese and packed into a small, soft baguette. The bread itself probably doesn’t compare to a classic French baguette, but it’s still pretty good – certainly better than most of the chain sandwich shops around town. It’s soft, chewy and has a nicely crisp exterior.

I particularly appreciated the gooey cheese inside, although it kind of made me wonder what exactly the difference might be between this and their version of a cheesesteak. The idea that this would be any better with unmarinated beef is pretty unlikely, so I don’t really see the point of even trying it over just having another of these.

Sadly, I’ve got to put the chicken parm ($6.80) under “the bad.” I usually don’t get chicken parm from anywhere but my longtime favorite, Mondello, but I decided to give it a try here.

I ordered it to go, so that may account for it not being warm when I got back to my desk a couple blocks away. Topped with onions and mushrooms, a sweet sauce and a slim layer of cheese, there wasn’t much there to cover up the fact that the chicken was mealy and didn’t really taste so good. I got through about half of it before tossing it. Not finishing a lunch is an unusual occurrence for me. I’d definitely advise to stay away from that particular sandwich.

More interesting, but decidedly different is the lobster roll ($7.80). I never got a chance to check out the lobster roll that Limelight Grill was offering, so I tried it here with thoughts of reclaiming summer in my head.

The New England-style lobster roll I was imagining is not what I got. The mayo-less sandwich was served warm with a sweet cream sauce, onions and mushrooms. The lobster meat came from the claw and, though it wasn’t jammed with lobster, it was tasty and an interesting take on something I’ve only ever known one way.

Paris Baguette has plenty more to offer beyond the sweets that get so much attention. These three sandwiches were less than half of the offerings on the menu. The savory dishes are also not solely relegated to the back of the shop. Along the corridor in the middle of the store, options like these meatball pastries ($1.50) are available as well.

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Interesting takes on a variety of food.
• Bulgogi with cheese – brilliant!
• Dessert, it’s what’s for lunch.

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Um, why’s my lobster roll hot?
• WTF is wrong with this chicken sandwich?

Paris Baguette, 6 W 32nd St (btw. B’way+5th)

Good news for Korean pastry fans… the location of Paris Baguette on 32nd btw. 5+B’way that we told you about last month is opening today. This will be the first Manhattan location for this huge Korean chain of French-style bakeries (not to be confused with Paris Sandwich, the banh mi shop in Chinatown.)  Anyone else excited about this place? Comments on our last post go back and forth between those who think the place serves up delicious pastries to complaints that it’s over-priced.  Who’s rushing in for some fresh-baked goodness? Let us know how it is in the comments.

Paris Baguette, a huge worldwide Korean bakery chain, will be opening their first Manhattan branch on 32nd btw. B’way+5th. They do serve sandwiches, but the big deal appears to be about the breads and pastries. The first branches to open in the states were in California (of course), where it got raves from yelpers, chowhounders and bloggers alike.

I had never heard of it until seeing the sign, but it turns out that there is one branch in Queens and two in New Jersey. Anyone been to any of the local branches? What are we in for?

Those who have been reading Midtown Lunch for awhile may recall the Cartwatch of January ‘07.  A croque monsieur truck popped up, and just as quickly disappeared a few days later, before ML got a chance to sample their wares.  Since then, I have dreamed of the day when we would be able to buy a French ham and cheese sandwich from a truck- and earlier this week, my dream finally came true.

The Le Gamin truck, which has been parking all over NYC since late last year, finally gave Midtown a chance to try their menu of French sandwiches, crepes, quiche, and (of course) frites.  They set up shop on 47th btw. Lex+3rd on Tuesday and Wednesday, and not even the rain could keep me away from date with destiny!

The Le Gamin Truck is actually a mobile spinoff of the Le Gamin Cafe, which has been open since 1992 (they now have three locations.) The first day I went, they had actually run out of almost everything I wanted to try by 1pm. I settled for the Croque Monsieur (I got the last one of the day), which at $8 was a tad pricey.

I liked the french bread (which according to their Twitter they get from Balthazar or Amy’s Bread), and the ham and swiss cheese were both tasty- but it leaves you with the overall feeling that $8 might be a bit too much for what amounts to a warm ham and cheese sandwich.  And that might be the case with most of the menu, where everything is priced pretty close to $10.  I guess it all depends on what you expect from a truck.  If you expect your mobile food to automatically be cheaper, you will definitely not like Le Gamin.  If you’re excited to get this kind of French street food, on the street, and don’t mind paying more than what you would spend at a generic midtown deli- you will be excited.

On the second day, I got what I came for… the merguez sandwich (with caramelized onions and cheese, $9) with french fries ($4) and all thoughts of the food being overpriced washed away under the deliciousness of sausage, onions, and cheese.  Now this is a sandwich that is worth $9.  Sure with the fries that put the lunch over the ML price limit- but considering that it came off a truck (you know I love it!) and French style merguez sandwiches aren’t exactly in abundance in Midtown, I’m going to make an exception.  It was that good.

The sweetness of the onions perfectly complemented the rich sausage and cheese- with the bread there to soak in all the greasy goodness.  Delicious.

The fries were well salted, and good. And since they won’t stuff fries into the sandwich, Paris street food style, I was forced to do it on my own.

Awwww yeah!  It’s not all fun and games though.  Although I loved my sandwich and fries, the truck still has its issues. They make everything to order, so it takes *forever* to get your food- and even the line just to place your order moves pretty slow. This might work when you’re set up in Park Slope on the weekend, but for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes it’s kind of a drag.  Midtown is all about speed and volume, and the truck will quickly learn that people don’t have a lot of time for lunch. Make us wait too long, and we will hesitate to come back.

Object in photo appears much larger than it actually is.

Another warning… I saw a few crepes being ordered, and while they looked tasty enough, they didn’t appear filling enough to make a complete lunch (which, at $8-9 could be problematic.)  All in all, some of you will love the truck, but more of you will probably find the food tasty but overpriced for what you get.  Unless, of course, you order the merguez sandwich!  I thought it was worth every penny, and I hope they come back to Midtown soon so I can try the lamb dog.

You can read more about the quiche, lamb dog, other sandwiches and salads from the Le Gamin Truck over on Serious Eats: New York.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• French street food from a truck!  I love it…
• The merguez sandwich is really tasty, and you can’t find anything like it in Midtown.
• Eating stuff like french fries, and crepes, and quiche from a truck is just much more fun.
• They make everything to order, so your food comes out pretty warm and fresh.
• I don’t mind paying a little bit more $$ to eat good, fresh food from a truck.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Too expensive for what you get
• The food takes forevvvvvvvver.  I only have an hour for lunch!
• Fries are good, but $4 is too much!
• Food from a truck should be cheaper than a storefront- not more expensive!

Le Gamin Truck,  Find their location daily via Twitter

Photo and menu info courtesy of Serious Eats: New York.

Madeleine, the sweet French lady who makes Brittany crepes in the Cyber Cafe (on 49th btw. B’way+8th), posted this comment on Midtown Lunch yesterday:

“Hi this is “Madeleine the crepe lady” I am still at Cyber Cafe. Turns out the cyber cafe will not be turning into a hotel. So come and enjoy my crepes.”

Who said old ladies don’t know how to use the internet! I guess she has learned a thing or two working in the Cyber Cafe. It does seem like a good day for a crepe.

Not in the mood for a crepe, Cyber Cafe has added a new item to the menu.

Homemade baked ziti… wha!?! I guess the question is, whose home? I also noticed pies from the Tuck Shop are back. I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve seen those in stock. For those who are new to the Cyber Cafe- Tuck Shop used to operate a counter out of the internet cafe (alongside Madeliene the Crepe Lady), but they left a year and a half ago, and now just sell their pies wholesale to the store.

Cyber Cafe, 250 W. 49th St. (btw. B’way & 8th)  212-757-8481