I realize that I am going to take some flack for this one, but yes, that is a Holiday Inn sign peaking out in the corner of the above photo, and yes, Contorno’s is an Italian restaurant in a Holiday Inn lobby. It’s always fun when we are able to bring you a restaurant in a non-traditional, almost hidden location (in my book, nothing will top El Sabroso), and Contorno’s not only qualifies as an unexpected and worthwhile lunch destination, but also brings better-than-average Italian food to the table at ML prices.

Once you get through (and over the fact that you are in) the Holiday Inn lobby, you arrive at Contorno’s. The interior is pretty much exactly what you would expect from a restaurant in a Holiday Inn lobby: over-designed and uninspired. The oversized chandelier and mural on the wall won’t instill confidence.

During my first attempt to try Contorno’s, I was vetoed by friends when they saw it was in the lobby of a Holiday Inn. Seriously, they got there before me and left before I even arrived. There have been a few notable changes since Contorno’s opened in February (and my first attempt to go), so it was worth a proper look. The seasonal menu changed from the Winter to Spring, which meant that polenta fries served with the sandwiches changed to French fries. I consider this a downgrade, but not the worst. In better news, the prices have fallen since the opening, from $10 to $6.95-$8.95. If in doubt about the menu, check their website.

My friend that was willing to rescind her veto met me there to pick up our to-go order. The first item we dug into was the ricotta gnocchi with sweet Italian sausage and broccoli rabe. While the portion was small for $7.95, it was better quality than the pasta you could get at a generic pizza place. The sausage was crumbled and tasty, the broccoli rabe provided a nice bite and the dish was loaded with sautéed onions. I am not sure what additional ingredients they added to the pasta, but there was a nice buttery/cheesy coating over the whole dish.

Next, we tried the grilled chicken and broccoli rabe panini ($8.95). This sandwich wasn’t pressed like we have come to expect of a panini, but the fillings were hot and the ciabatta bread did the trick. I noticed that the chicken was layered to make sure that chicken went to the edges of the bread — a nice touch. The sandwich also had sauce similar to the pasta which added a great texture that brought everything together; granted, it did create a bit of a mess, because the sandwich became slippery.

We also tried what they call the “A-B-C Grilled Cheese” sandwich ($7.95), which features apples, double-smoked bacon, New York State Cheddar, lettuce and tomatoes on multi-grain bread. Nothing in particular stood out as bad in this sandwich, but nothing was that great either. The cheese seemed like average cheddar slices (bad), but the bacon was super crispy (good).

It is important to note that all four sandwich/burger options come with a large side of French fries. Ours weren’t quite crispy by the time we picked up our food, but if you act quickly, these fries have potential.

I am glad that with the post-opening seasonal changes at Contorno’s brought the prices down from the original threshold of $10. It makes entering the Holiday Inn a worthwhile venture, something I know many NY’ers and ML’ers will have trouble stomaching.

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

• I like to surprise my co-workers with crazy venues, and Holiday Inn works for me!
• Hot, big sandwich made with good ingredients and french fries is a good deal.
• The food has more ingredients and layers than the menu lets on.

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

• I am a New Yorker, and I won’t eat in a Holiday Inn.
• My local pizza place has better sandwiches and pastas.
• I won’t eat generic Italian food.

Contorno’s, 30 West 31st btw Broadway and 5th Ave., (212) 760-0301

The inevitable happened: it got cold. When the flimsy Salumè kiosk opened last summer, I wondered what would happen to them come winter. Well, here we are, and now that we’ve had a couple days of frigid weather, they appear to be wondering the same thing, because they’ve gone missing. But let me back up a sec.

On December 24, Salumè tweeted that their kiosk was moving due to the holiday festivities. That makes sense — the other kiosks also moved around a bit, too, as they did during Thanksgiving. But, while everyone else is back in their rightful spots (actually, Snack Box has moved down the block from 47th to 46th street, FYI), Salumè is nowhere to be found…

Mystery solved … sort of. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, if you’re in the need of a sammie, check out the Midtown Lunch sandwiches archive for some inspiration!

Part of what we do at Midtown Lunch is try the stuff you don’t want to and let you know if it’s worth your time. Enter the non-meat sandwiches at the Salume kiosk in Times Square. While checking whether Snack Box had opened (it had not), I passed by Salume this afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world anyone would order off the vegetarian menu at a store that clearly prides itself on its authentic sliced and cured Italian meats.

So, I ordered two.

It seems they’ve changed their sandwich-making approach from when we last posted about Salume — the sandwiches no longer sit in the display case, but instead are constructed to order.

My confidence was not high when, after I placed my order, the gentleman making sandwiches didn’t even know what the Cervina ($6.00) was. “Cervina?” he asked. “What is that? I’ve never made one of those.” Oy vey.

Well, eventually, he figured out the ingredients (fontina cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, pepper), and the sandwich was actually very tasty, for a clearly unpopular order. The bread was extremely fresh, and the fontina was nice and salty, complimenting the sweet ripe red tomatoes. Although there really wasn’t much in the way of sandwich filling, the simplicity of the ingredients did shine through here.

Also $6.00, the Capri (buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil) seems like a pretty standard panini, but what Salume has going for them is extremely high quality ingredients. Sure, it’s just a tomato-mozz-basil sandwich. But, it’s a really good one.

So what’s the verdict? If you’re a regular Midtown Lunch’er, let’s face it: you’re probably going to want to stick to the meats menu. But don’t count Salume out if there’s ever a world-wide Mortadella shortage — the cheese sammies are pretty darn tasty.

Salume Kiosk, Broadway and 45th Street in Times Square

When I passed by Harry’s Italian in the concourse at 30 Rock on Monday, I took a few other photos of the new shop. Get a closer look, including a menu shot, after the jump.

Pizza By The Slice:
Cheese – $2.75
Sausage – $3.25
Pepperoni – $3.25
White – $3
Mushroom – $3.25
Special – $4

Sandwiches:
Mozzarella & Tomato – $6.50
Prosciutto, Peppers & Mozzarella – $7.50
Italian Tuna – $7.50
Grilled Chicken, Peppers & Mozzarella – $7.50
Harry’s Italian Hero – $8.50

Salads:
Mixed Greens – $5.50
Ceasar – $6.50
Arugula – $6.50
Anti Pasto – $6.50
(Add chicken to salads for $2.50)

And early reports in the comments seem pretty positive.  Have you been yet?  What’s the good word…

I decided to begin my search for a proper Italian sausage hero close to home at Mondello (on 37th btw. Mad+5th). Their chicken parmigiana hero has been a favorite of mine since I started working in the area nearly seven years ago.

The first sign that this wasn’t going to be the sub I was looking for came as soon as I saw the sausage and peppers on display in the steam tray. Piled up and soaking in who knows what sort of liquid, it clearly wasn’t going to provide that crispy char on the edges that comes from a good griddling. Still, I’d never know for sure if I didn’t try it.

I was surprised when the guy behind the counter put meat sauce and cheese on top, but decided to go with it. I wasn’t expecting a great sandwich, so cheese and sauce certainly weren’t going to hurt.

That was for the best, because they were pretty much the best part of the sandwich. Unlike the chicken parm, which is just one or two chicken filets, the sausage is cut up into many smaller pieces that all seem to want to go a different direction. Holding it all together was a bit of an ordeal.

Besides that, even with all the toppings and the time in the oven, the sausages still tasted like they were boiled or at least simmered. It didn’t have any of the crispness that makes a sausage worth biting into.

The sandwich wasn’t bad, it’s just not what I’m looking for and certainly not as good as the chicken parm. So, it’s onward and up(town)ward as I keep looking for a good Italian sausage hero.

Mondello Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3 East 37th (btw. Mad+5th), 212-684-2411

Grinder’s, heroes, subs, whatever you want to call them, I’m a longtime fan and I can’t seem to think of a single place in midtown where I can find a good one. I’m talking about coils of hot and sweet sausages sitting on a griddle with piles of onions and peppers, served up on a hero roll thick enough to soak up all the resulting grease. Carts selling them seem to pop up all over the city at summer street festivals, but the rest of the time, they seem to hibernate.

Last week, Andrea’s Downtown Lunch post about Dominic’s reminded me that I never did track down a decent Italian Sausage sub after the sad, sad halal cart sandwich last year. My first thought would be a pizza shop, but most of those leave their sandwiches as a second thought, drying out on steam trays for hours along with rubbery calzones and strombolis. I’m told Papa Perrone sells them, but I haven’t made it up that far north to investigate. What do you guys think? If anyone has ideas, chime in in the comments.

Thanks to Lunch’er Anne for tipping us off to Radicchio Pasta & Risotto Co., a new Italian place on 53rd Street between 2nd & 3rd that was mentioned in the sidebar of yesterday’s edition of Tasting Table.  “Midtown gets an infusion of $10 and under homemade pasta at this new 18-seat spot” sounds promising enough, so I swung by yesterday to get a look inside and to take a look at the menu. Check it out after the jump.

This Radicchio is actually a new branch of a longstanding restaurant in Ridgewood, NJ. The space is small and I’d imagine it’ll be tight if they fill up, but the benefit of stopping into a place when they first open is that you may beat the crowds. Despite what it said on Tasting Table, the regular menu is largely out of the ML-price range, but there is a selection of lunch specials priced at $10 which could be worth investigating.

The specials include penne alla vodka, seafood spaghetti puttanesca, rigatoni Italian sausage, chicken fettucine alfredo and healthy option of whole wheat penne in pesto with veggies. Outside of the lunch menu, there are a few pastas, including mac n cheese that are priced at or under $10.  You can see the complete menu over on Grub Street.

I’m not often in this corner of Midtown, so let me know in the comments if you’ve been here and if it’s worth a follow up.

Radicchio Pasta & Risotto Company, 235 E. 53rd St. (btw. 2+3rd), 212-956-3976.

Somehow this summer, I didn’t manage to have one at all and as the last week or so has proven, summer is definitely over. Then I noticed that halal carts all over town have started selling Italian sausages. (Well, maybe they were there all along… but it’s only recently that I noticed the signs!)  I was intrigued. Halal and pork don’t typically mix, but I wouldn’t tell if they wouldn’t.

All over town I’ve been seeing these same posters from halal carts and trucks. The XPL that Mamacita reviewed last week uses the same signs as does Mediterranean Healthy Food cart on 35th Street off of 5th Avenue, where I decided to sample for research purposes.

First and foremost, it should be clear that, despite all my hopes, these sausages are not pork. In fact, it’s not really anything like an Italian sausage. If I hadn’t seen another similar sign proclaiming that these are in fact beef sausages, I’d say it tastes awfully like gyro meat forced into a sausage casing. The meat has a slightly sweet spice to it, that could be cinnamon, but it certainly wasn’t fennel and red pepper flakes!

The sausage was split and browned on the griddle then put in a pretty big roll and topped with sauteed green peppers and onions. After that, the guy asked if I wanted white sauce on top, which really threw me for a loop. When I said “uh…no,” he seemed almost disappointed and asked if I was sure. I relented.

It’s a weird thing. And not in a ‘weird/interesting/good’ kind of way… more like a ‘it’s weird that I’m eating this’ kind of way. The casing lacks the snap of a traditional sausage and instead each bite involves a slight tearing feeling as you have to rip it apart in order to eat it. Inside, the meat had pockets of gristle that definitely didn’t make me appreciate the meal any more. The sandwich wasn’t terrible, but I don’t have any plans to order it again. Ever. Consider yourself warned.

I know Papa Perrone does sausage with peppers and onions, but 55th is a bit of a hike for me.  Anybody have an Italian sausage from a street meat cart goto that they would recommend?  Put it in the comments.

My first thought when George Steinbrenner died two weeks ago wasn’t of Yankee Stadium or championship trophies, it was of Larry David’s voice. I guess I’m a bigger Seinfeld fan than Yankees fan. One of my favorite Steinbrenner episodes of Seinfeld is when he becomes obsessed with George’s lunchtime calzone stuffed with cheese, pepperoni and eggplant, and starts making George bring him one everyday. The spell that calzone casts on Steinbrenner always makes me crave one. So, to honor The Boss, I headed out to some of Midtown’s most notable pizzerias in search of Midtown’s best calzone. See what I found after the jump.

PAPA PERRONE TRUCK

Papa Perrone’s Pizza Truck (55th btw. Mad+Park) has been serving calzones as a special on Tuedays for a couple of weeks now. They have a normal cheese variety and a “Bensonhurst Special,” which comes with ham or meatballs. I went with the ham. Papa Perrone’s calzones are really loaded with cheese. The ricotta and mozzarella are so prevalent that I could actually feel my arteries clogging after a few bites. This is kind of a good problem though, because the cheese tasted great. Stringy mozzarella and creamy ricotta – just the way things should be. Papa Perrone’s had the best cheese of all the calzones I tried.

The ham was sliced thin like sandwich meat. I actually liked this more than the thicker chunks of ham I’m used to seeing in calzones. It does mean that the cheese and ham are basically in layers rather than mixed all together though. My calzone also could have used a little more time in the oven. The crust didn’t have that golden brown hue and was a little gummy. I don’t really mind that too much, but if you’re looking for a really crisp crust, you might be disappointed because they turn these around pretty fast in the truck. They give you some heated up marinara on the side (I really hate it when places give you a little cup of refrigerated tomato sauce).

Perrone’s charges $8.50 for their calzones. They’re quite large and offer a ton of cheese, but I got a little bored before I finished it. I’d be happy to split one and also get a slice or something else.

LAZZARA’S PIZZA

Next up is Lazzara’s (on 38th btw. 7+8). They have cheese, ham, broccoli and spinach options. I stuck with ham but I was very tempted by the spinach. Lazzara’s calzone isn’t nearly as big as Perrone’s, but it’s very well made. As you can see, the crust is a nice golden brown.

Inside, the cheese and ham are all mixed up offering a more consistent meal. Although I didn’t like the cheese or ham as much in Perrone’s calzone. Lazzara’s charges $6.50 for the ham calzone, but they also charge you 75 cents for a side of tomato sauce. That’s pretty lame but the sauce didn’t add a lot in this case so not getting it is a viable option. It was heated though, so that’s good. All in all, it was a nice, satisfying lunch but nothing spectacular. I will probably go back to try the spinach.

PATZERIA’S PERFECT PIZZA

Patzeria Perfect Pizza (46th btw. 7+8) hasn’t gotten much attention on Midtown Lunch, but it’s got a pretty good reputation (and it’s close to my office), so I decided to give their calzone a try. They list cheese, pepperoni, ham, meatball and sausage as options. They just take an already made calzone, slice it open and put the toppings in there though, so I bet they would put in anything that’s readily available behind the counter. I didn’t realize this before ordering so I just went with the sausage.

Patzeria’s calzone was very unremarkable. The crust was beyond crisp and was kind of hard. I don’t think sitting in the window for hours had done this thing any favors. The cheese was nothing special but the sausage was pretty tasty. It comes with a side of heavily seasoned (heated) tomato sauce. I’m a little suspicious of this sauce (like I think it might have come from a jar), but this calzone benefited more from its accompanying sauce than any of the others, so it’s a good thing it’s there.

Patzeria charges $7.95, which is definitely steep for what you’re getting. The calzone wasn’t terrible (I think it’s kind of hard to make a terrible calzone considering how much of it is simply melted mozzarella). I’d consider going back since it’s the closest to where I work, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

PREVITI PIZZA

My calzone search seemed like a good reason to finally check out the very well liked Previti Pizza (41st btw. Park+Lex), and I’m extremely glad that I did. Their menu prompts you to choose any one of their toppings to go in your calzone. After perusing the list, I knew what I had to do; this was my chance to try The Costanza: cheese, pepperoni and eggplant. They charged me extra for the second topping (I fully expected this), but they didn’t give me any trouble. This opens up a whole world of calzone experimentation using Previti’s extensive list of toppings.

Obviously this is another place that cuts open the calzone and shoves your chosen toppings inside. Previti’s cheese was good, and I especially appreciated the ricotta cheese that had some kind of seasoning mixed in. The pepperoni and eggplant were a little on the skimpy side, but nothing offensive. In fact, I was happy that it wasn’t loaded with the toppings because the whole thing comes together really well. Previti gives you a side of tomato sauce and it was the freshest tasting tomato sauce I had at any of these places, but they didn’t heat it up! It’s very disappointing (and shocking) that the place that gets everything else right managed to get this wrong.

Previti’s calzones are $4.95 with one topping. Mine was $5.71 before tax so I guess they charged me 76 cents for that second topping. That’s a great deal considering the quality of the calzone and what I paid other places. I can’t wait to go back and experiment with different combinations.

LA BELLEZZA

My final stop was La Bellezza (49th btw. Lex+3rd). Their calzone looks more like some sort of cheese dome than what I expect a calzone to look like, with the top of the crust rising well above the rest of the ingredients. And the star of La Bellezza’s calzone is that crust. It’s great. The top portion was thin and perfectly crisp. I think all that space between the cheese and the crust might be the key. This is another place that slices open a calzone and tosses your toppings in there, but they only advertise cheese, ham, ground beef and sausage on their menu. I went with the sausage.

Maybe calling it a cheese volcano would have been more appropriate. Between the ocean of cheese flowing from the calzone and its unusual shape, it was a little difficult to eat and I definitely needed a fork and knife to start it off. The cheese was good and there was a ton of mozzarella, which is just how I like it. The sausage was pretty unnecessary as it is completely drowned in cheese and there isn’t enough of it to really stand out. The whole thing had some seasoning thrown in which really helps calzone from becoming monotonous. The cheese made this a difficult one to finish, although I think a large part of that is calzone fatique setting in. The calzone comes with a side of (heated) heavily seasoned tomato sauce.

At $5.75 La Bellezza’s calzone is a pretty good option for lunch especially if you really care about the crust. Just make sure you’re ready to eat a ton of cheese as well.

If I had to pick a winner from this group, it would definitely be Previti. Theirs came closest to the legendary status of the Seinfeld calzone. The price, quality and number of options makes them my go-to calzone provider for the time being, but I’ll keep my eyes open for challengers.

Papa Perrone’s Truck, 55th btw. Madison+Park, 917-880-1432
Lazzara’s, 221 West 38th St. (btw. 7+8), 212-944-7792
Patzeria Perfect Pizza, 231 West 46th St. (btw. B’way+7), 212-575-7646
Previti Pizza, 122 East 41st (btw. Lex+Park), 212-557-4992
La Bellezza’s, 145 East 49th (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-871-3223

In Midtown, we’re used to the sight of fast food joints, generic “design your own salad” bars, and gimmicky interpretations of pizza. But when Hello Pasta (Lex btw. 54+55th) and Nooi (Lex btw. 40+41st), two expansion-hungry fast food pasta chains, opened within walking distance and a week of each other, it caught our attention. As skeptical as we are about fast food pasta, a Midtown Lunch Ultimate Taste Test Pasta Showdown to the death clearly was in order. Who’s pasta is worth its salt? Which sauce to get and which ones should they pour down the drain? Or do we declare a double TKO, and send both of these chains back to where they came from. The answer is after the jump…

I visited both spots three times each over the last two weeks (I got to Hello Pasta so early on opening day I was their third customer! Whoo hoo.) My first pasta from Hello Pasta was a steaming hot takeout container of fusilli bolognese, which I topped with “extra” parmesan for an additional 25 cents. The pasta texture veered on the soft, gummy side, which was disappointing, but forgivable considering it was their first day. Still, you can’t build a pasta empire on a foundation of limp noodles, so figured I’d better try the others – farfalle, conchiglie, and gluten free penne – before passing sweeping judgments on the fledgling pasta chain.

The bolognese sauce didn’t have enough ground beef for my taste, but the tomato sauce base was alright – like Prego alright, which means it had the requisite spices that makes it better than plain tomato sauce, but not groundbreaking enough to justify the $8 I paid. In terms of hunger satisfaction, I got the smaller 14 oz. “Handy” container, which was enough carbohydrates to keep me from wanting to eat more. But that’s what carbs do – fill you up. It could’ve/should’ve been more delicious. Better luck next time, Hello Pasta. Time to try Nooi’s “Bolo” aka bolognese…

Unlike Hello Pasta, the Nooi that just opened on Lex btw. 40+41st isn’t the chain’s first location. It’s the first Stateside outpost of the established French pasta chain, so it makes sense that they’ve got the recipe and pasta operation down. Nooi doesn’t offer all their pasta shapes everyday, so you’re limited to regular or the multigrain version of whatever pasta is in rotation. Whether they’re offering penne, macaroni, bow ties, or fusilli is a crapshoot, but this turns out to be a better business decision as they manage to yield almost perfectly al dente pasta every time. I also appreciated Nooi’s “toppings station” where the toppings attendant offers to add any two to your pasta.

Best part? The toppings are included in the price and you can choose between green olives, parmesan, basil, tomato, black olives, asiago, mozzarella, chili powder, crushed red pepper, thyme, oregano, croutons, sesame, and fried onions. The basil and fresh tomatoes I used to top the Bolo added welcome color and texture to the al dente penne, which made it seem extra “fresh”. Each piece of penne was lightly coated with the Bolo sauce, which was enough for me. But those who prefer more sauce might want to ask for it. Like Hello Pasta, Nooi’s bolognese was skimpy on the ground beef and while neither sauce was particularly impressive, I would choose Nooi’s slightly more flavorful sauce, superior pasta, and $5.45 price in this case.

On the left is Nooi’s “Baconara”, which is their equivalent to carbonara. The well-cooked bow ties were only available in the large size, which is annoying if you’re eating two containers of pasta a day like I was.  There were discernible pieces of bacon though, and the cream and parmesan cheese didn’t cake together, leaving each bow tie coated with the right amount of sauce so you don’t feel weighed down by each bite. On the other hand, Hello Pasta’s farfalle carbonara had just specks of bacon, but there was a strong smoked bacon scent (so pervasive, it was like truffle oil) that didn’t match up to the amount of bacon you can actually see. And I’ll be the first to admit that I usually ask for an obscene amount of parmesan to intensify the cheese flavor, but seeing it caked on Hello Pasta’s farfalle like a thick layer of old face powder is highly unappetizing. Still, the bacon-scented cream sauce is addictive, like the cheese powder from a box of Kraft mac and cheese. It’s not high quality cheese, but, somehow, it sparks some sort of kid craving for junk food. My best comparison would be Cheetos: you know it’s not good for you, but one more powder cheese-covered corn puff won’t hurt, so you keep digging for one more bite, hoping it will be the cheesiest Cheeto. It’s up to you to decide whether you want this sort of lunch experience or not.

The next day I went for pesto. Hello Pasta was out of penne by 1:30PM, which was a shame because I wanted to compare that pasta from both places. Well, they didn’t have it so I ordered the pesto on conchiglie pasta. First off, there wasn’t much of a basil flavor, which disqualifies it immediately because what I got should’ve been labeled olive-and-pine-nut-oil. The overcooked conchigilie and “pesto” left a cloying fatty feel on the tongue, which made lunch hard to get through.

On the other hand, Nooi’s pesto had plenty of basil, but not enough garlic flavor. It was also a bit unusual to chew through since Nooi’s pesto has the broken-down consistency of Saag Paneer.

We tried to compare similar pastas and sauces from Hello Pasta and Nooi, but both of these places have many more pastas – some with meat, chicken, etc. – that we’re leaving up to you to decide on. In terms of pasta texture, Nooi takes the cake hands down, but it’s only Hello Pasta’s very first location so it’s possible they’re still working out the kinks. As a wild card, I ordered the Vodkaya from Nooi after asking the girl who was taking my order what she’d recommend. She said, “I looooove the Vodakaya.” so I got it. Any food recommended with multiple “ooo’s” deserves a try. (On different occasions, I asked the guys at Hello Pasta which pastas they’d suggest; their replies were vague each time.) Ultimately, Nooi’s Vodkaya with basil, fresh tomato, and mozzarella cheese turned out to be the ultimate combo. The shredded mozzarella cheese topping melted into strings over the penne and balanced cream sauce. I’d go back without hesitation for this one.

Hello Pasta 649 Lexington btw. 54+55th, 212-557-2782
Nooi, 370 Lexington (btw. 40+41st)