Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll: Best Latin Food
I’m out of town until January 7th, so until then I’m turning over the site to you for the First Annual Midtown Lunch Readers Poll, to determine the best that Midtown lunch’ing has to offer. You can only vote once, so choose wisely. Links to info about most of the nominees can be found on the “Restaurant Index” page. Feel free to write in votes in the comments section. Official winners will be posted to the site on January 9th.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 3:00 pm, January 3rd, 2008 under 2007 Midtown Lunch Readers Poll, Latin.
Hidden gems are possibly my favorite part of Midtown Lunch’ing. There are varying degrees of hidden of course. The 
Latin food (and Korean food) seems to pop up in the strangest places in Midtown. Delis (like Utopia Cafe on 56th btw. 5+6th), Pizza parlors like 
Am I in the minority of people by not getting excited about IHOP coming to Times Square? To me it just seems like another addition to an area that is quickly becoming an Epcot’ish oversize chain restaurant pavilion. In all the excitement, I did however notice a little interesting nugget in this little posting by NY Mag’s Blog “Grub St.”
Latin food is one thing that Midtown has in great abundance, and for the most part your work location will determine where you eat. No sense in trekking all the way cross town if you work next door to 
It’s set up the way most of these places are set up. The food is out on steam tables and $6 to $7 buys you one meat, and two sides. The menu changes every day, but usually it’s all the regulars… roast pork, roasted chicken, steak, chicharones, pork chops, oxtails on special days, and more. Rice, beans and fried plantains are the requisite side dishes, and although “Pizza” is the first thing listed on the sign outside, the guy who served me said they haven’t sold a pizza in forever. Pretty awesome.
You might be surprised to realize that I have never actually given Sophie’s a proper +/- on MidtownLunch. There was a mention of the Lexington location months and months ago, the reporting about the new 56th St. location, and then the live-blogging of the Grand Opening, but never a proper page that people could refer to for locations and a real +/-. So… here it is- in pictures (the best way to enjoy a place like Sophie’s).
Every day I have to think about what defines a Midtown Lunch. There are definitely rules that I have set up for myself, but not all places fit exactly into the guidelines. I don’t usually eat at fast food chains, but my love of New Orleans gives me a soft spot for Popeyes. I almost never write about delis, but if there is one that is willing to stuff a burrito with fried plantains, then I’m there. All my lunches are under $10, but for good ramen, or an all you can eat buffet I’ve been known to go up to $12.
But that is just one end of the spectrum. The other end is the place that fits every rule. Weighing the positives and negatives isn’t necessary, because it is the perfect Midtown Lunch spot. El Rincon del Sabor is one of those places. Cheap. Check. Something different (it’s Ecuadorian food). Check. Authentic. Check. Homemade. Check. Not a chain (owned by real people). Check. Hidden (it’s on the fourth floor of a Diamond District building with a paper sign that you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it). Check. And best of all, it’s got history. 
El Rincon del Sabor has spent the past 12 years dishing out delicious Ecuadorian food on 46th St. btw. 5th & 6th. A few months ago, they moved to a new location (47th St. btw. 5th & 6th), but the food is still the same. There is a rotating menu of dishes every single day, and even though there is a printed menu a breakdown of the week, it doesn’t always match exactly. The best way to find out what’s being served is to give them a call. I went last Wednesday with 3 co-workers and we sampled four of the 10 or so dishes they had available.
What can I say about this place that hasn’t already been said… Margon is a Midtown institution. When I started this blog (and wrote about Margon neighbors 
I put the “Cuban” in quotes because even though the sign outside says “Cuban”, it’s actually more Dominican. The first giveaway is the poster of the Juan Pablo Duarte in the back (one of the founders of the Dominican Republic)… but the real proof is in the Cuban Sandwich. A delicious pressed sandwich of pork, ham, cheese, mustard and pickles- the Margon version also has salami, a strictly Dominican preparation. While some complain that it’s not authentic, it is no less delicious!
There are very few things I enjoy eating more then pork. Any kind of pork really, but my favorite is definetely the roasted kind where the skin gets super crispy. It usually comes from the shoulder, and you can get it at Cuban restaurants, or Christmas parties in Miami (my hometown). But I have had delicious roast pork in other places too (if you’re ever in Bali I can recommend a great place for roast suckling pig).
On Friday, with Margon closed (great Cuban food on 46th between 6th & 7th) I headed to Cafe Cello- a similar type of place recommended to me by numerous people… The sign out front was not exactly reassuring. It had clearly been dumbed down to attract a less then adventurous New York food crowd, who would be more likely to go into a place if it sees the words ”cafe”, “deli” and “American”.
But, once inside, my fears disappeared. The food looked really fresh and delicious (in contrast to Margon, which for all it’s positives, can sometimes not look so great depending on the day.) All the food is in trays under glass, so ordering is as easy as looking, deciding and pointing. The day I was there, it wasn’t too crowded- but I’ve heard you want to get there early, because once they run out of something, they don’t make more. And by something, I mean the maduros (fried ripe plantains) which apparently are the first things to go!
Anyway, once I laid eyes on the roast pork (with the crispiest most perfect skin), ordering was pretty easy. Along with a nice size portion of pork (pulled with tongs off what appeared to be a shoulder), they give you your choice of white rice w/ black bean soup, or yellow rice with pinto beans already mixed in, and maduros (there was still some left at 1pm)- all for $7. PLUS, they threw in a piece of the skin on top. Delicious!!! And the skin was perfect. If you love roast pork, then Cafe Cello is your new favorite place.
