Midtown Lunch

Interesting news from Lunch’er Sean, who sent us this tip about a sweet new addition to Ninth Avenue:

The old Piece of Chicken [spot] has been signed by the cookie outfit Schmackary’s, which will be their first storefront. Probably not as affordable as the Treats Truck (we miss you Kim!), but I’m interested in a new sugar fix near my office in Times Square.

In case you don’t remember, Piece of Chicken, was that very affordable but out-of-bounds fried chicken joint at 630 Ninth Avenue that closed in 2010. It’s a bit of a hike to get there, but we are excited to potentially have a new reason to walk all the way to Ninth!

For years I was an avowed coconut hater. I studiously avoided anything with coconut. Over time, however, I’ve discovered that I don’t really hate coconut. I hate people who make horrible things with coconut. Coconut in the right hands can be exceptionally delicious. Take for example the macaroons from Danny Macaroons that I finally tried at Choice Eats. Blondie had been singing their praises forever, but I couldn’t see past my deep dislike of coconut to give them a shot. When I finally did, man, oh, man, they were so good, so, so habit-forming that I had to seek them out in the city and I found them I midtown at a most unexpected location: Bergdorf Goodman’s.

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It’s that time again…Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s has officially arrived. According to their Scoop Shop locator, both the Rock Center concourse shop and the Macy’s location (on the 4th floor of Macy’s) will be participating. Details are the same as in years past–free cones are offered from noon until 8pm. Lines tend to be busiest at lunch and towards the end of the day but generally move quickly. And word on the street (or the twitter feed) is that they will be giving out their new Greek frozen yogurt among other free flavors. Free loaders, you know the drill. Did you get your free cone? Help a fellow Midtown Lunch’r out and let us know your wait time in the comments.

A belated Happy Purim to those who celebrated! A side trip to Grand Central yesterday revealed that Chocolate Hamantaschen are back. At $3.25 each, they don’t come cheap, but they are sizable (and sharable, I suppose). Zaro’s also sells the more traditional apricot, prune and poppy hamantaschen, but the chocolate ones have always been my favorite, the cookie part is like a light, slightly lemony shortbread and the filling has a similarly shortbready texture but it’s nice and chocolately. Even though Purim has ended, the lady at Zaro’s in Grand Central promised they would have these today.

A couple of weeks ago, Ben & Jerry’s debuted their new line of Greek frozen yogurt. I had the chance to taste all four flavors and will say that this is infinitely better than regular fro-yo. It’s creamy and thick like ice cream, but not as fat-laden since they use non-fat yogurt. When I got to taste the flavors, they weren’t sure when the individual stores would be rolling out the new flavors, and whether they would have plain vanilla or specific flavors. Well, a quick stop by the Rock Center store last week showed that they will be having a rotation of the flavors including my favorite, Blueberry Vanilla Graham. It’s made by swirling blueberry and vanilla yogurt together. Genius! I totally suggest stopping by for a scoop or a smoothie, especially for those of us already thinking about bikini season.

Before Thanksgiving, Dylan’s Candy Bar opened a pop-up store on the SW corner of 42nd and 6th, and apparently all of you did what we did: avoid the area at all costs until after the holidays. Well if you still want to stop by, the Pop-Up is going on through this Saturday. I checked it out only to find out that us lunch’ers have been missing out on Sprinkles cupcakes, and also the apocalypse is totally happening.

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This is it. Hanukkah starts tonight at sundown, and this weekend is full of Christmas. Do you know where you’re picking up special holiday treats for your employees–bosses, I’m looking at you–or to impress your in-laws?! Though Midtown might be lacking in the bakery department, there are still a few spots around to pick up some holiday desserts! I did some scouting on where to pick up everything from dreidel cookies to bûches.

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The out-of-bounds Leon Bakery (9th Ave. btw 47+48th), one of the greater Midtown area’s premiere purveyors of tamales (not to mention their selection of baked goods), is currently closed for renovations. From what I could see of the interior, the changes are extensive and the space will probably look much different. As long as there is still a barrel of tamales in the back, I’ll be happy. One of the workers told me they should reopen in the next few weeks. Can’t wait!

After tasting two of Potbelly’s three dessert options–I’m not counting the mini cookies as a real option–and being greatly surprised with the taste and quality of their cookies, I was anxious to try out the last dessert, the Dreambar. The Dreambar is a bar equivalent of their Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie in that it’s filled with chocolate chips and rolled oats. But there are some major differences that will steer you towards one or the other.

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When I first heard about Schweddy Balls, Ben & Jerry’s latest Limited Edition flavor named for the classic Alec Baldwin SNL sketch, I had to go check the Rock Center shop to see if they had scoops. And come on, Schweddy Balls are tailor made for amusing interactions.

Me: “hi, I’d like a cup of Schweddy Balls.”
Woman in business suit next to me: “Getting some Schweddy Balls today?”
Me: “Yup.”
Woman in business suit next to me: “Me, too. Those are some good Schweddy Balls.”

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