Midtown Lunch

One of my favorite (in theory) lunch places, that I don’t get to nearly enough, is the Lunch Box Buffet on 34th St. btw. 7+8th.  It’s been mentioned a few times in the comments, and I just never have gotten around to writing about it.  A fairly simple concept, it combines two of my favorite things- value and cheap chinese food.  5 items for $5.  How does it get any better than that?  Well, I’ll tell you how:  they’ve added a Fay Da Bakery to the front of the location.

Lunch Box Buffet isn’t necessarily the best cheap chinese food in the area, but it has got the largest selection, the best pricing concept (especially for variety), and it’s much less intimidating than the far more adventurous Ying Du (on 38th btw. 7+8th.)  All the food is labeled, and the’ve got plenty of non-chinese items, like the very popular fried chicken.  Now with the addition of Fay Da it becomes much easier to ignore the cheapness of the Chinese food… you can always follow it up with a delicious custard bun.   Read more »

The popular Frogurt (which is available at 40 Carrots inside
Bloomingdales) is now available at generic deli Printon 56 (on 56th btw.
5+6th). They’re also giving away free samples outside (although I wont
guarantee they’ll be doing that all day.)

I decided to stop by the Treats Truck yesterday after hearing rumors that the Wednesday lines have gotten crazy on 45th & 6th. Sure enough the line was down the block, and that was at 2:30!  I don’t even want to know what it’s like during peak lunch time.  That corner is easily owner Kim Ima’s most popular spot, and she used to park there twice a week, but now that it’s summertime, and the ice cream trucks are back she is only “allowed” to park in that spot once a week (competition among carts in Midtown is fierce, and there is a lot of politics and jockeying for position between the carts.)

You may remember the Treats Truck only started parking in that space regularly last winter, when the ice cream truck that has occupied that spot for years went into “hibernation.”  Clearly he’s back (it’s freakin hot out), which is why Sugar is only there once a week now- but I have a great idea to get the Treats Truck more days on 45th & 6th, and hopefully make the lines shorter…  Read more »

Sorry for the spam, but as long as people want to give you guys free stuff, I will keep posting about it.  Tomorrow (Friday) is National Doughnut Day, and in honor of this most exciting occasion (I’m sorry but I freakin’ love doughnuts more than anything) the Krispy Kreme in Penn Station will be giving away free doughnuts all day long.  They’re open from 6am to 10pm.  [NYMag] 

(Photo courtesy of Roboppy)

Cookie fans on 45th & 6th will have to wait until tomorrow to get their Treats Truck fix.  Due to a private event in the afternoon, the Treats Truck will be parking at a location to be announced from Noon to 2pm (check the website for details), before returning to their typical Wednesday spot (45th & 6th) on Thursday from Noon to 4pm.

For those who feel like the Treats Truck doesn’t come to your office nearly enough, you’ll be happy to hear that Time Out New York reported earlier in the week that a second Treats Truck is close to being unleashed on the city, and treats maker Kim has assured me that the second truck will be spending some time in Midtown.  As soon as that truck is out and about, we’ll let you know, or you can check for updates on their website, http://www.treatstruck.com/

Sent to the old Inbox this morning…

Where can I get a great milkshake in midtown? I’ve tried every Mr Softee and imitation truck around and find they’re all not thick enough and doused with vanilla syrup. Goodburger makes a decent shake, but I’m looking for something great, it is nearly summer after all. -Matt

Well Matt, you may be disappointed to hear this, but I’ve never had a milkshake in Midtown.  I think my reasoning is this… if I drank milkshakes at lunchtime, I would weigh 10,000 pounds.  It’s just science.  “No Milkshake Rule” = Zach is still alive.  So for this one, I’ll have to turn it over to readers.  Got a rec for Matt?  Post it in the comments below…

And as always, if you have a question, recommendation or news, email it to me at zach@midtownlunch.com