Midtown Lunch

While Pinkberry continues its quest for Frozen Yogurt World Domination (according to Eater, two more locations are opening soon in Midtown), blatant rip off Yogurberry quietly opened inside of the Cafe Duke on 41st & Broadway yesterday.

The menu, prices, and general concept are exactly the same.  As for taste, I don’t really know since I’ve never eaten at Pinkberry (and only ate the Yogurberry because they were giving away free samples).  My thoughts on the subject of the new Frozen Yogurt Craze are perfectly summed up 1 minute and 56 seconds into this amazing Gakwer Video.

Crappy Chinese food fans rejoice!  The space in the Rock Center Councourse formerly inhabited by Manchu Wok will be re-opening as… Manchu Wok.  Apparently it has new owners and will re-open in the next week (or two).  I’m not exactly sure how franchises work, but I’m holding out hope that the quality will improve for those rainy days when I don’t want to go outside and walk to the far superior Hing Won, one block away.

In much bigger news, Cinnabon will be opening a location in the Rock Center Councourse sometime in the near future.  This is terrible news for us fatties who do everything we can to avoid things like the amazing scent of freshly cooked cinnamon filled, glazed buns, that will no doubt permeate the entire food court area.  The Rock Center Councourse might just have to banned permanently from my list of Midtown Lunch’ing options, just to avoid the tantalizing smell.

If you have info about places in Midtown opening or closing, send it to zach@midtownlunch.com

After two consecutive Wednesdays on 38th St., the Treats Truck is finally hitting Midtown North.  It will be somewhere in the 50s today (6/27) selling their delicious (and reasonably priced) cookies, brownies and other assorted goodies.  Check back here later in the morning for the exact location.  As soon as they set up shop, I’ll let you know!

UPDATED 1:06 PM: They are still looking for the perfect spot.  Should be any minute now.  As soon as I know, you will. 

UPDATED 1:42 PM: Finally!!!  The Treats Truck is at 47th & Lexington.  Enjoy!

UPDATED 3:55 PM:  The Treats Truck will be there until at least 5:30pm tonight, possibly longer if there are a ton of people out.  For those in Midtown South who missed out today, don’t worry- The Treats Truck will be back at 38th & 5th tomorrow! (6/28)

Need a reason to get excited for the Treats Truck?  How about a peanut butter sandwich cookie… after the jump Read more »

Awww yeah… The Treats Truck is in Midtown today!  What the hell is the Treats Truck you ask?  It’s a mobile bakery run by Kim Ima, who bakes a truckload (pun intended) of treats in Red Hook, and then drives them to a specific location in NYC.  The location changes every day (and often multiple times a day).  Find the truck and you’ll be rewarded with a wide selection of amazing looking cookies, brownies, rice krispy squares and more.  Prices range from $1 to $2.50.  

This past weekend the truck was in the Village, yesterday it was in the Upper West Side, and today it’s coming to Midtown!  The truck is so new, they are still scouting out locations- so they are not exactly sure where they are going to be today and at what time, but as soon as they know, they are going to let me know- and I will be posting updates to this page all day long so you can get your after lunch sugar rush.  You can also check their website, or call 212-691-5226.

UPDATED (10:54 AM):  The Treats Truck has landed on 38th & 5th Ave.

UPDATED (12:32 PM): I have been to the Treat Truck and it is good!  Highlights include Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie, Rasberry Brownie… um- pretty much everthing was awesome.

A little while after discovering Tuck Shop hidden inside the CyberCafe, I noticed another sign go up in the window.  “Madeleine ‘The Crepe Lady’.  Making Crepes Wednesday -Sunday 10am to 4pm”.  I’m intrigued.  Tell me more, oh window of the CyberCafe…  An article posted next to the sign went in depth about this “Crepe Lady” who served up delicious crepes in a kiosk in Central Park.  Well apparently she’s at the CyberCafe now… and Central Park’s loss, is Midtown’s gain!

Tuck Shop in the CyberCafe was weird enough.  But now this place has got a “Crepe Lady”.  Total craziness…  what kind of internet cafe is this???  But who am I to argue with this kind of deliciousness.  Thankfully I didn’t let the surroundings fool me into not trying a crepe, because Madeleine is the real deal.  And by real deal I mean this sweet, charming, amazing “Crepe Lady” is actually from Brittany…  the birthplace of crepes.  And she’s been making these French treats since she was 13 years old!  I think it’s safe to say she knows what she’s doing.

Food porn, the complete list of what she serves, and the +/- (with not so much of the minus), after the jump…

Read more »

Discovered a fancy chocolate loophole the other day while eating underneath Rockefeller Center.  After having a couple of slices at Two Boots (the +/- of which we can argue on a later date) my wife decided she wanted a little something sweet… little being the key word.  All weight issues aside, there are tons of choices to satisfy a sweet tooth.  Ben and Jerry’s 50 yards away, a chocolate dipped cone from Mr. Softee on various corners of Midtown.  But since small was what she was looking for, I suggested going upstairs to La Maison du Chocolat– an upscale chocolate boutique on the first floor of Rockefeller Center.

There’s no question this place is expensive… not just compared to a snicker’s bar or many other cheaper chocolate options- but even compared to some of the other (some may say better) upscale chocolate shops in Manhattan (the amazing Jacques Torres comes to mind).  But, this is Midtown… and the choices at lunch are a little slimmer- and my wife would rather pay $1.40 for something small, then less for something larger and more fattening.

So with that in mind, we went into La Maison du Chocolat, and she picked out a small round thing with hazlenuts in it.  When we went to pay (cost… $1.41), the cashier offered BOTH OF US free samples from a little platter he had behind the counter… and I didn’t even have to buy anything.

That’s 3 pieces of fancy chocolate- price to us $1.40.  Factoring in the two free pieces of chocolate made the price seem a lot more reasonable.  Now, I can’t guarantee that they do this all the time (and for everyone)- and there’s no question you have to buy something to get the free sample, but it was worth telling the story, just in case they do it all the time.  Let me know if it works for you! Good luck… and don’t tell them I sent you.

La Maison du Chocolat, 30 Rockefeller Center (at 49th St.), 212-265-9404