Midtown Lunch

As New Englander from way back–let’s put it this way, some of my relatives were on the Mayflower and the others met the boat–I should probably hold Boston Cream with a certain degree of reverence. But frankly, I’m not the biggest fan of the vanilla custard, chocolate frosted donut (or the cake that masquerades as a pie for that matter). If you up the chocolate, well, then you might get me interested. Dunkin Donuts did just that with their new chocolate donuts. I can only pass their “new donut” signage for so long before breaking down. I’m just not that strong. So I decided to check it out. At least I could let my fellow lunchers know if it was worth it.

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Becoming a mobile vendor is not quite as easy as ehow would have you believe. So in anticipation of Softee Season 2011 we’ve asked Chrissy (aka Miss Softee) to show us the process of what it takes to become an ice cream vendor in Midtown. We’ll meet the potential new vendors, and track their progress through the selection and training process as all of the candidates make their way towards being a full fledged Mr. Softee vendor.  Here’s Part 1.  Take it away Miss Softee!

Everyone wants to drive an ice cream truck, but not everyone has what it takes to stick around and see the job through. While the joys of slinging the cream far outweigh the cons in my mind, the hours are long, the work can by very physical, and the midtown route is demanding!! So, this season, I’ve been given the opportunity to help bring on new drivers to our team, train them, and work as a day-to-day manager. I’m going to share my knowledge of the industry and business with them and they’ll all be working throughout Midtown with special toppings, happy hour, and more! Read more »

Oh, the chocolate chip cookie. One influential group of people have a taste-off declaring a winner, and the matter is settled? Not so fast! I’ve never bought into the supposed “best chocolate chip cookie” stand-bys in NYC. I’m not the biggest fan of Levain’s, City Bakery appeals to those who like their cookies crispy, and flatter, and Pret’s is pretty great thanks to a warming case keeping it gooey.  But if you’re going to say “best cookie in Midtown” you should probably try all the chocolate chip cookies in Midtown, right?  (Don’t mind if we do!)  After all there are a lot of chocolate chip cookies in Midtown alone, and the half of them aren’t even given a fair chance. Like the chocolate chip from Macchiato Espresso Bar (on 44th btw 3rd+Lex), which definitely deserves a mention!

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To frit or not to frit? That is the question. And if the fritters are from Dean & Deluca, the answer is an emphatic: FRIT. I love apple fritters. They were among my favorite Sunday treats as a kid. Last year I realized that it had been years since I had my last fritter. I became fixed on breaking my fritter fast and intent that my first frit be hot and fresh from the bakery. I even posted on the Serious Eats NY Talk section for fritter recommendations. Alas, I only got one response that recommended the non-hot fritters at Dean & Deluca. I proceeded to ignore that recommendation for some months until the fritter craving kicked back in and I came upon one of my co-workers on her way back from Dean & Deluca, fritter in hand. It looked so good, I had to go get one for myself. Read more »

Yesterday the Rock Center concourse branch of Jacques Torres opened. When I heard that JT himself would be on hand for the official opening, and that there was free hot chocolate involved I had to go check it out. I dropped by just before noon and the store wasn’t crowded. Chef Torres himself was greeting people at the door. The shop itself is brightly lit and all done up for Valentine’s Day. There are 3 small tables for eating/drinking in and four additional stools at the bar. Read more »

As I type this the finishing touches are being put on Rock Center’s brand new Jacques Torres!!! I made a quick stop by at lunch today and the place is looking great. Peeking in from the window I could see an espresso bar and a few tables for eating in.  And I’m pretty sure I spied Mr. Chocolate himself, doing some hands on lifting and set up. They are officially opening tomorrow and JT will be there from 10 until noon. So excited to see the Godiva space taken over by superior chocolate.  Dessert win for Rock Center! 

You know it’s the holiday season when ginger treats start popping up. The other day, courtesy of the ML Twitter Tracker, I saw that Treats Truck was packing gingerbread men. Given Blondie and my devotion to all things Treats Truck (if you regularly read our blog, you might have noticed that we’ve reviewed just a few of Kim’s treats…) I had to go check it out. Read more »

While Pret is at most an occasional lunch spot, owing to the high price of their sandwiches, I do make frequent morning visits because their coffee tends to be darker and stronger than the other joints in the Rock Center area and it’s made with organic milk for less than the cost of a similar cup at the ‘bux. And they offer a 10% Rock Center discount with the Privilege Card (I have a card, somewhere, but I’ve never had a problem just asking for the Rock Center discount). Anyway, I like the morning ritual of settling at my desk, getting the lay of the land then going out to get cup of coffee. Usually I just get coffee but if I missed breakfast I might get an egg sandwich, too. The other day, I overheard that the Pain au Chocolate ($1.99) had just come out of the oven and quite frankly I have a hard time saying no to any Pain Au Chocolate. Dark chocolate in a buttery, flakey pastry? Yes, please. Somehow I had avoided the siren song of Pret’s chocolate croissant… until now. Read more »