Midtown Lunch

As you can tell, lunch time is very sacred for me.  I am definitely not one of those “whenever I have time to go” kind of lunch people.  With me, it’s more of an “Only 17 minutes left until the socially acceptable lunchtime of Noon” kind of thing.  I still don’t understand how people can forget to eat lunch.  I don’t care how busy I am, I could never forget lunchtime.  In fact, if I haven’t eaten by 1pm, there’s a decent chance I’ll just pass out.  I’ve never tested this theory, but I’m pretty sure that’s what would happen.

Of course, there are occasions when I do go for a “late lunch”.  Usually these days coincide with times when there is some sort of free food in the kitchen to serve as a mid-morning snack, or I’ve eaten a late or extra large breakfast.  On these days, I get to take advantage of all the late lunch specials that midtown has to offer.  If you can wait to eat, there are some great deals to be had in Midtown and hands down, my favorite is Ho Yip.  I have a soft spot for cheap chinese food, and I love by the lb. buffets- but the price always kills me.  Ho Yip solves this by lowering their price after 2:15pm.  A great deal, and my favorite place to eat a late lunch.  I’ve also heard that alot of chain delis charge less for pre-packaged sandwiches at a certain time.   

A few months ago, a reader tipped me off to another one of these late lunch specials.  Naples 45, a nice sit down pizza place in Midtown, lowers their take out slices to $1.25 after 2pm.  For months I have been waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of this deal… and finally last week I was looking for something to eat around 2pm- so I headed over to Naples 45 to check it out.

What I found, pizza porn and the +/- after the jump… Read more »

There are some things that are such an awesome deal they supercede quality.  In fact the occurance is so rare, that when you find the deal, you are so excited, you forget what the thing you’re eating even tastes like.  The under $10 buffet.  Steak & Eggs in Vegas.  Taco Bell in the old days.  And of course… 99 cent pizza.  Pizza is everywhere in New York.  Good pizza is everywhere in New York.  But you never see a slice below $2.  And in Midtown, the price is sometimes jacked up to a ridiculous $2.50 a slice.  Nevermind wanting toppings or a drink.  The pizza is good… but a lunch ends up costing you $7… for pizza.  Enter 99¢ Fresh Pizza to save the day!

Anyone who has ever been behind the Port Authority on 9th Avenue has seen the 99¢ pizza place.  Always open, and always a line- this window churns out cheese pizza slices like nobody’s business.  The slices are hot, fresh, and for 99 cents a real steal.  Living in Hell’s Kitchen, and shopping at the various markets down there I’ve partaken in the 99¢ pizza many times, usually as a post grocery shopping snack.  In fact it has spawned a snack or meal argument between my wife and I on numerous occasions.  My claim… “If something costs $1 (i.e. a slice of pizza), it is automatically a snack”.  Her claim… “You are a fat bastard.”

Well, on Monday I was excited to find out that 99¢ Fresh Pizza has expanded East, opening a new location next to Grand Central Terminal, on 43rd St. btw. 3rd & Lex.  Pics of the pie and the +/- after the jump.

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I should probably have my head examined trying to eat lunch near Rockefeller Center in December… but I found out that Dean & Deluca has Sullivan St. Bakery Pizza- and had to check it out.  The actual Sullivan St. Bakery is on 47th st. btw. 10th & 11th, right around the corner from where I live. (The name comes from the original storefront on Sullivan St. in the West Village).  The current location on 47th is where they make all their bread… and delicious flat bread pizzas.  Unfortunately, 10th ave. is a little far to walk for lunch- so when I found out they’ve got the pizza at Dean & Deluca I was pretty excited.

Unfortunately, the closest and best known Dean & Deluca is smack dab in the middle of Rock Center (in clear view of the Christmas Tree).  Ah… the wonderful tree.  You find me someone who works in Midtown, that doesn’t hate that tree… and I’ll prove to you that that person doesn’t work in Midtown.  It’s almost like the tree has this magnetic force that only pulls at “I Love NY” sweatshirts, and really bad fanny packs.  Lucky for me, I found a hidden Dean & Deluca, for those of you who work on the West Side of Midtown, far enough away from the tree to get your Sullivan St. bakery pizza fix in December.

Pics of the pizza, the hidden location and +/- after the jump…

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I love New Orleans and it seems to come up a fair amount here on MidtownLunch.com.  My wife and I were married there, I’ve written about it a few times, and 3 of our Profiled: Midtown Lunch’ers mentioned it as a place they’d rather be (Liz, Elizabeth  and Nick).  But for some reason, it didn’t sink in- until recently- that Two Boots was part Cajun.  That’s right.  The NY pizza chain with the strange decor and the weird, slightly overpriced slices of pie is actually half Italian, half Cajun… hence “Two Boots” (Italy & Louisiana).

Now, I’m sure some of you “smart” “observant” people, who don’t walk around with your “head up your ass” might be saying to yourself- “Gee Zach… what are you an idiot?”  And to that I say, “Yes.  Yes I am.”  Alright, so I’m not that quick.  I’ve gotten pizza from many of the various Two Boots locations around the city, and in all that time I never really noticed the Po’Boys or Jambalaya on the menu painted on the wall… just the pizzas in the glass case.

I’m not sure who clued me into the whole “Two Boots” thing, or the fact that they have things other than pizza… but as someone who is constantly on the lookout for quality New Orleans style food, I figured it was time to give the non pizza boot a try.

What I ordered, a run down of the pizzas and the +/- after the jump…

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I don’t eat a ton of Pizza for lunch, so I haven’t written about too many pizza places.  In my view, it’s hard to go horribly wrong ordering a slice of pie in this city.  Sure there are better slices than others- but there aren’t too many horrible slices- even in Midtown.  And if you think that isn’t true- try living in L.A. for two years.  One of the only decent slices I had there was from a place that claimed to fly their water in twice a week from New York City… and it wasn’t even that good.  Of course, if you are crazy enough to fly your water in from another city just to make pizza, you are creating expectations that are going to be too great to overcome.  (“Really?  They flew in water from New York and it tastes like this???”) 

Well, if you are one of those people who only eats the “best” pizza this city has to offer Time Out New York has just released their Pizza issue.  Ironically enough, I was planning on writing about Two Boots today- the New Orleans/Italy (hence the “Two Boots”) pizza place with locations all over NYC (and two in Midtown)… but it wasn’t even mentioned (not even in the “Oddball” category).  Anyway, New Yorkers love arguing about what’s the best pie in the city.  In fact, the “Best Hamburger” argument that has been raging lately is probably just people who got sick of arguing about the best slice.  Rather than re-hash it all, I’ll just point out the Midtown slices worthy of Tony’s mention.

The list, after the jump…

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I think I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again.  I love food courts.  What’s there not to like?  It’s like 20 cheap restaurants, all under the same roof.  Sure I always get the Chinese food, or the Chinese food knock off (bourbon chicken I’m looking at you)… but having the options (whether you use them or not) is great- because if you go with other people, everyone can get what they want.  So when I want Chinese food (which I always do), my wife and I can go to a food court even if she doesn’t want Chinese food, because there’s other things for her to get!  It’s a fool proof scheme…

There aren’t many food courts in Manhattan (you’ve gotta go to a mall in the suburbs for that), but there are a few.  And one, that seems like it should be amazing, is the Grand Central Terminal Food Court.  One walk through this place, and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to food court heaven.  No wasted space on generic fast food joints like McDonalds or BK, and they have all the requisite food options (Chinese, Sushi, Indian, Cajun, Caribbean, BBQ, Pizza, and more.) 

And yet, for a food court- with a ton of options- right in the middle of Midtown, it’s not nearly as crowded as you would think.  None of the places have lines, and we didn’t have too much trouble finding a place to sit.  To top it off, I get emails all the time recommending places to eat in Midtown.  Very few “good” (a relative term of course) or popular places have gone unrecommended.  And yet, nobody has ever recommended the food court, or singled out any of the choices in an email.

A superficial look at the options, more pictures, and a call to arms… after the jump.

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What can I write about Pizza that hasn’t already been written? 

1.  The history? Pizza is not Italian.  At least not originally.  Started in Greece… no tomatoes… Queen Margherita… colors of the Italian flag… WWII… Italian Immigrants… Pizza Hut… 30 minutes or your pizza is free… Mexican Pizza at Taco Bell.  I covered everything right?

2.  The best pizza in New York?  I don’t even want to start that argument…

3.  Tourists visiting New York eat at the worst pizza places.  How else do you explain the existence of a Sbarro’s in Times Square?  (It still amazes me every time I walk by that place and there are people eating in there)

The list could go on and on.  The simple fact is, I’m not a pizza aficionado.  Don’t misunderstand this for pizza hate… I love pizza just as much as the next guy- I’m just not a connoisseur.  I guess some places are better then others, but I can’t really pinpoint exactly what I love and hate about each slice.  If you’re into that sort of thing, there are plenty of blogs that talk about pizza… and only pizza.

But the truth is, pizza is one of those things that has so many different varieties that trying to determine the “best pizza” is futile… because everyone likes something different.  You’ve got deep dish, thin “New York” style pizza, Sicilian, pizza with tons of toppings, pizza with no toppings, crunchy crust, floppy crust… it’s no wonder people love to argue about this crap.

Anyway, when talking about great pizza in Midtown, one name comes up all the time:   Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck.  I finally went last week to check it out, and found an amazing slice of “pizza” that will find just as many haters, as lovers.

The pictures, +/- and more… after the jump.

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After only two days of being open (today is day 3) the backlash has already begun  against Krunch Pizza, a new place serving “Grandma Style” pizza pies on 2nd Ave. and 52nd St.  Complaints like not crunchy enough, too thick and “gummy” were tossed around… But for us in Midtown, looking for a cheap and decent lunch- beggars can’t be choosers, and a new place is always worth checking out. (Even if it is, slightly overpriced for the size, square pizza.)

Salads, panini, pasta and of course pizza is on the menu here with some really delicious choices, including: Bianchi Krunch (Ricotta, Marscapone & Truffle oil), Krunch Gamberi (Shrimp, oil cured olives, lemon, red onion tomato and mozzarella) Prosciutto Crudo (Prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, and fresh tomato) and the Alla Funghi (Wild mushrooms, fresh tomato, garlic, mozzarella, fontina and thyme).  The nutella krunch also sounds interesting (what fat guy wouldn’t like hazelnut spread pizza)- although I didn’t see it out when I was there.  Slices range from $2.50 to $3.75, Salads are $7.50 to $14.00, the smallish looking panini are $6.50 to $9.00 and the pastas are $8.00 to $12.00.  Expect a wait at lunch time, and the seating area is super small so expect to take your pizza to go.

Next week, we’ll tell you how to skip the line at ‘wichcraft in Bryant Park (if you like overpriced gourmet sandwiches), and give you a replacement for Variety Cafe that also has Korean food (!?!)- plus more…