The photo she sent us is a particularly gross one, so as a public service we’ve placed it after the jump.

Once again we need to point out how incredible it is that a bug could ever even survive the chopping block at a Midtown salad joint!

Welcome to Macchiato Espresso Bar on 44th Street, the last thing you’d expect to discover in discover in midtown. Coming in from 3rd Avenue, the bright blue entrance looks like some sort of strange oasis. The Bar exudes a Euro-trash meets midtown business vibe. Music is energetic, and the counter service is knowledgeable, efficient. Prices are high, though quality justifies to a certain extent.

I was most excited to learn that they bake all pastries and bread in-house. However, house-baked is no guarantee of deliciousness, and you can rest in peace knowing that these sweets are not worth your money. Muffins are reminiscent of saran wrapped deli versions, and the croissants are limp and heavy. Chocolate cigars showed slight promise for potential, but failed with smothers of gritty chocolate wrapped between over-greasy layers of doughy filo. They seem to have good intention (it would be tons easier to outsource) but ought to find someone who knows they’re way around the pasty kitchen. Unless you have liquid chocolate in mind, venture elsewhere for dessert.

When you stand at the register to pay, look directly to the front and there you’ll see a glass contraption swirling hot chocolate with a creamy thickness akin to City Bakery. The chocolate is served hot, or over ice. If you have it cold, they swirl in a little whole milk to “thin” it out to drinking consistency. Wonderful cold on a summer day, and doubtlessly enough calories for lunch alone. Or breakfast, if you’d please. The chocolate is milk, sweet, very sweet. It’ll never be among my favourites, but like the espresso, it clearly stands above peers in midtown.

Espresso is bold but errs on the side of bitter, and while one is guaranteed to find better downtown cousins (think Abraco, Everyman, 9th Street), Macchiato pulls a fine, if not memorable version. For a jolt on the go, you might want to pick up a Pocket Coffee, previously blogged by Zach on Serious Eats.

What I enjoyed most, surprisingly enough, were the salads. I’m not a “salad person,” but I know a good thing when I see it, and for the price of a comparable dish at say, Just Salad, or one of those fancy midtown salad bars, Macchiato fares quite well. Pictured above is the avocado salad. Priced just under $10, it is definitely not cheap, but it is a very filling salad made from good ingredients. Half an avocado, hearts of palm, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and pine nuts, all tossed with baby arugula. I would advise opting for dressing on the side. I failed to do so, and ended up with a semi-gloppy mess towards the bottom.

Sandwiches are not much cheaper, running from $7.59 to $8.95. The Prosciutto is their best-seller, setting itself apart from the standard prosciutto sandwich with olive tapenade, and balsamic-dipped tomatoes. The sandwich forms a base with slices of (too thick) prosciutto de parma layered with fresh mozzarella, basil and avocado.

Both salads and sandwiches are made to order, which is more than what many spots offer at a similar price. Get it to stay, and make yourself comfortable (but not too comfortable) at one of the cafe tables or street facing seats. The design of the Macchiato Espresso Bar – from service to style, seems to declare, “enjoy yourself while you’re out of the office, but get back to work quick!”

Macchiato Espresso Bar, 141 E 44th St (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-867-6772

Photos and post by Kathy YL Chan.
See the rest of Kathy’s Midtown Lunch posts here.

via Twitter: “What does this sign MEAN? Seen at Pergola above Salad Station on 40th near 5th”  Huh.  Uh… anybody care to hazard a guess?

Update via the Comments: Nevermind

Another luncher was quick to rebuke this shill enthusiastically delivered news by dropping a bit of science on me…

“FYI- I work in the Fox building upstairs from Flavors and have been there a few times. I have had the salads (though did not chop it) and it was quite full. Now, according to the laws of physics, if you take something and break it down in volume it appears as such without hampering the actual weight. In this case, you chop lettuce and it’s finer and less bulky decreasing in volume size creating an image of less salad in the bowl. If you measure the salad by weight it is the same. So… You are merely getting what you paid for. A chopped salad. Go to that place CHOPT on 51st street and you get the same thing for $$$more! Might want to go back to school my friend.”

(Ouch.)  Who said you never learned stuff on Midtown Lunch!?!

“Me and my co-workers are avid Midtownlunchers and we feel the need to vent about “Flavors”, the new spot in the Fox building on 6th between 47th and 48th. My co-worker just returned with a salad that is complete joke. The salad included 4 ingredients and cost $8, but that’s not the point. Check out the pics attached, they gave no lettuce whatsoever, its basically a half salad for $8!!! Being that we work in mid-town and are all New Yorkers, we understand what to expect when we go to lunch around here when it comes to prices, but to get half a salad and still charge full price is robbery, no wonder Flavors and Café Metro are run by the same joke company. We don’t need our names attached to anything but we wanted to vent. Thanks man and keep it up!!! PS- and the bread is stale.”

I am shocked… Flavors is owned by Cafe Metro? Hopefully this is lesson learned for everyone.

Got your own grievance you’d like to air? Feel free to email it zach@midtownlunch.com

I’ve walked by this cart on 55th btw. Park+Madison many times, and each time was equal parts turned off and intrigued by the sign. What exactly is “healthy” street meat? Is that even possible? And what would it taste like? Well, last week the question was partly answered when a couple of commenters recommended the Greek salad topped with chicken from this very cart.

Now, if you read this blog regularly you know my feelings on salad. I generally can’t bring myself to do it. If I want to eat healthy, I’ll get a “salad style” bibimbap from Cafe Duke on 51st btw. 6+7th (that’s about as healthy as I’ll get). But salad from cart? Well that is kind of interesting. I think I could get away with that, without ruining my reputation… plus it’s a Greek salad- so you throw in some feta cheese and grape leaves, and this fat guy is ready to eat some greens!

The Greek salad is $5, and comes with tomato, green peppers, onions, olives, and the part that makes me smile the most: feta and 2 grape leaves. For an extra $1 you can get grilled chicken, and for 50 cents more, a piece of pita bread (gotta have carbs with every meal, right?)  Obviously I went for the works (a total of $6.50).

It kind of worries me to say this (I don’t want you guys to think less of me) but this salad was really freakin’ good. They give you a ton of grilled chicken (two small breasts worth), the grape leaves are totally tasty, and the warm pita bread brings it all together. Obviously, I’d take more cheese, but for the price I’m not going to complain. I went with the “house” vinaigrette (the most popular choice) but they do have other options- including a few fat free dressing packets if you really want to get super healthy.  For me, eating the salad was enough.  I’ll take the regular dressing…

I would do a +/- but I don’t really have anything bad to say about this… except the obvious: “It’s a salad!” Thanks to “Wined & Dined” for the recommendation… for his comment, he’s the winner of the Broke Ass Stuart book.

100% Halal & Healthy Food, 55th Street btw. Mad+Park

I did a bad bad thing last week.  After reading about Chop’t in the New York Post, I was compelled to go and check out their Po’boy Salad.  Anybody who reads this blog with any frequency knows I have a special place in my heart for New Orleans- and even a generic salad chain like Chop’t can get me to pay attention to them by making something called a Po’boy Salad.  What does that even mean?  And quite frankly, how could I not? 

Walking into Chop’t was a particularly terrifying experience.  As described in the Post article, the place is packed, and very intimidating (the menu is very long and if you don’t know exactly what you want you’ll hold everything up), and while I find salad places to be scary enough on their own- imagine how much scarier it becomes when you put giant machetes in the hands of the people making these salads.  It’s much harder to look at people with derision in your eyes when they’re holding giant salad cutting knives.

Despite being excited mildly interested, I should have known something was wrong immediately when I spotted the ingredient list of the Po’boy Salad.  Fried chicken (that’s good), lettuce (sure), tomato (makes sense), and cheese (???).  Cheese?  I don’t seem to remember cheese on any Po’boy I’ve ever had.  I do remember pickles.  But there are no pickles on this salad.  I don’t know what I was expecting, and I probably would have just turned and walked out right then, if I hadn’t spotted spotted something that actually stirred a bit of genuine excitement inside me.  Something so grotesque (in a good way) that it could actually have a chance of redeeming this monstrosity of a lunch establishment.  

General Tso’s Salad Dressing.  You’re kidding me right?  Chop’t has a general tso’s salad dressing?!?  If there is one thing I love more than New Orleans, it is cheap and crappy Americanized Chinese food. 

Up until now, in my eyes, the only thing that could redeem a salad (which I almost never eat, and when I do- it’s a pretty significant occasion) is fried chicken.  Putting fried chicken in a salad is like a slap in the face to the salad itself- whose whole purpose to just to exist as a healthy alternative to a lunch that actually tastes good. Adding fried chicken also causes most salad eaters to utter words that I say all the time… “then why bother eating a salad.”  Exactly.  Why bother?

But this general tso’s thing… this takes it to another level.  I could have left Chop’t that day… but why lose the opportunity to create something so amazing, it could actually elevate a salad place to Midtown Lunch status.  Something so grotesque, that hard core Midtown Lunchers would eat it, but salad losers couldn’t denounce it- because it was created at one of their meccas.  The Po’boy Salad with General Tso’s Dressing.  How… could… I… not.

It doesn’t look like much, but you can see the fried chicken on top (and there was a ton of still unexplicable cheese) but all together it was Midtown Lunch worthy… sort of.  Despite having fried chicken, and a general tso’s-ish taste created by the salad dressing- it was still a salad, only made great by the looks you can get when telling people you are eating a Po’boy salad with general tso’s dressing. 

As I checked out, the lady at the cash register asked me if I wanted a frequent salad card.  Um… nope.  I’m pretty sure I’m not going to need it.

Chop’t (Multiple Locations)

• 60 E. 56th (btw. Madison & Park), 212-750-CHOP
• 165 E. 52nd (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-421-2300
• 145 W. 51st (btw. 6+7th), 212-974-8140

Midtown Lunch’ing favorite, the Homefront Deli is up for sale after 15 great years at 41st St. between Madison & Park.  The Epoch Times has the story, starting from Owner Wanda Kassimis’ dream of leaving her Midtown desk job, and opening a deli.  The article says that the space is up for sale, and that “after almost two decades in her current location, [Wanda] is ready to make a fresh start in a new location, but real estate is competitive in Manhattan. ‘It’s been hard to find a buyer’, she confesses.”  The article doesn’t give any indication of when it will close, where she is going to move, or what the reason is for the sale, and curiously, no mention is made of her husband (and co-owner) Jimmy, who I got the full story from this morning, while he worked the breakfast line.

Sadly, the Homefront Deli is up for sale because the couple is getting a divorce.  Like Wanda, Jimmy plans on opening up his own place somewhere in Midtown, but says it won’t happen until they find a buyer for the Homefront.  He leaves the possibility open that the new owner will keep the deli open as is, but it seems pretty unlikely. 

Don’t know exactly when it will happen, but it looks like we will be losing the Homefront soon, so get in those last orders before it’s gone…