Last week we announced the debut of Cer Te’s February sandwich special, The Gobsmacker. With a name like that (freedictionary’s definition of “gobsmacked” is “utterly astounded”), the bar is set high. Cer Te has had a pretty good track record with its Sandwiches of the Month thus far, so how did this one stack up?

The Gobsmacker isn’t just a sandwich. It’s an aged cheddar and horseradish grilled cheese served with a cup of hearty Irish stew. When I opened my bag and saw the size of this meal, I was actually a little disappointed. The sandwich and the cup of stew each seemed pretty small, and I was skeptical that this would fill me up. Boy, was I wrong. The grilled cheese was plenty cheesy and very buttery, but lacked in the horseradish department. If it wasn’t listed in the description I wouldn’t have known it was there. The stew was thick and well-seasoned, with lots of tender, slow-cooked beef and chunks of carrots, potatoes, peas, and celery. Despite the seemingly small container, this dense stew was extremely filling. I decided to experiment by dipping the grilled cheese in the beefy goodness and HOLY MOLY it was delicious.

I have to admit, I was skeptical of this meal at first. It’s not beautiful, and the word “stew” never resonated with me as synonymous to “yummy” or “lunch,” but this combo is perfect for a cold winter day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Get it while you can!

Certe, 20 W 55th St (btw 5+6th), 212-397-2020

The interior is extremely clean and inviting, with most of the ingredients out in the open for customers to ogle over. I found it difficult to choose which of the many sandwiches to try first, but I finally settled on the crispy chicken ($7.50).

The breaded chicken breast is shaved thinly with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, onions and balsamic. Served on french bread, this and most sandwiches on the menu can be upgraded to a hero for an extra dollar. I made the mistake of having mine toasted, assuming the bread would warm the other ingredients and slightly melt the mozzarella. In reality, on my walk back to work, the bread only hardened. So, I suggest not toasting the french bread if you’re returning to the office to eat. Besides that one misstep, the sandwich was very tasty.

The pastrami sandwich ($7) comes on rye with New York pastrami, Swiss and brown mustard. I upgraded to the hero, which made it $8. Unlike most delis in the area, the meat was like ribbons, extremely thinly sliced. Still, I’d call the sandwich average.

Although I didn’t have the most fantastic experience thus far, the reviews elsewhere have been pretty good. Midtown Lunch’er Spaghetti Betty wrote this in the comments of a previous posts:

It’s open! And delicious. You can tell they paid a lot of attention to detail using fresh meats and beautiful breads. I literally almost had an eney-meney-mino-mo moment before placing my order, everything looked so good! I paid $9 for a sandwich I’ll eat for 2 days!

The reviews on Yelp so far have also been positive. Any other early adopters have something to say? Maybe certain ‘wiches are better than others.

Crave Sandwiches, 1120 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd St.

Well, it’s a new month (where did January go??), which means it’s Sandwich of the Month time from Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th). This month’s beauty is “The Gobsmacker.” Here’s the kicker: it’s not just a sandwich, it’s a combo consisting of Rich Irish Stew With an Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese w/Horseradish for $8.95. Stew AND grilled cheese? Let me get my coat! The sandwich debuted on Monday and will be available through the month of February. Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments!

Certe, 20 W 55th St (btw 5+6th), 212-397-2020

The inevitable happened: it got cold. When the flimsy Salumè kiosk opened last summer, I wondered what would happen to them come winter. Well, here we are, and now that we’ve had a couple days of frigid weather, they appear to be wondering the same thing, because they’ve gone missing. But let me back up a sec.

On December 24, Salumè tweeted that their kiosk was moving due to the holiday festivities. That makes sense — the other kiosks also moved around a bit, too, as they did during Thanksgiving. But, while everyone else is back in their rightful spots (actually, Snack Box has moved down the block from 47th to 46th street, FYI), Salumè is nowhere to be found…

Mystery solved … sort of. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, if you’re in the need of a sammie, check out the Midtown Lunch sandwiches archive for some inspiration!

Num Pang (which has a Midtown location on 41st btw. Lex+3rd) recently unveiled its new Fall specialty items, so naturally I hightailed it over to check them out. I set my sights on the Roasted Fig sandwich ($8.25 + tax): Kadota figs, chilis, bacon, chili mayo and the usual veggie suspects of cucumber, pickled carrots, and cilantro.

Oh boy this is delicious. The roasted fig sandwich is basically a fall interpretation of their summer peach sandwich. If you missed that one, try this one and you’ll get the idea. The figs are tender, slightly caramelized, and sweet but not cloying. The bacon is so plentiful that it should probably be listed in the title of the sandwich as a star ingredient. I didn’t see any chilis, although I was so busy stuffing my face with this deliciousness that I may have missed them. There was definitely some heat to this sandwich, but it could’ve been from the chili mayo that comes standard on every sandwich.

Not into figs, or looking to try something different for fall, you might want to go with the Roasted Turkey Breast with spiced cranberry apple chutney ($8.25 + tax) instead. On my next visit, I’ll be getting that alongside the Hot Ginger Apple Cider with Bourbon Roma Apple Chunks ($2.25 + tax).

Num Pang, 140 E. 41st St (btw. Lex+3rd), (212) 867-8889

Part of what we do at Midtown Lunch is try the stuff you don’t want to and let you know if it’s worth your time. Enter the non-meat sandwiches at the Salume kiosk in Times Square. While checking whether Snack Box had opened (it had not), I passed by Salume this afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world anyone would order off the vegetarian menu at a store that clearly prides itself on its authentic sliced and cured Italian meats.

So, I ordered two.

It seems they’ve changed their sandwich-making approach from when we last posted about Salume — the sandwiches no longer sit in the display case, but instead are constructed to order.

My confidence was not high when, after I placed my order, the gentleman making sandwiches didn’t even know what the Cervina ($6.00) was. “Cervina?” he asked. “What is that? I’ve never made one of those.” Oy vey.

Well, eventually, he figured out the ingredients (fontina cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, pepper), and the sandwich was actually very tasty, for a clearly unpopular order. The bread was extremely fresh, and the fontina was nice and salty, complimenting the sweet ripe red tomatoes. Although there really wasn’t much in the way of sandwich filling, the simplicity of the ingredients did shine through here.

Also $6.00, the Capri (buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil) seems like a pretty standard panini, but what Salume has going for them is extremely high quality ingredients. Sure, it’s just a tomato-mozz-basil sandwich. But, it’s a really good one.

So what’s the verdict? If you’re a regular Midtown Lunch’er, let’s face it: you’re probably going to want to stick to the meats menu. But don’t count Salume out if there’s ever a world-wide Mortadella shortage — the cheese sammies are pretty darn tasty.

Salume Kiosk, Broadway and 45th Street in Times Square

Good Nature Deli looks so generic on the outside that most people probably don’t even notice it when they walk by. I went in randomly one day when I needed to grab a soda and I was extremely surprised at what I found. It may look like just your average corner bodega, and it’s one avenue out of bounds.  But Good Nature Deli has some surprises within…

The first thing that strikes you when you walk in is the sprawling by-the-pound buffet. This thing is massive considering what the place looks like from the outside, and it contains everything from vegetable lo mein to meatloaf, fried plantains to eggplant parm. The only sign indicating its existence from the street is a small sign on the door that says ‘salad bar’, but this is clearly so much more. And at $6.99/lb, it’s a steal compared to other midtown buffets.

However, I already had my heart set on a sandwich, so I wandered over to the deli counter and perused the massive list of hot and cold creations. There are over 60 different sandwiches, so be prepared for some deliberation.

I settled on the California Hero, containing grilled chicken, provolone cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, and hot sauce. This sandwich was pretty large, the cheese was nice and melty ,and the bacon was thick and crispy. I didn’t notice any hot sauce, so they either forgot it or it wasn’t very flavorful, but the sandwich was plenty tasty without it. The chicken was a tad dry, but the creaminess of the avocado offset that for the most part. It came with two thin pickle spears and tortilla chips (although I swear in the past I’ve gotten potato chips, so maybe they switch it up). All in all, a solid sandwich and meal in itself.

The next time I went in, I was fully prepared to brave the buffet. I was suspicious at first seeing as there doesn’t appear to be an actual kitchen anywhere in the vicinity, so the origin of all of this food was a mystery (I asked someone later and was informed that they do indeed have a kitchen in the basement). However, I made the mistake of glancing up at the sandwich board and getting completely sidetracked by the Texas Hero, comprised of pork ribs, bacon, american cheese, onion, pickles, hot peppers, and BBQ sauce. Ribs AND bacon? I knew immediately that I could not deny myself (or you, dear readers) some of that hot pork-on-pork action, so all thoughts of the buffet went out the window.

This sandwich, like the first, was a pretty hefty size and served with the same accompaniments as my previous order. The cheese was melted, and this time all of the flavors were there, although the bacon was a little soggy from the BBQ sauce. I was also disappointed to find that the ‘pork ribs’ seemed to in fact be ‘rib flavored mystery meat patty’. It was definitely a tasty sandwich, but because of this, I probably would not order this again. But I will say that the novelty of it made it a fun and filling one-time lunch.

Next time I’m here I fully intend to try the buffet, daunting as it may be. If you’ve tried it, let me know!

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I could eat a different sandwich every single day for MONTHS!
• Where else can I have a side of fried plantains with my eggplant parm?
• I like pork. Preferably on top of more pork.

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Sometimes the sandwich descriptions are misleading. I like to know exactly what I’m getting.
• Sketchy by-the-pound buffets frighten me.
• Too many options make my head spin. I like to keep it simple.

Good Nature Inc., 1045 2nd Ave (At E. 55th St), (212) 371-7507

The coconut shrimp at Gourmet 53 is the stuff that Midtown Lunch dreams are made of, but did you know that they also have Mexican inspired sandwiches on the menu as well? They’ve actually had them for awhile but for some reason I haven’t bothered to try one until now. Carefully constructed with top-quality ingredients these are not, but they will certainly satisfy anybody looking for a cheap, delicious, and different sandwich (plus extras, but more on that later).

Gourmet 53 offers three types of Mexican inspired sandwiches: the Cemita Poblano, the Pollo Torta, and the Chicken Milanesa. All of the sandwiches are served with french fries, plus pita chips (or a roll), a cookie (of your choice), a little fruit salad (or Jello), and a can of soda for $8 plus tax. Once you place your order and move down the line, you can take a number to see if you win one of several free lunches each day, and guess what? Today was my lucky day… hello free pollo torta, with all the extras!

My torta included shredded chicken in chipotle sauce, black bean spread, roasted Serrano chile, Bibb lettuce, red onion, queso fresco, aioli, and papalo (“an herb similar to cilantro used in Mexican cooking” according to Google), all  piled into a toasted garlic hero. The sandwich was large and definitely very tasty, but parts of the description were a bit misleading. There was a hint of spice but I was hoping for a bit more heat from the chile, and probably wouldn’t really have noticed it had I not known that it was in there. The queso fresco seemed to be missing altogether, and papalo is still a mystery to me, but the ingredients that were there came together well, and the garlic bread was a welcome surprise.

My lunching companion had the Cemita Poblano, described as shredded all-natural pork butt, champagne mango, Oaxaca cheese, queso fresco, smashed avocado, aioli, and papalo, again served on toasted garlic bread. The mango (a strange addition to a cemita) definitely added a hint of sweetness and the pork was flavorful and tender but the cheese seemed to be absent again!  It’s kind of criminal to leave cheese off a cemita, but thankfully the sandwich still tasted awesome without it. If I were to go back for these sandwiches, I’d probably order this one again over the torta.

Basically, these sandwiches look like a mess and a half, but they are a tasty alternative to a regular deli sandwich, even with the few mistakes they seemed to make in their description/assembly. And, once again, who can argue with the amount of food that you get?

The + (What someone who likes this place would say)

• Look at all these extras you get?! I love bonus food.
• This is a tasty alternative to a generic deli sandwich.
• I WON!! My day is now a little bit brighter.

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I’ve had better/more authentic/spicier/cheesier cemitas elsewhere.
• Where’s the cheese?? And the spice?? And what the heck is papalo??
• I want Mexican sandwiches, not Mexican “inspired” sandwiches!

Gourmet 53, Food Court in the Basement of 875 3rd Ave. (btw. 52+53rd), (212) 223-8481

Well some of you may or may not know that I love adding cranberries to burgers, so it she be no surprise that while walking by Cafe Hestia (3rd btw 43+44th) a sign for a $6 Thanksgiving sandwich caught my eye. Cafe Hestia looks like any other Pret A Manger or Cosi or Europa in Midtown. But besides sandwiches and salads they do serve ramen and bibimbap. But how did Thanksgiving taste in the middle of September? I wanted to find out…

The Thanksgiving sandwich is a pretty serious sandwich. It’s about a foot long, overstuffed with turkey meat  that I watched the guy behind the counter jamming into the bread.  Of course there was also the layer of cranberry relish, lettuce, and tomato as well. I thought the cranberry relish was pretty good. It added some sweetness to the sandwich but a little bit more relish would’ve been perfect. I did appreciate the amount of turkey meat that was stuffed into the sandwich but it was all white meat (aka kind of dry.)

Besides the Thanksgiving sandwich there were few other interesting sounding sandwiches that I’d like to try (I’m looking at you Honey Bunch and Chicken Holiday!)  Any big fans of Cafe Hestia out there?  Let us know what you order in the comments…

Cafe Hestia, 686 3rd Ave btw 43+44th (212) 808-8245