Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday is Croque Monsieur day at the Macaron Cafe (36th btw. B’way+7th), the tiny French macaron bakery/sandwich shop in the Garment District.  A classic French version of a hot ham and cheese sandwich, I’ve been hoping for a good Midtown croque since that croque monsieur truck teased us with its presence for one day last January.  If Macaron Cafe’s version is as good as the other sandwiches they serve, I feel pretty confident recommending it for lunch today…

The other day, I was standing in the tiny sandwich shop that is Carl’s Steaks, when I happened to look up at their wall of accolades and spotted the words “grease bomb” in one of the posted articles. With oil gushing out of every bite of the cheesesteak (with whiz) that I was devouring at the time, it was hard to disagree. But unlike health conscious (or squemish) doves, who may find negativity in any kind of “bomb”, when it comes to food, I’m more of a hawk. To me you add the word bomb to any kind of food, and it’s going to be good. Add it to the word “grease” and you’ve got a nuclear weapon of deliciousness.

There has been much talk of “Philly” Cheesesteaks on this site, and Carl’s on 3rd Ave. btw. 34+35th always comes up when the topic is raised. Feisty Foodie mentioned it in March of 2007, when I posted about the steak and cheese at City 75 (51st btw. 5+6th) and two commenters brought it up when I wrote about Magdy’s Philly Cheese Steak Cart 8 months later (Park & 46th). Even one commenter listed it as his 2nd favorite meat in Midtown, on the Shameless Carnivore’s profile. This is no hidden jem (apparently it was named “2007’s Best Sandwich in NYC by AOL City Guide, and is also available at Yankee Stadium), and yet I still hadn’t made the journey to this cheesesteak mecca (probably due to the fact that it was about as far away from my office on 48th & 6th that you could possibly get, and still be in Midtown Lunch’ing boundaries.) That finally changed this past week.

“Grease bomb” porn, in all its glory, after the jump… Read more »

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. Read more »

The Garment District is quickly becoming my favorite little corner of Midtown Lunch’ing.  And while I admit that most of the places I love might be considered “weird” (or gross) to the average lunch crowd (strange chinese food, Spanish food in a freight elevator), the newly opened Macaron Cafe might change all of that.  A few weeks ago my friend Nosher from www.nycnosh.com told me about the little French cafe on 36th btw. B’way+7th, and yesterday we headed over to check out their nice selection of sandwiches and amazing macarons (the little French cookies that look like mini colored hamburgers- not be confused with macaroons).

Some French porn, and a link to Nosher’s extensive review, after the jump… Read more »

This awesomeness popped up on the corner of 3rd Ave. & 43rd St.  What exactly is Crisp you ask?  No info on their website, but we get two clues:  “Fast fresh food that syncs your taste with your conscience.”  And, “It’s not what you think.  It’s better.”  Hmm… that’s interesting.  So it’s not an organic version of a generic salad bar/Midtown deli?  It’s better.  Can’t wait…

Just around the corner, on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd, the first Manhattan location of Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe has opened up, a chain with most of its locations in California, Oklahoma, Texas & Florida.  With a menu of fancy wraps, salads, pizzas and panini, I was slightly intrigued by their Bangkok Thai Wrap, until I saw that they add water chesnuts (meh), and provolone (huh?).  Oh well.

Blue Pig says goodbye, while Pinkberry says hello, after the jump… Read more »

If you have been reading this blog from the beginning than you know that I am a big fan of New Orleans.  It may seem like a natural connection (fat guy like fried seafood sandwiches, dressed with tons of mayo), but there is a little more to it than that.  My wife went to law school in New Orleans, we were married there, and I’ve gained many pounds eating my way across the city (um… ok, I guess it is a case of “fat guy likes fried seafood sandwiches”).  I live blogged the food at last year’s Jazzfest, wrote about how disappointing the New York City Jacques Imo’s was (not surprisingly, it’s closed now), and we’ve had more than one profiled Midtown Lunch’er from the Crescent City.

So, you can imagine how blown away I was when I got this email last week from Blake Killian, author of the great New Orleans food blog Blake Makes, (and part time PR dude):

I’ve been a fan and a reader for a long time. I have a random request, and wanted to know if you’d be interested. One of my clients is a big fan of yours, and he is going to be in NYC March 25-27. He’s wondering if you would be available to go to lunch on one of those days to talk about his new cookbook.

You’d be meeting with Ralph Brennan about his first cookbook.  The Brennans are a very old…

Uh- you can stop right there.  Are you kidding?  The Brennans?  As in Brennan’s, the restaurant in the French Quarter- Brennans?  As in, Commander’s Palace, home of the greatest dessert ever made in the history of the universe, the Brennan’s? (It’s the bread pudding souffle, by the way).  Yeah, I think I’ve heard of them.  The weird thing is, how the hell did this guy hear about Midtown Lunch?  And a “big fan”?  It’s a mystery, and I was afraid to ask “Why?” or “Really?”, too many times, for fear he would realize he had the wrong guy!  And while I’d much prefer having lunch with the dude in his city (NYC is great, but it can’t really hold a candle to lunch in New Orleans), I guess I can play host.

But here’s where I need your help…  Ralph has challenged me to take him out for the best sandwich in Midtown- a task made all the more difficult by the fact that he is visiting from arguably the greatest sandwich city in the country.  So I’m turning the decision over to you guys.  Post in the comments where you think I should take him, and whatever you guys decide- that’s where we’ll go.  Plus- everyone who posts a comment will be entered to win a copy of his new cookbook, “Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook”.

My initial ideas, after the jump… Read more »

If you’re looking for a St. Patty’s Day Midtown Lunch, there really is only place to recommend…  The Blarney Stone on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th.  An Irish Bar, to be sure, but not one of those typical Midtown pubs, where the food is mediocre, overpriced and served to you by a waiter.  It’s a dive in the best sense of the word, with a bar on the left, steam table/grille on the right, free for all wooden tables in the back, and some of the cheapest, most delicious lunch food in Midtown- no menus required.

When I first wrote about the Blarney Stone in January of last year, it was for the burger.  1/2 a lb. of fresh grilled meat, on a gigantic roll for only $4 is easily the best burger deal in Midtown ($6, gets you the works + fries or onion rings), but with the influx of Five Guys, the new Goodburger location , Pop Burger, and standbys like the Burger Joint, I feel like the Blarney Stone is still largely under the radar when it comes to burgers (although you wouldn’t be able to tell from the long lines between Noon and 2pm every day).  The burger is still great, and amazingly they haven’t really raised the prices yet.  But on St. Patty’s Day, a burger may not be exactly what you’re looking for…

Corned Beef porn, and the best onion rings in Midtown, after the jump.  Read more »

Midtown is too much ground for one man to cover, so comments, suggestions and emails are always welcome.  Most “discoveries” I make come from suggestions, and the comments are always a great place to see where other people are eating.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.  When I was having chest pains last week, I attributed it to my “work” here on Midtown Lunch and decided to take a salad suggestion from a commenter, only to find another lame, generic deli, not worth the walk out of my way.  The next day the doctor told me there was nothing wrong with my heart, and that I probably only had the death plague that’s been circulating around New York City (she didn’t use those words exactly…)  Thankfully, I didn’t have to try out any more salad suggestions.

Yesterday it worked out a little better when I checked out the Homefront Deli on 41st btw. Park+Madison, which was mentioned awhile back as a good place for a hot pastrami sandwich.  Expecting a soup, sandwich and salad bar deli, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a hole in the wall sandwich place, with more similarities to Milant then Metro Cafe.

My recommended pastrami and swiss, after the jump… Read more »

The “Serious Sandwich” that I wrote about this week on Serious Eats happens to come from Midtown- “The Something Different” at Junior’s.  Yes it is rediculously expensive.  Yes, the place is a tourist trap.  No, I would never go there for a “Midtown Lunch”.  But damn, did it taste good.   Check it out…

Serious Sandwiches: Junior’s Latke Sandwich