Midtown Lunch

Damn you “Midtown version” of banh mi!  Why have you foresaken us???  In the 10 months I’ve been doing this blog, no food item has been requested more than the Banh Mi.  Usually it’s dreaming of working in a place where banh mi is plentiful, but more often than not, it’s people asking for banh mi to come to Midtown.  Well, Boi to Go has answered our calls… but maybe we should have been more specific.  We wanted super cheap, Chinatown style Banh Mi- not overpriced, fancy pants “Midtown Style” banh mi!

If you don’t know what banh mi is, but have still managed to get this far (confusion and all), let me try to break it down for you.  Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich, served on a crusty french bread style baguette.  In its most basic form, it comes with some sort of meat (pork, vietnamese “salami”, chicken and/or pate), covered in any combination of shredded carrots, daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro and some sort of sauce (sweet, spicy or both.)  There are tons of variations- with many different ingredients, including vegetarian versions for people who don’t want meat.

But that description leaves out one key quality of the increasingly popular banh mi.  In the most popular banh mi shops, these large vietnamese style “hoagies” sell for an unbelievably cheap $3-4.  Understanding this part of the banh mi experience is key to understanding why Boi to Go was not welcomed with opened arms by the clammoring Midtown lunching public.

It may also be proof that the huge popularity of banh mi has just as much to do with price, as taste.  If Saigon charged $8 for their sandwiches, I don’t think as many people would trek to Chinatown, and if Boi to Go cut their price in half, than this place might be your new favorite Midtown Lunch.  Is it the banh mi we wanted?  Maybe not.  But it is a good freakin sandwich?  You bet.

More on this, pictures and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

I hate people.  Maybe hate is a strong word… but I don’t really like talking to people I don’t know.  That can be a positive and a negative when it comes to Midtown Lunch’ing.  On one hand, I can just get it in and out of a new place- eat my food, and take a few quick pictures, without getting influenced by a super nice cashier, or an overzealous manager trying to sell me on what they have to offer.  It can be all about the food!

On the other hand, if I asked a few questions and made a few friends I probably would get some useful information about the place I was writing about.  Here’s a perfect example of how a little friendliness will go a long way.  A few weeks ago I wrote about the fried calamari sandwich at Tuscan Square Marketplace.  I wrote that it was a good sandwich, but a little pricey ($9)- and only available on Tuesdays.  It also could suffer a little bit depending on when you got there- because the sandwich comes pre-packaged and you don’t know how much time has passed from fryer to counter.

The sandwich came recommended to me by Joann, a woman who works with my wife-  but the sandwich I ate, and the sandwich you might have eaten on the Tuesday after I wrote about this, was not the same sandwich she eats.  She gets a special sandwich.  And that sandwich is available any day she wants it.  And I’m pretty sure her sandwich has more calamari.  How does she do it?  She’s nice.  And she made friends with someone who works there.  And here’s the best part… you can have that sandwich too!  The “special” sandwich, and how to get it- after the jump. Read more »

This picture is wholesome (although the prospect of eating at Metro makes me feel dirty):

Has anybody tried this thing?  Am I going to have to eat at Metro?  Whatever happened to that Croque Monsieur Truck that was spotted back in January on 54th & Broadway for a week, but then disappeared.  Anybody seen that thing anywhere?

I felt the need to put the NC-17 picture after the jump.  WARNING:  May not be suitable for children (or people with dirty minds)… Read more »

City 75 is not usually the type of place I eat at (or write about), but after last week’s Profiled Midtown Lunch’er Andre said it was home to the best Philly Cheesesteak in Midtown, I figured I should check it out.  City 75 is like an upscale version of all the generic delis in Midtown, but with one difference…  If you make it through the girly overpriced fancy buffet by the pound in the front- there is a pretty spectacular “Man Bar” in the back left hand corner.  Naturally the Philly Cheesesteak was there, along with burgers, fries, onion rings, pizza and grilled sandwiches.

Now, before you email me with “I’m a woman, and I eat at the ‘Man Bar’!!!”, I want to say this- I’m sure a lot of you women eat at the “Man Bar” in City 75- but you also read this blog… and those two things put you in the minority of Midtown Lunching Women (When I say “most women”, I’m talking about your annoying co-workers.  If they are not reading this blog, they clearly have no taste in food).  The simple fact is this… if the “Man Bar” wasn’t there, most men would not set foot into City 75 (it’s way too fancy, and expensive).  And if the rest of the place disappeared, and City 75 was only the “Man Bar”, and nothing else, most Midtown Lunch’ing women wouldn’t eat there.  It’s the perfect blending of the two that makes a nicely dressed business woman (with every intention of eating a salad) willing to eat a steak and cheese sandwich, and a guy like me willing to eat at a place like City 75.

Pics of the food, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

Some places you just know are going to be good.  It may be rare, but it happens.  I trekked over to Milant, a tiny deli on 39th St. btw. 3rd & Lex. after getting a tip from a Midtown Lunch’er named Corey.  I’m not usually a big sandwich guy, and I almost never write about “delis”, but when I walked into this tiny take-out only place, something said to me “This is going to be good.”  Don’t let the name fool you though.  Milant is tiny, and sort of dumpy, but I think that’s part of its charm.  Take the same place and dress it up in fancy Midtown duds, and it probably wouldn’t be as good.

I don’t know if it was the crowd (there were about 5 or 6 people cramped in there waiting for their sandwiches), the price ($5 to $6.50 for some pretty sweet sounding sandwiches), the free soup (you get a free cup of soup) or the fridges full of nice cheeses and assorted pates- but I was not leaving this place empty handed.  Corey had told me to get the #13.  No explanation, or description… just an “Order the #13.  It rocks.”  When I saw it on the menu, I knew I had found a winner. 

The #13, more food porn and a +/-, after the jump…

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I don’t often eat at (or write about) generic fast food chains, but every once in awhile something will catch my eye, and I just can’t resist.  This blog was practically launched on my reporting about the craziness surrounding the opening of Chipotle in my building.  I also wrote about the one Europa Cafe with a burrito bar, the new oil at KFC, and that weird Wasabi Salmon Bagel thing at Au Bon Pain.  This particular item highlights my weakness for those fast food “Limited Time Only” menu items. 

I think it started back in Junior High when Burger King introduced the first and original Bullseye BBQ Burger.  Man, that thing was awesome.  It seems commonplace now, but doing that cross promotion thing with Bullseye was total genius (I’m pretty sure I forced my mom to buy that sauce for years afterwards).  I remember seeing it on the menu and ordering it for the first time.  Two bacon cheeseburgers, side by side- covered in Bullseye BBQ sauce.  How could it be bad? And then one day it was gone.  Oh boy was I pissed. And yet- even now, all these years later I forget that anger, and get suckered in once again;  falling in love with these crazy menu items that disappear without warning, leaving you wanting just one more taste… (Has anybody had that fried chicken finger wrapped in a tortilla that McDonald’s has?  I really want to try it but I know my wife won’t ever let me live it down)

Enter Cosi.  I was walking by Cosi the other day and noticed a sign in their window for two new sandwiches.  I’ve written about Cosi before.  I know I rail against paying $8 for a sandwich, but for some reason Cosi is the one place I’m willing to do it (I’m pretty sure it’s the bread.  They must put crack in it.)  So when I saw their new Pot Roast Nuevo Sandwich in the window, I was like “I like pot roast!”, and it’s freezing cold.  What better way to enjoy pot roast then in delicious “Only for a Limited Time” sandwich form.

The picture of the sandwich, and the +/- after the jump…

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Being from a Jewish family, I’m a big fan of the smoked salmon.  Lox or nova… doesn’t matter which one, just slap it on a bagel with some white fish, cream cheese, onion (and sometimes tomato) and you’ve got one of the greatest meals of all time.  Thank you to the Eastern European Jews who brought this delicious food over at the beginning of the last century… 

Flash forward to the 80s, and Jews all around the country (actually it was probably just in New York and Miami) were trading in their parents’ smoke fish for raw fish.  Sushi was the new “it” food, and Jewish kids everywhere must have been thinking the same thing I was thinking the first time my Dad took me for sushi (“This is the weirdest chinese food I’ve ever had”). 

Now, I don’t know what genius came up with this one, but I’m guessing at some point one of these Japanese chefs said “Hey… Jews seem to love this bagel with cream cheese and salmon thing… let’s add cream cheese to our salmon maki!”  And thus, the “Bagel Roll” was born… also known as the Philadelphia Roll or sometimes the JB Roll (the Philadelphia I understand- because of the cream cheese, but I’m scared to know what JB stands for.  Could it possibly be Jew Boy???  That would be insanity…)

Anyway, flash forward another 20 years and it looks like Au Bon Pain has decided to take this marriage one step farther… reclaiming the salmon & cream cheese bagel- but keeping the Wasabi.  What the hell kind of craziness is this?  I don’t normally eat at chain sandwich places like ABP, but I could only manage walking by the sign 3 times before finally breaking down and trying this “Salmon & Wasabi Cream Cheese Sandwich” at Au Bon Pain.

What the actual thing looked like (nothing like the sign of course…), and the +/- after the jump…

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I love Ranch 1.  I wrote about it a few weeks ago, and while I know not everyone is on board- I stand behind what I originally said.  If you are looking for a grilled chicken sandwich, that tastes like real chicken, and french fries that taste like they are made from real potatoes (plus you don’t mind a chicken breast that has been pounded thin before being grilled) then Ranch 1 is your place.  It’s one of the few fast food places my wife actually likes (loves is a more appropriate word)- and any place she’s into, where I can “get fries with that”, is alright with me!  (Click here to read the original Ranch 1 post)

So, you can imagine my confusion when I started seeing these new Chicken Bar’s popping up.  The first one, I saw on 8th Ave. and 45th St…. and then another on 52nd and Lexington.  Same colors… similar logo… it’s chicken.  Very strange.  I couldn’t believe that this new chain was clearly ripping off Ranch 1.  Did they really think that their chicken sandwich was going to be that much better to support 2 chicken chains like this in the city???  I decided a visit was in order, and last week I headed to this “Chicken Bar” with every intention of pitting it against Ranch1 in a “one on one” fast food chicken battle of death.  (I would have liked to have made it a 3 man battle royale, but sadly there is no Chick Fil-A in Midtown…)

Arriving at the Chicken Bar on Lexington & 52nd, I was reminded again of how similar the logos are to each other.  Both have got the yellow, red and white thing going… but the Chicken Bar sign is clearly newer- and a bit nicer.  I like the abstract, “hidden” chicken head in the Ranch1 logo, over the obvious big chicken in the Chicken Bar logo, but a vinyl awning can’t touch the class of a 3-D neon style sign.  Chicken Bar 1, Ranch1 Zero.

Both places have “employees” giving out $1 off coupons around the corner from their respective restaurants.  I think it’s pretty obvious who wins this one.  No offense to the lady on the right… I’m sure she cleans up real nice- but she is clearly not a gigantic yellow chicken.  Ranch 1 ties it up… One to One.

The truth is, who cares about the coupons, and the signs and the big yellow chicken (well, actually- I care about the chicken so that’s a bad example).  The food is the most important.  What I ordered, and conclusion of the fierce battle that will literally cause your brain to explode in disbelief…. 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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How great is IKEA?  Greatest place ever, right?  Well, I love IKEA too- but not for the reason most people love it.  Sure, the cheap furniture is nice, and building our IKEA entertainment center was probably the greatest “building” accomplishment of my life- but the real reason I love it is for the food.  Seriously… the food at IKEA is awesome- and dirt cheap.  (Picture of IKEA meatballs to the left is courtesy of eggrollboy on flickr )

Of course I was skeptical at first.  Those signs as you walk in, encouraging you to eat Swedish meatballs in the IKEA cafe…  for $3.99?  I’m not eating that crap.  Who eats at IKEA?  Well, I will tell you who… people who spend the entire morning moving into their new apartment- but still want to take advantage of the van that is due back at U-Haul that night.   So you drive out to Elizabeth NJ, and are so hungry that the IKEA Restaurant is your only option.  That was the first time I ate at IKEA.  The next time- our “shopping” excursion to IKEA, was just an excuse for lunch.  If you’ve never tried the Swedish meatballs with gravy and lingonberries- you don’t know what your missing.  And if you don’t like it- you’ve wasted $4.  Not that big a gamble…

With that in mind, you can imagine my excitement when I read about the new FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar on RestaurantGirl.com… Even though they are called an espresso bar- they also have sandwiches, salads, and Swedish meatballs.  How can you go wrong???  More pictures, and the +/- after the jump…

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