Midtown Lunch

There was a time, not long ago, when Milant (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) was considered the best sandwich place in Midtown.  Then the DOH hit, followed by a weird period where they were closed more than they were open. Since that time, I’ve only been back to Milant once- for a good lunch, which I enjoyed– but there is no question their reputation has been hurt.  On Friday I walked by Milant once again, to see what was cookin’, and found they had quietly entered the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.  Sort of…

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This might be the only day of the year that I would actually recommend staying in your office for lunch (it’s rough out there on St. Paddy’s Day), but if you must go out to lunch, and you must have some corned beef (I don’t care if technically it’s not Irish, as some have pointed out) here are a few places you can hit up in Midtown.  My usual St. Paddy’s day lunch spot is the Blarney Stone (on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th) but you can also get good corned beef sandwiches at the Homefront Deli (on 41st btw. Mad+Park) and Cafe Edison (on 47th btw. B’way+8th).  If you don’t mind sharing, there is always the Carnegie Deli mitosis idea, and Serious Eats New York says the new corned beef sandwich at Bouchon Bakery is good (although at $10.75 it is outside the ML price range.)  What are you doing to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day?

Photo courtesy of Ultraclay dot com

Back in September my quest to find the best chicken parm in Midtown took me to Mondello (on 37th btw. Mad+5th).  It was “satisfying, but nothing to write home about.”  And yet, it appears as if I missed something crucial that would increase the awesomeness of their chicken parm tenfold.

From the blog Ultraclay:

Where other places may dump pizza sauce on top, they offer a choice of regular and a meat sauce. Both have a salty, sweet flavor, but the meat sauce has a richness that adds another dimension to the sandwich.

Shut up! Meat sauce on a chicken parm!?! That… is… awesome. I don’t remember them giving me a choice, because if they had I would have obviously gone with the meat sauce.  Clearly it’s time to revisit this one.

Mondello Pizzeria & Restaurant, 3 East 37th (btw. Mad+5th), 212-684-2411

After its Vendy Award nomination, and people’s choice victory, the Biryani Cart on 46th btw. 6+7th flirted with a second cart (parked next to the original cart) to accommodate the demand. It was a little confusing for customers, who didn’t realize which cart was serving kati rolls and which cart was serving their chicken tikka masala and chicken biryani. Once the lines died down, the second cart disappeared… but last week it  reappeared right next to the original Biryani Cart as “Sandwich Land”, a cart dedicated to sandwiches.

The new sandwich land cart (which is parked directly to the right of the original cart) features two burgers, two cheesesteak sandwiches, a variety of pita sandwiches, and their non-Indian spiced chicken and lamb over rice plates. And of course… an entry for the Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge.

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Part of the reason I’m just fat, as opposed to morbidly obese, is that I cook dinner at home on most nights. And most of my cooking knowledge has come from my wife (she trained me early and well), Jamie Oliver, and Mario Batali. Years ago, when I was unemployed, I used to watch Molto Mario all the time… and I pretty much learned most of what I know about cooking Italian food from that show:

Use the cloudy pasta water to loosen up your pasta dishes (which should be more about the noodle, and only lightly coated with the sauce), everything gets finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and finally- you don’t put cheese on seafood. That last one always seemed weird since cheese goes good on everything, but I trusted Mario, and would always forgo parmesan on my fettuccine with shrimp (my wife never held back, and openly laughed in my face). This went on until went went to Chile and had the most amazing scallops covered in melted parmesan. They were delicious, and I finally decided… if it’s good enough for the Chileans, it’s good enough for me!

With that in mind, I visited Lazzara’s yesterday to try their entry in the Midtown Lunch Sandwich challenge.  A fried calamari and fresh mozzarella sandwich (Mario be damned!)

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When I first posted the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge I listed Sohpie’s Cuban’s fried pork and plantain sandwich as one of the major inspirations. So I was pretty pleased to hear that they were going to participate in the challenge. And while their entry (the “pernil with a twist”) isn’t really all that different from the original sandwich already on their menu, it is a slight improvement- and worthy of praise. (If for no other reason than the fact they are part of the reason this is even happening.)

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A new day, brings another sandwich entry in the Midtown Sandwich Challenge. Actually… another *two* sandwiches. That’s right. The Jamaican Dutchy cart (on 51st & 7th) has created two sandwiches, and one of them is the first vegetarian entry in the challenge. Although the spirit of the challenge is to create something outrageous and unhealthy, that shouldn’t disqualify the sandwich from being vegetarian. And I commend the Dutchy for coming up with a sandwich that allows people who don’t eat meat to take part in our fun sandwich taste off. It also helps that the vegetarian sandwich is freakin’ good.

Check them both out after the jump… 

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Ok, well maybe that is a bit of an overstatement… but between this, the duck sandwich at FreeFoods, and the Mexican Cheesesteak from the El Rey del Sabor cart– this Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge thing is turning out to be the best thing I’ve ever done for… well… for myself.  Seriously.  I can’t believe how well this is going, and after trying Certe’s “Thanksgiving Dip” (on 55th btw. 5+6th), I am ready to declare this challenge thing a complete success- even if not another sandwich gets made.

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We could go back and forth about whether or not FreeFoods NYC is a true Midtown Lunch (it’s not), or whether or not I should even be eating at a place like this (I shouldn’t).  But the simple fact is this.  They made a new sandwich, put it on their menu, called it “The Midtown Lunch Special”, and charged under $10 for it (if you don’t include the tax).  So, according to the rules set forth in my Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge, I am obligated to go and eat the sandwich and post about it.  I never said I had to like it… just eat it, and post about it. 

Standing in FreeFoods, I could feel my anger rising.  I mean, this place is really expensive.  Sure, most of it is organic, they use the best ingredients, and it is one of the few places in Midtown where a vegetarian, vegan, or raw foods enthusiast can get a decent lunch.  But I don’t fall into any of those categories, and my category (cheap fatso) is clearly not intended audience.  The sandwiches are all $11 and up (except for the ML special), the by the lb. buffet is $395 a pound (or so it seems), and their non coffee drinks are $3 at their cheapest and $8 at their most expensive.  In other words, if you want more than just a sandwich, you’re not getting out of here for less than $15. 

There is only one problem.  The “Midtown Lunch Special Sandwich”, a duck pastrami reuben, is really freakin’ good.

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Photo courtesy of Lunch’er Tom

And so it has officially begun… I went to El Rey Del Sabor (the Mexican cart on 60th and 3rd Ave.) or Monday for the first official payoff of the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.  It’s called the “Alambre” on the sign advertising this new $6.50 sandwich- but I prefer to think of it as a “spicy Mexican cheesesteak.”  You may remember reading about this off-the-menu treat a few months back, when they served it to me as a plate lunch.  Thankfully they took my suggestion a turned it into a full fledged sandwich… and just in time to introduce it as their entry in the sandwich challenge.

Check it out after the jump…

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