Midtown Lunch

Top Pot’s infamous maple bar

Before I moved to New York, I lived in Seattle for a spell. And despite having what is the complete opposite of a sweet tooth (sorry Blondie & Brownie!), I used to pop into Top Pot Doughnuts, a Seattle based doughnut chain, on a regular basis for their awesome apple fritters and maple bars (Seattle Seahawks WR, Golden Tate, is also a huge fan of their maple bars). So I was glad to hear the news that Top Pot has set their sights on expanding nationally, with an eye towards midtown Manhattan. Although New Yorkers may have had a taste of their doughnuts before – Top Pot temporarily partnered with Starbucks in 2010-11 – we could always use another source for a sugar rush. And the fact that it’s Golden Tate (and Chris H) approved, even better. Thanks Lunch’er Sam P.S. for the tip!

Well, readers, it was a random Thursday and for whatever reason I was really in the mood for some soup dumplings. I hadn’t had them for about six months at Shanghai Tide in Flushing, the last time I did a appetizer crawl on the International Express (aka 7 line). The first time I ever tasted soup dumplings was at Joe’s Shanghai, the most famous place for these Shanghainese treats with restaurants around the city. I was interested in trying something besides Joe’s, so I googled “soup dumplings midtown” or something of that nature. John’s Shanghai (46th btw 6+7th) appeared high on the list. And, the place had just appeared in the our Lunch Links as having some great “fried tiny buns” according to the blog Food In Mouth. I thought perhaps dumplings might be their thing.

If you’ve never tried soup dumplings, or Xiaolongbao, it’s a very interesting experience. The pork (or I’ve also seen crab and pork) filled dumpling is also filled with a flavorful “soup.” You place the dumpling in a soup spoon, cover it with a vinegar-ginger sauce, bite into it, let the soup run from the dumpling into your spoon, and finally slurp and gobble. How in the world do they get the soup into the dumpling? At first I thought they must inject it, but I found out that they wrap aspic (kind of like meat jello) in with the pork and it melts during the steaming process. They’re always moist because of the soup and ground meat, and the sauce really gives them the extra yum factor. I couldn’t wait to get some in my belly. So, without further ado, I bravely marched toward Times Square; John’s is located in that general area.
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Looking for sushi options on your walk up 7th Ave into the tourist-occupied territory known as Times Square? Soon, your search will get easier! The Wall Street Journal’s global real estate pages report that British sushi chain Wasabi is taking over the old Burger King spot near Times Square on 40th and 7th (registration or some Google wizardry required to read the whole piece).
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Raise your fists and bow your heads, those of us who work just near or completely in those out-of-bounds zones, that we may all struggle together against the oppressive forces of market dynamics causing all the good trucks to be on or near the 50s and Park. Yes, that’s where the disposable income professionals are, the big-money finance types. Though they command the markets both professionally and in terms of food dollars, we do not suffer gladly these slings and arrows. Nay, we look elsewhere. We recognize our own. With this in mind, if you’re like me and working in the 30s, and don’t mind a moderate walk (or voting with your Seamless dollars), and your knowledge of K-Town is confined to Food Gallery 32 and Woorijip, Kofoo is the option that was positively made for you.
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Rejoice, all those who like soup in the height of August and didn’t read about Soup Spot this morning! In an inexplicable attempt to cash in on an almost 20-year old sitcom that did to 3/4ths of its cast the same thing Star Wars did to Mark Hamill, the official Seinfeld page on Facebook has convinced some obviously debt-ridden food truck operator to make a “No Soup for You” truck to appear across the country.

Yes, you too can maybe shake the hand of Larry Thomas, whose career was no doubt boosted greatly by his one-episode appearance that in turn gave rise to a tourist-trap soup chain.

The Soup Nazimobile — which only devalues the -mobile suffix and makes the Batmobile very, very angry — hits NYC on 8/1. Specific location and time frame to follow, but if I were you, I’d spare the disappointment and just go to Hale and Hearty to get it over with, or if you’re feeling generous, give Al Yeganeh your money directly at one of the Original Soup Man locations. The rest of us will keep Soup Spot in our minds and hearts.

Freeloaders, move to the extreme left after ordering and set phasers to “soup.”

There’s nothing better in any season — summer included — than soup. Yes, soup. Soup that’s hot. Soup that’s steaming. Soup that isn’t an overpriced container of liquid suck. Sure, your only option may be an attempt to capitalize off a Seinfeld-ized urban myth meant to sucker in tourists (PRO TIP: check out the rules list and look for the one in German, and question why they’d do that at ALL given Soup Nazi evasion in name and mythos) or a generic deli whose soups are conveniently pre-prepared at some anonymous Sysco affiliate in Queens. But if you’re in the very belly of the beast — the looming shadow of Penn Station — you have an option. You can get in on the secret. You have access to 17 or 18 different flavors that change daily. You have freedom. You have options. You have Soup Spot.
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While we have some great food carts in Midtown, some may argue that the best street food in New York is along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens – especially when it comes to Indian, Latin American, and Mexican food. Last week Lunch’er David R wrote in with a tip about a new Mexican cart on 39th and Park that is serving the authentic stuff you usually only find out in Jackson Heights.

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A new crepe shop has appeared next to Schnitzel Express on 39th street. I-Crepe looks more like an internet cafe than an eating establishment, with iPads set up on desks in rows in the interior. Apparently you can use those iPads to order, or go up to the counter. I passed by on my way to work, and they didn’t appear open yet, but based on the posters in the window, I’m intrigued by the bizarre range of options.
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During the summer, I often make a futile attempt at eating light so I can look good in the bikini that sits in my dresser drawer for the vacation I never end up going on. My latest attempt at healthy eating went comically poorly, and for some reason I feel compelled to share my embarrassment with you nice folks. My hypothesis going in: You can totally eat a light meal at a burger joint. Right? I tried it out at The Counter in Times Square. My hypothesis was dead wrong (but I still had a tasty meal!).

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I walked by this storefront-in-progress in the middle of Friday’s heat wave and burst out laughing. I mean … I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted less at that exact moment. We on this blog are not huge fans of Hale & Hearty (I fell for a completely underwhelming “Thai” chicken soup some months ago), but if you are, a new shop is under construction on 40th street between 7th and 8th avenues.