Midtown Lunch

When it gets hot outside, I get in the mood for really hot, spicy curry. It might sound counterintuitive that eating spicy food cools you off. For all I know, it might even be a myth. I just use it as an excuse to eat more peppers. So when I passed by Curry Dreams (39th btw. 5th + 6th) where Zach tried back in 2008 when it was Curry Dream, and I saw that they had a $4.95 lunch box special, I thought I’d give it a shot. I mean, you can’t beat $4.95 for a Midtown lunch, right?

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I started loving tamales when I worked in Corona, Queens, near Tortilleria Nixtamal. The folks there use the traditional nixtamalization process on their corn and make their own masa dough (the dough used to make tamales, tortillas, and other fun stuff) right in front of you! By the way, they now have a smaller downtown location, Nixtamalito, and they also provide ingredients to the food trucks Mexico Blvd and Kimchi Taco, according to their website. I used to have lunch there 2-3 times a week sometimes, and I really missed my tamales!

So I’ve been jonesin’ for some tamales, no lie. They’re cheap, tasty, and very filling–think 6 bucks to feel like you have big ol’ corn brick in your belly. But I hadn’t seen many places around midtown. But one day I looked through the window of Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine (the one between 45th St btw 5th + 6th) and I noticed they had some corn husk wrapped tamales for sale! So I grabbed a few of what I now know is a Cuban-style tamale.

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

Hey there lunchers, Sarah’s out of town this week, so I took a trip down to my old stomping grounds to see what’s new in the old Flatiron bounds. Sarah had mentioned a new truck, Comida Mexicana that she hadn’t checked out yet, so I decided to see what it’s all about.

When I came across it on 28th street, I realized it was just around the corner from the delicious options at both the no name cart on 6th Avenue and the hidden Korean/Mexican gem that is New York Bakery. I got excited. If this truck was nearly as tasty and I testing as those two places, I was in for a great meal.

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I haven’t been to Steak ‘N Shake since my original trip back in January, when I waiting on line in the freezing cold. Now, six months later, it seemed like right right time to revisit the burger chain to check in on the lunch lines and to try the one menu item I’ve been eyeing: the Frisco Melt.
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Because I’ve only been living in New York a few years, I’m still in love with Grand Central Station, and since I started working in Midtown, I probably go there way too much. Although it’s all-around way too expensive, the architecture is beautiful and it’s fun to watch people flitting about. When I first saw Michael Jordan’s Steak House’s pricey menu, I thought, “I’m never eating here.” But then I saw a sign for a $10 “Chicago Style” burger special.

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More wonderful news on the ice cream front this week. Quality Cakes, that colorful bar inside high-end steakhouse Quality Meats, is back for their third summer. We’ve been huge fans of their personal-sized ice cream cakes for the last two years and I’m so happy pastry chef Cory Colton hasn’t gotten tired of making these delicious little concoctions. The flavors are similar to the ones last year, including The Monster Mash, Toasted Banana S’more, Chocolate Covered Grasshopper, and Strawberry Shortcake with one new addition: The Nut & Honey (roasted pistachio cake, nougat candy ice cream, and vanilla-cherry icing).

The cakes are each $8 and well worth the dessert splurge. They’re big enough to share, but will be easy to finish solo without feeling like too much of a fatty. If you haven’t tasted these yet, I urge you to do so. If you have, than you understand my excitement. They’ll be available throughout the summer and maybe as long as October, as was the case last year.

Quality Meats, 57 W 58th Street (btw. 5th and 6th Avenue), (212) 371-7777

A couple of weeks ago, the flashy marquee went up (on 42nd btw. 7+8th), and now, according to the Five Guys Facebook page, the Times Square location will finally open today. Now, there are a lot of burger options in the area. Midtown Lunch favorites like Schnippers and Shake Shack — not to mention other spots like The Counter — are all within a 2 block radius. Where do you think Five Guys will fit into the mix?

Five Guys, 253 W. 42nd Street

We on this blog are no strangers to hearing the news that one of our favorite noodle joints, Menchanko-Tei, has temporarily closed. Again. Most recently, the 55th street location closed for “renovations”, but here’s an interesting development: the 55th street Menchanko-Tei is now permanently closed, and its menu has been absorbed by its neighboring sister restaurant Katsuhama.
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I’m not sure if Midtown needs another Chipotle inspired restaurant but here you go. Hot Clay Oven, an Indian fusion restaurant which “>started off with a downtown location, has taken over what was the last of the Hello Pasta locations on 3rd Ave btw 44th and 45th St. Here’s a look at the menu but basically you get a choice of rice, salad or naan then you add your protein, toppings and dressing. This whole Indian food with the Chipotle way of serving food isn’t new to Midtown. Desi Shack on Lexington and 39th St has already been doing it since last October but I wasn’t a fan of their food. And from what Andrea wrote, Hot Clay Oven may just turn out to be a solid lunch spot. More than anything though we hope that like their downtown location, they will open their doors on the first day with some free food!

It’s been several years since we’ve talked at all about Ustav. Zach pretty much covered all the bases when he originally reviewed the upscale Indian joint in 2007, focusing on their $7.95 or $9.95 take out lunch that costs $18.95 if you eat in their dining room. A lot has happened since 2007, not the least of which was some crazy financial turmoil, so it’s surprising to me that Utsav’s lunch deal remains the same both in price and in quality as when Zach originally reviewed it. And, even more surprising, I hardly hear people talking about this place, yet it is still really great Indian food.
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