Midtown Lunch

How do you go about making a place that is already pretty awesome, thanks to baked goods and 5 items for $5, even better? By making some really damn good noodle soups. We got a tip from Lunch’er “William” that Lunch Box Buffet (on 34th btw 7+8th) had hired a well-known chef from Flushing to make some of the most popular Chinese noodle soups. If it’s from Flushing it must be good right? I hope so! See what’s on the new menu after the jump.

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Thanks to Lunch’er “Moonji” for sending along this tip last week… “Just saw the attached sign this afternoon, on 45th between 3rd and Lex (where the old Tasti-D used to be). Hope it’s something reasonable and delicious! Their website is up but no menu/information up yet. I did see someone inside working on stuff.” Nice… could be good. We don’t really have a shortage of Latin food in Midtown, and Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th) is actually run by Dominicans (despite calling themselves a Cuban restaurant.) But it will be cool to see a place that takes ownership of their Dominican heritage. More info as soon as we get it…

Have a tip of your own to share? Don’t be selfish. Send it to editor@midtownlunch.com

Earlier this week I blogged about Late Night Snack, the newest flavor from Ben & Jerry’s, featuring a vanilla ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and chocolate covered potato chips. Yesterday when I was down in the Rock Center concourse, I noticed that the Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop had Late Night Snack on hand. Not terribly surprising since it was created in partnership with 30 Rock’er, Jimmy Fallon… but for those of you hunting around for the flavor, now you know where to go.

After reading luncher “GreeZeyFreezey’s” second rave about the White & Hot Halal Truck last week, I decided to finally check it out. It’s been a while since I’ve had any street meat and the time seemed right for a chicken and lamb over rice. I was just about to order when I noticed that they offered kofte over rice as well. You don’t see that nearly as often as ‘lamb’ or whatever’s in that gyro loaf. Given how well reviewed these guys were, I decided to try it out.

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I’ve been wanting to try Big D’s Grub Truck ever since they came onto the scene back in January, but they tended to spend a good amount of time in Long Island City and Downtown. Downtown Lunch’s Andrea has checked them out a few times, noting that one should go for the pork or meat. When they were in Midtown last week, I saw on their Twitter that they were testing Chili Sesame Chicken and made my way over for some lunch.

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Bian Dang, formerly known as NYC Cravings, has returned after a season of focusing on the brick and mortar world of Food Gallery 32. On Tuesday they hit my turf, the Flatiron District, in a brand new truck- but still serving up their usual menu (on 24th Street btw. Park+Mad). And yesterday they were in the Financial District.  Today?  They’re back in the fold, and planning to park on 53rd St. and Park Ave. (their old Thursday spot.)  But you’ll probably want to check their twitter account or the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out just to be safe.

Yesterday, Luncher “Matt” emailed in with this report:

Washoku Cafe (aka Negi-Ya) may have closed! A coworker tells me the gate’s down, there’s no sign, and they stopped taking credit cards yesterday. It is the first of the month …

Calls to the Japanese cafe and noodle shop just get voicemail. Personally, I’m going to be very disappointed if the only source of decent tonkotsu this side of 40th Street has gone under. The weather might be warm today, but I know I’m going to need more soup before the summer comes.

Related:
Soup’s on at Negi-Ya (aka Washoku Cafe)

I love a good deal as much as anyone else, but it’s been years since I’ve found any great pleasure surfing the dollar menu anywhere. That said, when I saw the sign for $1 burgers and dogs at Pop’s in last week’s Links, I knew I’d have to investigate. Lunchtime Monday afternoon, I went over to 7th Avenue to check it out.

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Ask the simple question, “Where’s the best Mexican food in New York City?” and you’ll likely be met with exasperated sighs, an eye roll, and the fierce proclamation that New York Mexican cuisine could never in a million years rival that of California’s (at least until California is swallowed by the Pacific). Part of me agrees. I’ve had the pleasure of eating at the clapped out taco trucks in random parking lots around Salinas and Fresno, CA – gleefully shoveling down $1.50 tacos meant for the local day laborers, now being elbowed out by DSLR toting hipsters.

But we shouldn’t be so self depreciating, for there’s perfectly acceptable Mexican to be had at Tehuitzingo Deli and Grocery (10th Avenue between 47th & 48th st) – well out of reach of Midtown, but accessible for the lucky lunchers that work on the western edge of Midtown, or those with very lax lunch breaks (they also deliver as far east as 6th ave).

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In the months since the Korilla BBQ truck first hit the streets they’ve revamped their menu to make the truck more efficient. You still have the option of mixing and matching toppings but they’ve put together some “best of” combos. I liked the Pork Chosun Bowl I first tried in the fall, so I decided to go with their Wild Child combination ($8) with their house made tofu and a more than liberal dousing of their k’lla sauce. Read more »