Midtown Lunch

It was always up for debate where K! Pizzacone is a revolutionary concept in pizza eating or a sad, stupid gimmick to relieve tourists of their money. What’s clear at least for the moment is that it is not open for business. At least today. There’s no sign up one way or the other, but what’s also been absent in the window is a DOH Letter grade. We know they didn’t make the Filthy 15, but maybe a B just wasn’t going to meet their high standards.

A few months ago, Lunch’er “mewantfood” tipped us off in the forums about a new Korean restaurant called Danji currently under construction on 52nd btw. 8+9th.  I reached out to Chef/Owner, Hooni Kim (formerly of Daniel and Masa) who let me know that they’ll be open for lunch on weekdays and will offer rotating, seasonal lunch combos of “dup-bap’s”, which is an “over rice” dish. Every day, they’ll offer one meat dup-bap and one vegetarian dup-bap, which will be served with a daily soup and 2 side-dishes (banchan). However, prices are currently TBD (come on under $10!!!)  And yes, there will be Korean tacos as well.  According to their blog the grand opening is scheduled for December 15th.

I haven’t touched tequila in years. Just a whiff brings back memories of my 20s and “just one more shot” at 3am on a Tuesday night. No, thanks. That said, I’ll do a go a long way for a good taco. When I read about Zengo’s new lunch of three tacos for $10 in their tequila bar, I knew I’d have to suck it up and bury those shredded memories to get my hands on some high class tacos.

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In honor of National Sandwich Day (who knew?) Serious Eats New York has put up a slideshow of photos and links to their 26 favorite sandwich posts from the past few years. To save you the trouble of clicking through all 26 (seriously though, when are we going to stop with the freakin’ slideshows!), we’ll just tell you there are 2 Midtown Lunch’ish options that made the cut: the halloumi sandwich from Macchiato Espresso Bar, and the roast beef special from Previti.

When I first found out about Paris Baguette, I was a little perplexed. Like many of us, my mind first turned to Vietnamese sandwiches, but when I found out that it was really a Korean chain of French-inspired bakeries specializing in pastries and desserts, I was even more confused.

I’ll go for sweets here and there, but they are rarely a big draw for me, so I didn’t rush to check it out. After reading Blondie’s dessert report, I decided it was worth a second look. What I found when I got there was that the menu was even more diverse than I had expected. What really got my attention was the cross-cultural menu of sandwiches from lobster rolls and cheesesteaks to bulgogi and chicken parm.

See the good, the bad and the just plain different after the jump.

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Thanks to Lunch’er Anne for tipping us off to Radicchio Pasta & Risotto Co., a new Italian place on 53rd Street between 2nd & 3rd that was mentioned in the sidebar of yesterday’s edition of Tasting Table.  “Midtown gets an infusion of $10 and under homemade pasta at this new 18-seat spot” sounds promising enough, so I swung by yesterday to get a look inside and to take a look at the menu. Check it out after the jump.

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As far as chains go, I’m not a Pret hater. Yes, their sandwiches tend toward the pricey. But they do use good ingredients and they are always switching up the menu with new items. Case in point this their new “Vietnamese Baguette” which to my way of thinking is their dummy’s way of saying bánh mì.
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Usually 9th ave is out-of-bounds from an ML perspective, and the opening of a new Thai restaurant in this area of town is hardly sensational – in fact, there’s no less than 15 Thai restaurants within a 4 block radius of the newly opened Pure Thai Shophouse. But after reading Grub Street’s opening report, and learning of the pedigree of Chef David Bank, who previously worked under Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the Mercer Kitchen, I decided that this would require an out-of-bounds journey. And boy am I glad I made that trip.

A meander down 9th ave in search of Thai sustenance can be overwhelming. One Thai restaurant might cater to customers who prefer to dine amongst garish bubblegum pink décor, while the next Thai venue offers an exclusive ‘secret’ menu to the knowledgeable few with an old copy of the Zagat guide or access to Yelp.com. All serve the same highly fungible crowd pleasing dishes of pad thai, drunken noodles, and curries in various earth toned colors. However, if you’re ever in doubt as to which Hells Kitchen Thai joint to pick for lunch, I’ll suggest that Pure Thai Shophouse is perhaps the only Thai restaurant worth visiting on 9th ave.

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Thanks to Lunch’er Mangostrawberry for giving us the heads up about Bread & Honey, a new Deli/Supermarket/Buffet/Sandwich/Udon noodle place on 8th Ave between 55th & 56th. Normally this sort of venue wouldn’t be worthy of investigation, but when we hear the words Mongolian BBQ station (possibly the only one of its kind in this area) all bets are off. I did a quick cruise through the store to inspect.

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Pinnacle Bagel & Deli (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) is the latest to enter Midtown’s growing Korean taco craze, with a sign proclaiming Tacos Zen (I’m not sure if that’s the name of the taco counter within, or simply the mental state they expect their tacos to leave you in). I’ve never been to Pinnacle before, but they have the salads and sandwiches you can get anywhere. I’m not sure when they started serving this Korean-Mexican fusion (they also have burritos, burrito bowls and gimbap in addition to tacos), but it’s sure to make them stand out from their deli brethren. Chris H. has already written about Pro Hot Korean, Cafe Duke and Bann Next Door. Can Pinnacle be added to the list of places to satisfy your Korean taco craving?

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