Midtown Lunch

I should probably admit off the bat that I never ate at Chiyoda Sushi (on 41st btw. Mad+5th). Of all the times I walked right by it on my way to Cafe Zaiya, I think I stopped in once and I still ended up going to Zaiya. Despite Zach’s strong recommendation to check it out, I just couldn’t get excited for what was described as a more refined (more expensive) version of the Zaiya experience. Admittedly I’m not sure why that was because I’ve definitely spent $10 at Zaiya before, so it’s not like that is usually a dirt cheap lunch for me. Now that Chiyoda has been reborn as Mai Sushi, I decided it was time to give them a try.

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New Yorkers, our long nightmare is over – it seems like we’re getting our own version of the Kogi BBQ truck. At this point, there’s little that Mr. Zach Brooks can hold sacred to LA, now that we’re about to encroach on the Korean taco truck phenomenon. A phenomenon that already seems to have pervaded our local Midtown lunch venues, like Bann Next Door, Café Duke and Pro Hot Korean, though we have yet to see a legit Korean taco truck operating in Manhattan for weekday lunches.

After first hearing about the Korilla truck a few months ago on Eater and doing some preliminary investigation on their website and Facebook page, I excitedly reached out to the owner to get a little more information on the Korilla truck.

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The Little Morocco cart returned to its spot at 39th and 7th a few weeks ago, but the food didn’t seem the same. Gone were the beans, corn, free french fries and cilantro. The hot sauce was noticeably weaker. This was cause for concern. Would the real Little Morocco ever return? Well, last week, there was talk in the forums that things were back to normal at Little Morocco, and that there was a new item being served (and that the usual operator had returned). Clearly I had to see it for myself.
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There have been some heated debates around here about where to find the perfect banh mi in Midtown. After we mentioned Yushi was pushing the Vietnamese sandwich on Wednesdays, they quickly sold out in subsequent weeks. Then there was the epic “Banh-Mi-Palooza” organized by Lunch’er Christine and a gang of other awesome ML readers. So, naturally, we were gonna freak the eff out when we heard that Kolette’s Kitchen (a new place on Lex btw. 55+56th) was offering kosher (!?) banh mi complete with porkless (natch) pate. Banh mi without its signature meat ingredient? See how it did on judgment day…

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When Leña Latin Grill opened up in June (on 35th btw. 5+6th), we pegged it as a “Latin Chipotle” (yes, South American would have made more sense) and comments were mixed. Since then I’ve stopped in several times and to be honest… I keep going back for more. See why after the jump.

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Elvis Aaron Presley’s legacy lives on in all things flavored with peanut butter, bacon, and bananas and now that legacy extends to waffles. Wafels & Dinges is now offering an Elvis special waffle ($7)–their bacon Brussels waffle topped with peanut butter and bananas (someone needs to tell them that if they truly want to do an Elvis, they should be topping their concoction with honey.) A picture of the Elvis waffle in it’s glory after the jump.

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A couple of weeks ago, a new cart called Grill & Noodle popped up on 50th btw. 6+7. The cart has an old school no-frills appearance and an odd Chinese/Japanese hybrid menu that ranges from lo mein to teppanyaki. That kind of identity crisis is often a bad sign. I found myself walking by the cart the other day and figured I might as well give a shot, especially when I noticed the mysterious Casanova steak.

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Back in the spring, Luncher ‘Steve” spotted the opening of Tokyo 11 just out of ML bounds (sort of in Flatiron Lunch bounds) on 31st and Lexington. We haven’t checked it out yet, but passing by this week, I noticed that they’re offering 15% off of the whole menu through the end of the month.
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When Nanoosh opened up a couple months ago, I wasn’t really sure what to think. With the bright colors and san serif font, it looked like all the other new chains popping up around town. Plus, with all that talk about being organic and healthy, it didn’t really call to me the way a various fried chicken spots have, but I still made my way back a couple times. Surprisingly, I found that I actually enjoyed it.

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Earlier this week, we received reports that Pro Hot Korean (on 56th btw. 5+6th) was offering a Korean taco special this week and next (9/7-9/17). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve professed my unabashed predisposition towards Korean tacos during my previous assessments of Café Duke and Bann Next Door. Not to be outdone, the demurely humble Pro Hot Korean joins in on the suddenly chic Korean taco trend with their version of galbi, bulgogi, and spicy chicken filled tacos.

At $4.99 for two, these appear to be priced at a bargain – but how does it compare to its predecessors? We take on the tacos and get a feeling for the fillings after the jump.

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