Midtown Lunch

I know Xie Xie, the newest Asian sandwich place from Angelo Sosa, is technically outside the Midtown Lunch boundaries- but the menu that Grub Street posted this week looks pretty amazing. And if it’s as good as Baoguette (on Lex btw. 25+26th) or Num Pang (in Union Square), it will be well worth walking the extra one avenue (to 9th and 45th Street).  According to Eater they plan on being open by the end of the week, but from the looks of things today I can’t see how that’s possible (unless they don’t need to wait for city approval once construction is done.)  Also mentioned in Eater’s earlier post, but something I didn’t originally pick up on, is that technically the sandwich place is part of Zanzibar (blech… not a fan.)  But all will be forgiven if the sandwiches are as amazing as they sound.

As much as I love Asian food of all kinds, there is one thing I can’t stand.  The Asian Combo Restaurant.  You know what I’m talking about.  The Chinese food restaurant that serves sushi, or the Vietnamese food place that serves pad thai.  I’m not talking about fusion cuisine, which is an entity all itself.  I’m talking about the restaurant that decides they are going to serve something for everybody- and inevitably ends up doing it none of it well.

So when Asian Station opened on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd, I was naturally skeptical.  In fact, I had written the place off knowing that it was probably too expensive for Midtown Lunch purposes. But once Lunch’er Joe forwarded along the all under $10 menu, I knew I’d have to check it out.  My cheap Asian food loving stomach won out over my combo restaurant hating brain.  And boy am I glad it did.

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Bi Bim Naengmyeon from Pro Hot Korean (on 56th btw. 5+6th)

It’s starting to get gross out, which makes eating hot ramen less and less appealing.  Thankfully summertime means Hiyashi chuka at Japanese restaurants, and Naengmyeon at Korean restaurants. Luncher Mark sends word that Pro Hot Korean (on 56th btw. 5+6th) is not serving their cold noodle dish yet, but what about the Japanese spots?

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A few things have happened since Kathy YL Chan (from A Passion for Food) compiled her Food Porn Guide to Navigating Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) for Midtown Lunch. Beard Papa is now gone, replaced by a coffee and dessert bar.  Since Kathy is our resident coffee, dessert, and Cafe Zaiya expert we told her to go whole hog on their new offerings and report back.  Here is what she found…

Since you’ve already had a first look at the menu and set up of Cafe Zaiya’s new coffee and dessert station, let’s just get straight to the point. The best thing on Cafe Zaiya’s new drink bar menu is SHAVE ICE. It’s near impossible to find shave ice in this city, much less a decent bowl of shave ice. It’s a terribly painful fact for someone who grew up in Hawai’i, consuming shave ice bowls on a daily basis. Zaiya’s shave runs $3.79 for a small and $4.29 for a large, and comes in one flavor: Green Tea. Unlike most places which fill the cup with shave ice and then put on the syrup, Zaiya fills half the cup with shave ice then pours on green tea syrup and plenty of condensed milk. Then more ice, till it forms a decent mound, and then more syrup and condensed milk.

How about the toppings?

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If it wasn’t clear before, the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (which parks in Midtown, and Downtown, a few days a week) has become quite the love ’em or hate ’em kind of vendor.  We’ve read the hate, and seen the love.  I fall somewhere in the middle.  I love me some Chinatown dumplings, and don’t think that Rickshaw comes even close to being what I’d consider a “great dumpling” (and they’re shockingly overpriced to boot.) There’s not enough filling, and the wrapper doesn’t stick together.  They’re also steamed, so you don’t get that delicious crisp of the far superior pan fried dumpling. If you think the dumplings are terrible, I can’t really say that you’re wrong.  Did I mention that they are freakin’ expensive? And most Midtown Lunch commenters hate them. I get it.

But here’s their one saving grace (and it’s probably why they are starting to build up a Midtown following among those who don’t frequent Chinatown.)  They don’t taste terrible.  For all their faults, the dumplings use quality ingredients, and have a decent flavor.  (Unlike, say, the NYC Cravings vegan dumplings.) Plus you can’t argue with their dipping sauces. Would I pay for Rickshaw Dumplings? No.  But a lot of people do.  So in the spirit of the +/-, I went to check out their newest special: the peking duck dumplings.

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A mini argument discussion broke out in the comments the other day over who makes the best schnitzel: Jews or Germans. I suppose the two aren’t mutually exclusive, but the premise of the argument was chicken vs. veal/pork.  Sadly I have to go against my people on this one, and agree that wiener schnitzel is clearly the superior schnitzel- although I wouldn’t turn my nose up at some good Israeli style Kosher chicken schnitzel.

So with all this talk of schnitzel, and the Schnitzel Truck still weeks away, I hit up Kosher Deluxe (on 46th btw. 5+6th) on Monday for a little chicken schnitzel in pita action.

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Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote, a famous French chain with a one item menu (steak frites), just opened their first location in the U.S. on the corner of 52nd and Lex. Even though the $24 price tag puts it well out of the Midtown Lunch price range, their special herb sauce topping looks amazing and they bring you a second serving of steak and french fries after you finish your first. Sounds like my kind of place! [Serious Eats: New York]

As promised, the new Korean cart on 50th btw. 6+7th began serving bulgogi topped hot dogs and Korean short rib tacos this week. I stopped by yesterday, not only to check out the two new items but also to ask if they had been getting the same “treatment” that chased the Happy Well Being House Cart from the same spot a few weeks ago. The Korean guy who runs the cart said that they ran into a bit of trouble earlier but that “everything is ok now.”  I don’t know whether to feel happy for them, or sorry for the Happy Well Being House Cart for not sticking it out in the spot longer.

So for now, it looks like these guys are going to be around.  The question is, how is their new bulgogi dog and short rib tacos!?! (The answer, plus photos of the craziness, is after the jump.)

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Photo courtesy of Kathy YL Chan from A Passion for Food

It looks like Cafe Zaiya’s new dessert and drink bar has opened (where the Beard Papas used to be) and Kathy YL Chan is already on the scene.  She laments the loss of the delicious cream puffs, but the black sesame frappe she posted about on Serious Eats New York looks pretty amazing.

A look at the complete menu of drinks (and shaved ice!?) is after the jump…

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