Over the holidays, Japanese eatery Rio & You closed its doors after six years on 45th street between 8th and 9th avenues. If Rio & You was Bittman’s secret Japanese restaurant as suggested in the comments — which we’re pretty sure it wasn’t — he’ll have to find a new spot. December 23 was their last day.
At the top of the year, this post went up about a really great salad from Mexicue, but I have to be honest, that day, I totally went out for a burger. At Steak ‘N Shake. And not for one second did I make any 2013 resolutions, much less ones about food. Also, as an aside, I have been curious, now that Steak ‘N Shake has been open for a year, would they start raising prices? Answer: So far so good … although I totally have my eye on you, so don’t screw it up!
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Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, January 14th, 2013 under Burger, Steak N Shake.
Got this report from Lunch’er Joel the other day about a new banh mi place that just opened up in Midtown West…
I stumbled into this place, seeing “Bahn mi” written on a whiteboard, out of the corner of my eye this morning. It’s on 47th street, close to 9th Ave, just off the corner – it’s called something like “Saigon Cafe 9 West”. Had a small but authentic seeming menu. I opted for the traditional Bahn mi, which at $6 was closer to downtown prices than the more expensive (and only recently available, with Boi Noodles and Cha Pas arrival) Bahn Mi offerings.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 9:30 am, January 10th, 2013 under Vietnamese.
It’s time for the 2012 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.
Last year, the Kati Roll craze was in full swing, and Biriyani Cart and Kati Roll Company took top honors in our Best Midtown Kati Roll 2011 Readers’ Poll. This year, the ever-popular kati rolls are still saturating Midtown, but is that the best Indian food there is in Midtown? And in addition to our classic, cheap restaurants and carts like Minar (who won this category in 2010), Joy Curry & Tandoor, and Bombay Fast Food… a new truck is on the scene: Mausam Curry & Bites, and a new restaurant: Desi Shack. Meanwhile, Joy and Kati Roll have expanded into new Midtown locations. With all the important ML criteria of taste, portion, authenticity, and price… what will you choose?
Vote for your favorite after the jump…
Posted by jenjfen at 9:00 am, December 20th, 2012 under 2012 Reader's Poll, Indian.
Pizza joints don’t get me too enthused these days… especially after MJP’s fantastically written $1-Slice-O-Rama, it’s hard to seriously enjoy a slice at a $3-$4 price anymore. I had been walking by Uncle Paul’s Pizza (Vanderbilt btw. 45th + 46th) for several months, assuming it had either been covered by Midtown Lunch already, or it had faded into the fray of mediocre Midtown pizza joints. After I went on a Slice-O-Rama excursion with MJP a few months ago, I was inspired to research Uncle Paul’s to do a comparison, and I realized it was a fairly new pizza restaurant, only opened for a few months, that hadn’t yet been covered.
I’ll start off by covering the things about Uncle Paul’s that are gonna catch some hell…
Posted by jenjfen at 11:45 am, November 20th, 2012 under Pizza, Uncle Paul's Pizza.
Rio & You, a Japanese spot just out of bounds on west 45th street that has been in the neighborhood for a number of years, was mentioned in the comments of the Mark Bittman post a few weeks ago. I’d never eaten there, because the lunch specials are expensive, but the other day on my way to Schmackary’s I stopped to look at the menu outside and saw a number of regular dishes seemingly in budget. Ramen (or, “Larmen,” as it is written on the menu)? Udon? Donburi? Well, if you insist!
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, October 19th, 2012 under Japanese.
While I am still majorly bummed about Katsuhama pricing their oyako don out of the ML budget, I’ve been trying to find a new go-to spot. Recently, I hit up Men Kui Tei to check out theirs — don’t count out the rice dishes at this probable Bittman secret favorite restaurant — even though ramen is half the menu, they do very well with most everything they offer. So how did their oyako don stack up?
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Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, October 8th, 2012 under Japanese, Men Kui Tei.
Did you know that today (October 4th) is National Taco Day? [crickets] Neither did we, but you can bet that now that we’re aware of it, it will forever be a highlight on our calendar. In honor of the day that celebrates the taco, please find some of your humble Midtown Lunch contributors’ favorites right now. Not ever, and not in the history of the universe, just some tacos we’re digging at the moment that will hopefully inspire you to celebrate this national food holiday with us.
Rachel Goldner: beef taco at Blend Latin Fusion Truck
Blend truck’s $6 taco trio is a really great deal. My favorite option is the beef taco that Brian also enjoyed back in May, but you can mix and match your three with different proteins. These tacos are colorful, flavorful and with a nice portion of shredded meat in the double tortilla wraps. A little crema and hot sauce on top, and you’re good to go!
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, October 4th, 2012 under Mexican.
The Night Hotel on 45th street between Times Square and 6th avenue always seemed like a sketchy place, more like a gentleman’s club than a hotel. Recently, though, I found out that if you enter the very dark, goth hotel and walk straight back, past some pretty risque art, beyond reception on the right and the elevators on the left, you’ll arrive at a gated bar and a small swanky looking restaurant that bills itself as Japanese cuisine. Boasting dishes like pad thai and green curry as well as sushi and katsu, Red Moon is not, in fact, just Japanese cuisine, but yet another Asian fusion joint. Still, with its $10 lunch specials, Red Moon still seemed worth checking out.
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Sapporo has once again undergone a menu makeover, as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago. And Sapporo regulars from the Yelp community have been complaining that the gyoza are not the same, neither is the miso ramen. Not a good sign. I’ve been by a couple times now for takeout, now, and have had mixed experiences with both new and old dishes.
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