Midtown Lunch

What can I say? I’m a cheap bastard.

• Midtown Lunch… bringing old friends together over chicken and potato stick sandwiches at Tina’s [Blondie and Brownie]
• Long lines followed the NYC Cravings truck to the Flatiron District on Tuesday [Me So Hungry]
• Mr. Cutlets tears apart the meatball sandwich at AQ Kafe [The Feedbag]
• You can get a breakfast torta from the cart on 33rd and 9th Ave. [Fressagirl]
• Empty Midtown storefronts are being turned into billboards [NYT]
• The Japanese culinary center on 45th & 3rd will soon begin selling “hard to find Japanese ingredients… in home-cook quantities” [Tasting Table via Grub Street]
• For an extra $1 you can get a full size order of rice and beans with any sandwich at Sophie’s Cuban [Lunch Studio]
• Melt Cafe and Gelato bar has opened on 2nd Ave. [Eating in Translation]
• The new branch of Fika Swedish Espresso Bar has opened on Park btw. 28+29th [Tasting Table]

My kid at the OTB. What… is that wrong? A lady working there did give
me a big frown and a “No you didn’t” looking head shake

• The SVP is trying to convince the city that expanding the number of street vending licenses would be a good way to help end joblessness [City Room]
• You can try Red Mango’s new flavor for free on Saturday Noon to 4pm [Grub Street]
• A look at the mint whoopie pie from Joe and the Art of Coffee in Grand Central [Blondie and Brownie]
• Kathy YL Chan finds her favorite Korean pastry at Cafe Ele on 32nd Street [Serious Eats: New York]
• The just out of bounds Tulcingo del Valle turns out an amazing version of chiles rellenos [Fork in the Road]
• Cutlets takes up the Benjamin Steakhouse Burger Challenge (I’m sure this will be be a fair competition.) [The Feedbag]
• There a new chef at Ariyoshi, an Izakaya in the East 50s [Word of Mouth]
• The proscuitto pie at Lazzara’s looks pretty damn good [BLD Project]
• If you were interested in stalking Lunch’er Jamie, you should have gone to Tehuitzingo earlier in the week [Fressa Girl]
• Sarah DiGregorio attempts to do Inakaya (in the NYT building) on the cheap [Village Voice]
• The Rafiqi’s on 32nd & Park has corn, cilantro, and olives as toppings [Ultraclay]

My kid with Kim from the Treats Truck

• Ed Koch eats at Global Kitchen! (The generic deli on 51st btw. 5+6th?) I wonder if he’s ever been to Yips. [Wonkette]
• A video of Mickey Rourke eating at Nello’s (?) in Midtown UES (close enough I guess) [Associated Content]
• You can stop holding your breath… here’s that review of Just Salad in Rock Center you were waiting for! [Blondie & Brownie]
• 99 Cent Pizza Showdown: 2 Bros Pizza might be opening behind the Port Authority [Grub Street]
• Need a fancy Japanese knife and a bottle of sake? The Japanese Culinary Center has opened on 3rd Ave. and 45th Street [TONY]
• Capital Grille and Streak Frites both have new locations opening in Midtown [Wined and Dined]
• Ming Tsai thinks that Wu Liang Ye has the best Szechuan food in the city [Restaurant Girl]
• Lunch’er Josh joins the incredibly short list of bloggers who really like Danku [NYC Foodie]
• No reason to be jealous of those who get to eat at the New York Times cafeteria [Eat Me Daily]
• Sophie’s green sauce does NOT have mayo in it [Serious Eats: New York]

My kid with The Carrot from Pump Energy Food (on Madison btw. 39+40th)

• According to Lunch’er Andrew, the “Woody Allen” at Carnegie Deli could easily be split into 8 sandwiches [Wined and Dined]
• There is a free Red Mango coupon in the latest issue of Time Out New York [The Feed Blog]
• The Rickshaw Dumpling Truck is hiring [Eat Me Daily]
• This ranking of NYC cupcakes inexplicably leaves off Crumbs (less surprising: Magnolia ended up mid-pack) [Grub Street]
• You can get a great mushroom and barley soup in the Dean and Deluca in the New York Times Building [BLD Project]
• A Mini guide to lunches in Midtown South [Eat to Blog]
• 9th Ave. is the best place to run into a cast member of Hair [Grub Street]
• Yvo hits up the Downtown branch of the Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck [Feisty Foodie]

So, everybody has been telling me how much they love the photos of my kid with different Midtown Lunches. So I decided to start taking more… like this one of Harry holding my falafel sandwich from Moshe’s new truck. (I swear on my life the unfortunate falafel/pickle placement was completely unintentional.)

• Darbar Grill on 55th has free appetizers every night from 5 to 8pm [Eater]
• Check out the new April flavors of Itzy Bitzy macarons, which are sold at Tafu on 51st & Lex [SENY]
• During Passover, Toloache will be serving a special Mexican matzo ball soup and tacos de brisket made with matzo tortillas [Zagat Buzz]
• Tips for attacking the by the lb. buffet at Alpine Gourmet.  Tip #1 Should be “Don’t eat at Alpine Gourmet” [BLD Project]

Photo by nycblondieandbrownie

• The Treats Truck is now stocking a full array of St. Paddy’s Day cookies [Blondie and Brownie]
• It looks like the Rainbow Room won’t be converted into office space after all [Diner’s Journal]
• Surprise!  The grilled cheese sandwich at Applebee’s on 50th St. isn’t good [NYP]
• The guy eating everything on Tony’s Top 100 List hits up Sophie’s Cuban for the “Pernil With a Twist” [Amuse My Bouche via TONY’s Feed Blog]
• Kathy’s most excellent cookie list includes Oren’s (which has multiple Midtown locations) and Bouchon Bakery [A Passion for Food]
• Adam Roberts has devised a Foodie Scavenger Hunt that includes the Biryani Cart on 46th & 6th [Amateur Gourmet]

But wait… there’s more. Midtown East izakaya action, another drugstore sandwich, something bad from Bouchon Bakery, and another photo of my kid with food (sorry, I’ll stop posting them when he stops doing adorable shit at lunch) all after the jump…

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Lunch at BonChon w/ The Kid (full report coming next week). Photo by Daniel Krieger

• The comment that inspired the above photo [ML]
• A sneak peak at what we have to look forward to when Kyochon opens in Koreatown [Feisty Foodie]
• Bouchon Bakery’s bacon maple brioche looks might tasty [Dessert Buzz]
• Haiku responses to the anti-Chipotle haiku you put in the comments last week [Chipotle Haiku]
• A whirlwind tour of Murray’s Salami in the Grand Central Market [Wandering Eater]
• What are tourists going to do when Sbarro’s goes out of business? [NYC Tourists]
• It’s hard to argue against an Olympic Pita obsession [Miss Menu]
• Daisy May’s Chili has been chosen as one of the best in the Country [Bon Appetit via Grub St.]
• I can totally relate to this ice cream cone sculpture artist’s creed [Blondie and Brownie]

Anybody who thinks you can’t navigate an all you can buffet with a two month old strapped to your chest, has never met me before.  I mean it’s either that or miss out on Bombay Bistro, a brand new Indian buffet on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd.  Clearly, not going was never going to be an option. Full report coming soon.  (Early adopters, just an FYI… the buffet is $10.95, but I think it’s been well stated on numerous occasions that I will go up to $11 for an all you can eat buffet.)

Related:
At Lunch Now: Midtown Lunch’s Buffet Team Has Doubled

My personal goal of creating a buffet eating arsenal through spreading my personal DNA took a big leap forward today.  Meet Harry, the first member of this exclusive club, who entered the world this morning weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz (or as I would say, $50.60 at the Cafe Duke by the lb. buffet.)  My celebratory lunch?  General Tso’s chicken and pork fried rice (of course) from the closest Chinese dive to the hospital (some random place on 10th Ave. btw. 51+52nd.)  That *adorable* photo is after the jump…

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