Midtown Lunch

For people who are used to chicken tikka masala, biriyani and tandoori, ordering “chaat” (the word used to describe small plates of snacks) can be a little more confusing.  To make ordering it a little less intimidating, check out these photos The Flooz (who blogs about Astoria on Joey in Astoria) posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Pool, from Indus Express, the [...]

Does anybody know what is going on at the McGraw Hill Building at 1221 Ave. of the Americas?  Rumors have been rampant since the closing of the Duane Reade on the 48th St. side of the building last Monday (that’s right, the city is actually *losing* a Duane Reade for once).  I was hoping that it [...]

My hatred of the generic Midtown deli is no secret to anybody who reads this blog, but what may surprise you is that it has nothing to do with the concept. The concept is actually pretty great. Variety. Cheapness. Speed. Convenience. Did I mention variety? Plus, it has the “by the lb. buffet”, which to [...]

There is no shortage of generic delis here in Midtown, and we’ve got our decent share of fast and cheap Indian steam tables too.  Combine the two, and then you’re talking craziness!  Walk into what used to be City Market Cafe on 48th btw. 5+6th, and you will find the latest in worktime lunch’ing ingenuity.  Keep the [...]

 
I hate over-priced food, but there is a soft spot in my heart for Dean & Deluca.  Probably because I could spend hours roaming the big one in Soho (even though I’ve never actually buy anything), just staring at the meats and cheeses and flavored salts and meats and fruit and bread and cheeses and seafood [...]

Midtown is about to lose an O.G. lunch destination…

House of Pita has lost the lease to their original location- the window space on 48th btw. 5+6th.  You can still enjoy their delicious falafels & burekas (plus more) at the newer full service location on 46th btw. 5+6th,  but today is the last day to get your fix [...]

This photo comes from the wonderful Variety Cafe (48th btw. 5+6th), a place I haven’t eaten in since they were shuttered by the DOH last July.  Thankfully I have co-workers who drag me to generic delis, so I can experience something like this:

Isn’t Peter Luger a renowned Steak House?  Why is this sandwich made with [...]

Having lived in Boston for 9 years, I am very familiar with the lobster roll.  I’m also very familiar with the cheap lobster roll.  That’s because when summer rolled around, cheap lobster rolls would pop up in the unlikeliest of places.  The most well know was probably from the sub chain, D’angelos.  It has become so popular they [...]

Tomorrow is the big day.  It is the One Year Anniversary of Midtown Lunch.  On June 7th, 2006, it all began, and the next day my first restaurant posting went up, about Hing Won on 48th btw. 5+6th.  At the time, Hing Won was my favorite place for Chinese food in Midtown.  Authentic Chinese food on [...]

I don’t often eat at (or write about) generic fast food chains, but every once in awhile something will catch my eye, and I just can’t resist.  This blog was practically launched on my reporting about the craziness surrounding the opening of Chipotle in my building.  I also wrote about the one Europa Cafe with [...]