Midtown Lunch

Pick a day of the year and it’s some sort of National [enter food/beverage] Day. But on National Coffee Day Sept. 29, there will be free and discounted caffeine, and we thought you may like to know where to get a cup. Financier locations around the city will be giving out free small cups of their new dark roast with any purchase, and Grand Central has several options. Irving Farm on the dining concourse has a cup of iced coffee involving maple for $2 from 7-9 a.m. and $4 after; Cafe Grumpy in the Lexington Passage is doing a tasting of two coffees from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Zaro’s Bakery in the Shuttle Passage has free upgrades on coffee sizes all day (medium for price of a small, etc.).

There haven’t been any Earth-shattering changes to the dining scene at Grand Central Terminal (until this happens!), but there are some newer offerings that you may not be aware of. In the interest of stomach space, time, and not taxing your attention spans, I narrowed the newer food and drink options down to a few and was led on a mini-tour through the terminal. Most of the newness is on the dining concourse, but a smattering are at street level. Summer sorbet flavors, meats, fish, and caffeine after the jump!

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We got word that a pop-up location of chocolate maker Jacques Torres was opening yesterday in the Lexington Passage of Grand Central Terminal. For whatever reason, the shop had an “opening soon” sign on the door late in the day, but the inside looked ready to go- so we’re assuming they’re open today. The pop-up will be open throughout May, then closed for renovation until August when the space will reopen as a permanent fixture.

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Just a friendly reminder for those who missed the news last week… Grand Central Terminal turns 100 years old this year, and as part of the celebration a lot of the retailers are rolling back their prices to 1913 levels today only.  You’ll be able to get a 19 cent piece of cheesecake at Grand Central Oyster Bar (dine in only, with the purchase of an entree), a 10 cent bambini scoop of Ciao Bella Gelato (from 1-3pm only), a 5 cent cup of coffee from Financier Patisserie (from Noon to 1pm only) and a bunch more food and non-food deals.  For a complete list, check out their website.

I’m typing this from inside a serious food coma, one that I hope to emerge from before lunchtime. The culprit was last night’s annual Grand Gourmet at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station. The food event featured over 30 vendors from the Grand Central vicinity and I somehow managed to eat a sample from just about every vendor.

Most of these restaurants are not typically on ML’s radar. For the most part, these are higher end restaurants and certainly surpass our $10 limit – even at lunch. But I still managed to find some new dessert options, some great bar food, and perhaps a few new spots for expense account lunches.

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If the commuter crowds in Grand Central aren’t bad enough, you can descend into the centennial festivities and get some free chow to join ’em! On April 10th, Grand Central merchants are giving away free stuff to the first 100 people in line. Of interest to the ML crowd: free spring rolls with any purchase at Pescatore, free vanilla cupcakes from Zaro’s (Shuttle Passage and Grand Central Market locations only) at 10 AM, free chocolate chunk cookies at Magnolia (2-4 PM only), free meatball slider with every slice purchase at Two Boots Pizza, and tons more from their full list. Freeloaders, watch the departure board for tracks and have your tickets ready!

A new kiosk has opened in the Gray Bar passageway of Grand Central Station – just outside Beer Table Pantry and Joe’s Coffee. If you ever crave a taste of the artisanal food being produced in King’s County and don’t feel like transferring to the L train, this is the spot for you.

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