Midtown Lunch

Yup… that’s Hoda.

Today is the first day of the annual summer Rock Center Farmer’s Market. As in years past you can find them set up at the North Plaza, Rockefeller Place at 50th Street every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from now through September 3rd. The vendors vary each day so I’ve put together a little guide to some of my favorites.
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I’ve been meaning to stop in for after work drinks at Sake Bar Kirakuya ever since I saw the shimmering curtain sign in the window months ago. By the end of the workday, though, my instinct is usually to get as far from the office as possible and I just keep forgetting to try it.

So, I was excited to find a good excuse to check it out during the day now that they are open for lunch. The other day a friend and I stopped in to see what these new Japanese options are all about.

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I wasn’t immediately excited when I read about the $10 lunch special at the bar of McCormick & Schmick’s. I like cheap lunch specials at a fancy restaurant just as much as the next guy (i’m looking at you burger from Wolfgang’s, but schlepping up to Rockefeller Center didn’t really seem worth it in this heat. Then I saw that a half po’ boy and lobster bisque was among the options – I reconsidered. I love a po’ boy and haven’t had a one since our ML Team excursion to the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Clearly I was past due.

See what ten bucks gets you after the jump.

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Back in May Lunch’er “Chris” was kind enough to tell us about Arirang’s kal gook soo, and the soup from the Korean Noodle Soup cart on 49th. Yesterday he checked out the Taste of Summer event going on in Rock Center during lunch through Thursday, and filed this report for those who were considering checking it out…

There’s nothing like a generous tip, and thanks to yesterdays tip about the “Taste of Summer” thing going on in front of Rock Center (which includes a sneak peek of the much anticipated Bill’s Bar & Burger), I rushed over to check it out. Just like last year, Rockefeller Center has beckoned a selection of restaurants from the subterranean corridors in order to vend a budget friendly (almost all items are under $10) taste of their wares on the ground level main plaza. In the midst of the lineup of chain restaurants, harmless delis and upscale steakhouses, are there any bright spots in Rock Center? And what’s this hubbub over Bill’s Bar & Burger?

Find out after the jump…

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Variety has always been the greatest strength of Cafe Zaiya, the popular Japanese lunch spot and bakery on 41st (btw. 5th and Madison). On a recent trip, I noticed their offerings have gotten even more varied with the introduction of some new Summer lunch items, including cold noodles. See their new menu and get a look at one of the new dishes after the jump.

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Couple of weeks ago there was a question in the forum about good bubble tea in Midtown. The other day I was walking by Shanghai Mong, a K-Town Korean/Chinese spot known for their jjajangmyeon (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), and saw that they have bubble tea! They’re known as one of the go-to Korean-Chinese restaurants around k-town. Many are fans of their jjajangmyeon. What I never noticed was that they had bubble tea. So I investigated for the sake of possibly finding some good bubble tea. After inquiring about it, I almost choked at the price, $4.90. Seriously that’s gotta be one of the most expensive bubble tea prices that’s out there. They got the usual flavors like coconut and taro and some not-so-usual ones like blueberry and thai.

As a test for what they have to offer, I picked taro because it’s easy to measure this one against the one inside of the souvenir store. What came out was not what one usually consider bubble tea but it was more like bubble slush (a taro frappuchino with tapioca balls, if you will.) The taro flavor was strong. This option is enjoyable and refreshing for the hotter days of the summer The price is the main drawback but on the whole, it was still pretty good. (And not a bad choice in this weather…)

Shanghai Mong, 30 W 32nd St (btw. B’way+5th), 212-629-6450

Well before Haru Hana, Izakaya Moku and now Sake Bar Kirakuya started ‘Japanifying’ Koreatown, Arang was offering up a hybrid Japanese/Korean menu. It’s changed a lot since Zach first wrote about its buffet way back in 2006. For a while they closed up the buffet and went lunch-less, but as Zach reported after I wrote about it on my blog, they reopened with full table service and an interesting mix of Korean and Japanese dishes.

Some of my favorite dishes require a slight splurge out of the ML Price range, but there are plenty of great options under $10. Check them out after the jump.

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Shuttered Korean barbecue spot Chung Moo Ro was never really in the ML price range, so we didn’t really mourn it when they closed up shop over the winter. Miss Korea Barbecue has just opened in its place. Both the new look of the space inside and the menu look remarkably similar to Haru Hana just down the block, so it may be the same owners.

Get a glimpse of the menu after the jump.
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Paris Baguette, a huge worldwide Korean bakery chain, will be opening their first Manhattan branch on 32nd btw. B’way+5th. They do serve sandwiches, but the big deal appears to be about the breads and pastries. The first branches to open in the states were in California (of course), where it got raves from yelpers, chowhounders and bloggers alike.

I had never heard of it until seeing the sign, but it turns out that there is one branch in Queens and two in New Jersey. Anyone been to any of the local branches? What are we in for?

I’m not sure if any Midtown Lunch’ers still eat at Variety Cafe, the big generic deli on 48th (btw. 5th and 6th), considering its rather odious presence on this site over the years. On my way to lunch yesterday, however, I noticed that they are celebrating their 5th Anniversary by slashing the price on their hot and cold buffet from $7.49/lb to $5.99/lb (Monday-Friday). Unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to their “salad bar for fat people,” and you know, there’s the whole DOH thing to worry about. I stopped in just to see what they had to offer, and besides the usual stuff all these delis have, there were some shrimp stuffed mushrooms. Proceed, if you must, but do so with caution.