Midtown Lunch

I hit up the new by the lb. buffet at Hing Won (on 48th btw. 5+6th) for the first time on Friday, and here’s the damage.  It was a little over $6.  Not too bad, but not great either- and I think Sun Yip/Ho Yip on 45th btw. 5+6th is probably better (plus they have the price drop at 2:15, which can’t be beat.)  I think I’ll probably stick with the right side of the counter when I go to Hing Won, and order things off of their more authentic menu.

I did, however, break one of my cardinal rules of by-the-lb. buffet eating.  Can you spot it? What’s wrong with this picture? (If you want to cheat, you can look at my rules for by the lb. buffet eating.)

Photo added to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Pool by nycblondieandbrownie

Blondie and Brownie accepted the Murray’s Salami challenge, and proved that you can put together a tasty looking sandwich in the Grand Central Terminal Market for under $10. Ingredients: coppa from the newly opened Murray’s Salami, mozzarella from Murray’s Cheese, and bread from Corrado’s Bakery.  Also, Eater is reporting that if you spend more than $25 at Murray’s Salami, they’ll give you a four pack of Niman Ranch hot dogs.  It may be time to round up three friends, and head over to the Grand Central Terminal Market (entrance on Lexington and 43rd).

Eater confirms that Murray’s Salami (from the owners of Murray’s Cheese) has opened in the Grand Central Market (enter on Lexington & 43rd).  The good news? I am of the opinion that the more cured meats there are in Midtown, the better.  The bad news? They are prohibited by contract to sell anything premade- like sandwiches. I wonder if this has something to do with the food court downstairs?  However, salami lovers shouldn’t be discouraged.  Since Murray’s Real Salami will be located so close to Corrado Bakery, they’re hoping people will put two and two together (literally).

Speaking of Crisp-the overpriced falafel place on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th that I reluctantly admire for its boldness and tastiness-they’ve done a little menu switcheroo this week. They’ve gotten rid of the Milan (a falafel sandwich with roasted red peppers and feta) and added two new sandwiches. The first is the CLT. At $5.75 it is the cheapest option, and made with falafel, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. I admire them for trying to add a cheaper option, but how can you have a falafel without hummus (or at least tahini.) And, if you are going to get a standard falafel, Crisp is too expensive. There are cheaper options, that are good enough… like at the Prince Deli on the same block. If you are going to eat at crisp, you should get one of their special combos- like the Mexican (falafel with corn and avocado) which I’m kind of into.

Which brings us to their latest creation… “The Exotic”. Falafel with coriander spread, eggplant, cabbage, pineapple, and wasabi vinaigrette. I shit you not. How could I walk away without trying this monstrosity?

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The former Au Bon Pain space in the outdoor passageway underneath the Fox News Building, which has been empty since May of 2007 is finally getting a tenant. Flavors (yes, that is what the place is called) looks set to open any day now, and a quick looksee reveals that it is going to be another generic Midtown deli.  Need proof?  Let’s put the verbiage on their sign, through our Midtown Lunch calculator/translator combo:

Flavors is (Fresh + Healthy + Natural) + (Organic + Local)

And through the machine it goes………. ding!  Let’s see what we’ve got…

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Big changes at one of my favorite fast food Chinese places in Midtown… Hing Won (on 48th btw. 5+6th) which is famous for their two different lines, has upended the left side of their operation by making their steam table into a pay by the lb. self serve food bar.  The Americanized Chinese food they served on the left side used to be one of those point-to-what-you-want situations, but now you help yourself- and pay $5.80 a pound for whatever you take. The food itself hasn’t really changed, so you probably end up paying more for less of the exact same food- but you do end up with greater variety, so it’s not all bad.  And $5.80 is still cheaper than most generic deli by the lb. buffets.  So if Chinese food is what you like, and buffet by the lb. is your preferred method, this news should be very exciting to you.

That’s not all though.  The right side, where Hing Won serves up their more “authentic” Chinatown style fare, didn’t escape unscathed. 

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Uh… yeah.  You heard me right.  Soft shelled mother f’ing crabs on a Midtown by the lb. buffet.  That is what I discovered at the Cafe Duke on 51st btw. 6+7th yesterday. I’ve already written a bunch about how much I love their by the lb. buffet, but this just put it over the top.  Soft shelled crab! I’m still giddy thinking about it.  This could be the biggest money item to ever show up on one of these generic Midtown deli buffets (the ones that cost under $10 a pound anyway).  And, they don’t even weigh that much (especially compared to other stuff like fruit and bone in chicken).  It really is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen at a by the pound buffet.

At $7.79 a pound, Cafe Duke by the lb. is on the high end of these kind of crappy Midtown options… but for the quality it is definitely worth it.  The food always looks fresh, every choice looks damn tasty, and the sauce they put on their fake jumbo shrimp makes me not mind that they are trying to fake you into thinking you’re actually getting shrimp. 

How they were, a shot of my lunch, and the one big downside- after the jump…

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Kashmir, the Indian place on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th was closed by the DOH, and their creativity had me almost believing they actually were just “Closed For Renovations.”  The first tactic they used is nothing new… they pulled the gate down half way, covering up the DOH sticker that was put on their take out by the lb buffet shop that is above ground.  But their cover up on the actual downstairs restaurant, was something I’d never seen before.  Check it out after the jump…

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If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week we’ll post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap. For this week’s recommendation we’re back to Profiled Midtown Lunch’er Kate.

This one goes out to the commuters. Or the non-commuters who just like to hang around train stations, like me. Grand Central Station is a veritable treasure trove of deals for cheap drinks and tasty bites, if you’re willing to deal with the hustle and crowds. Gathered in its lower level are food stands that rep for some of the more notable restaurants New York has to offer, along with some of the most reasonable drink deals I’ve ever seen. So here I bring you my mini-tour of what Grand Central has to offer.

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