Midtown Lunch

*** Since this piece was written, breakfast Has Been Discontinued at Goodburger***

As you know, I don’t really write about breakfast in Midtown, mostly because I don’t eat breakfast in Midtown.  Lunch is more my thing.  But occasionally something will come along that just demands to be written about.  Like this, which I noticed on Goodburger’s Breakfast menu:

Whaaaa???  Are you kidding me.  Seriously.  I mean… No you didn’t! Oh, and in case you were wondering, those *are* harsh browns underneath the burger.  Greatest breakfast sandwich of all time?  I’m trembling just thinking about it. 

The real thing, in all its glory, after the jump… Read more »

It turns out the new cart that popped up Monday on 46th btw. 6+7th is from the owners of Caribbean Spice, the now shuttered Hell’s Kitchen restaurant that used to be on 44th btw. 9+10th Ave.  Their hand written signs may be scrawled on posterboard, but the menu is pretty straight forward.  Jerk chicken, stewed chicken, curry chicken or goat, and oxtails, served over rice and peas.  Sound familiar?  You can’t help but think these ladies must have been influenced in some way by the success of the Jamaican Dutchy on 51st & 7th.  Only a 6 or 7 minute walk away, you’ve got to admire the boldness of setting up shop so close to what I consider one of the best carts in Midtown. 

It’s not really fair to judge the food on day 4, but I just can’t resist the exitement of a new cart. Check out the plate of food I got yesterday, after the jump… Read more »

Walked by a couple of shuttered establishments yesterday…

Super cheap Chinese steam table, Rong Bao Fast Food, on 38th btw. 7+8th, was mysteriously closed yesterday.  Not sure if this is permanent, but if it is, it’s no big surprise.  Given the choice between Rong Bao, and the newly renovated Ying Du directly across the street (formerly the 38th St. Restaurant and Bakery), I’d always go to Y.D.

How the DOH is pushing more business to the best sandwich shop in Midtown, after the jump… Read more »

Alright, I will admit, right off the bat that I don’t actually know if Nanking was any good to begin with. I have never been to any of the other locations of this Chinese/Thai/Mughlai hybrid, but one of my co-workers swears by the Jackson Heights one, and convinced me that based on their Chili Chicken alone, the new Midtown outpost of the restaurant, on Broadway btw. 50+51st, was at least worth checking out. Skeptical of any Asian restaurant that combines multiple countries under one roof (has anybody really ever done this successfully???), I can’t say I was gung ho about trying Nanking. In fact I could have easily argued that it clearly wasn’t a Midtown Lunch.

1. It’s a sit down restaurant, and I think a true Midtown Lunch shouldn’t have to be ordered from a waiter. I have, and will be known to make exceptions for some sit down restaurants, but usually when I do, the place either has to be an exceptional value (i.e. all you can eat buffets), or they have to be serving something that you can’t really get anywhere else in Midtown (for under $10 of course).
2. It isn’t that cheap.  At the Jackson Heights Nanking everything on the menu is under $10. Not surprisingly the new location has “Midtown’ified” their menu, with chicken entrees being around $14, and the duck, lamb and seafood entrees eclipsing the $20 mark.  They do offer a $10 lunch special, but it’s not quick, and to top it off there are plenty of other better Chinese & Thai food restaurants in Midtown (take out and sit down) that are cheaper.
3. Did I mention the part about how they serve Chinese and Thai food. *Sigh* (They dropped the Mughlai Indian food that they serve at the Jackson Heights location.)

So maybe it’s not a true Midtown Lunch, but that doesn’t mean there is no reason to eat there… Read more »

3 weeks ago our Downtown Lunch correspondent Daniel Krieger wrote his inaugural post about Tasty Dumpling in Chinatown.  The purpose of the column is to make Midtowners feel the same jealousy that Downtowners feel every time they log on to this site.  And it worked.  (I want dumplings!!!)  The post sparked in me a craving for dumplings, and while we don’t have any stand-alone Chinatown style dumpling “houses” in Midtown, we do have a very righteous Korean alternative,  Mandoo Bar on 32nd btw. B’way+5th. 

If you have ever walked down the main block of Koreatown (perhaps to visit Midtown Lunch favorite Woorijip), then you’ve surely noticed the women in the window making fresh, perfectly formed, multicolored dumplings every day.  If it’s a thursday or friday, there was probably a line out the door.  “Oooh… that sounds good.  Are they 5 for $1.25?”  No.  They’re not, you snarky downtown lunch’er lucky enough to live walking distance from Chinatown.  They’re not 5 for $1.25.  The prices recently went up, making them more like 1 for $1.25.  But they’re good!  So stop raining on our dumpling parade.

Korean dumpling porn (with innards) after the jump… Read more »

It’s been over a year a half since I originally visited Cafe Cello (46th btw. 5+6th), and wrote about their roast pork.  (I loved it so much, the photo of my lunch became the official Midtown Lunch photo.)  From the outside, you’d never guess that this generic looking deli would serve the best roast pork in Midtown, but it’s the truth (you may say the secret ingredient is crispy pork fat).  I returned last week to check out the scene, and I’m pleased to report that pretty much nothing has changed.  They still serve up a delicious plate of pork, and they still top it with the all important hunk of crispy pork skin.  If you are a lover of pork fat, it really can’t be beat.

But as good as the pork is, it may not be Cafe Cello’s best dish.  That title may have to be reserved for their surprisingly delicious fried chicken…  Read more »

Margon, the Cuban lunch “counter” on 46th btw. 6+7th has always transported me back to my hometown of Miami.  Readers’ Choice for Best Cuban 2008, you can always count on their delicious roast pork, roast chicken, their famous octopus salad, the fried chicken wing version of “chicharones” (a word also used to describe crispy fried pork skin), rice, beans, plantains and of course the cuban sandwich.  Their version is made with salami, a preparation favored by many Dominicans, as well as the Cubans who live in Tampa, who added it to the sandwich to appeal to the large Italian population they lived side by side with.

There was only one thing missing at Margon… until now.  The Media Noche, a very popular pressed sandwich with pretty much the same ingredients as a cuban (pork, ham, mustard, pickles and cheese) but instead of French style cuban bread, it’s pressed inside a slightly sweet egg bread.  Delicious!

For $4, I couldn’t resist, and picked one up the other day.  Check it out after the jump… Read more »