Midtown Lunch

I am a little gay for farmer’s markets.  It’s something that’s happened in the past year, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  I love picking out fresh produce, and knowing that it is not only super fresh, but that it was actually grown really close to where it’s going to end up being eaten.  You might be surprised to know that underneath this fat exterior of a guy, who eats some of the unhealthiest things for lunch every day, is actually somone who goes home every night and cooks dinner for his hard working wife.  Last night, it was Thai green curry, with fresh basil purchased yesterday from the just opened Midtown Farmer’s Market!

I’m excited to report, yesterday was the first day of the annual Midtown Farmer’s Market.  Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the next two months, there will be a Greenmarket, with fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, jam and more- all set up right in front of 30 Rock (between 49th & 50th, between 5th & 6th Ave.)  It may not be ideal for Midtown Lunch’ing, but it is great for a piece of fruit to go with your already purchased lunch, or a little dessert from one of the places selling baked goods.

Each day will bring a different rotation of local farms selling stuff, but here are some of the ones I saw yesterday:  Red Jacket Orchards, Newfield Farms, Migliorelli Farm (Trivoli, NY), Katchkie Farm, Valley Shepherd, Meredith’s Bread (Kingston, NY), and Breezy Hill Orchard.  To find out more about the greenmarkets in NYC go to http://www.cenyc.org/.  Now, on to the porn:

More pics after the jump… Read more »

If you look at my Restaurant Index, it’s not hard to realize where my heart lies.  12 Japanese places, 9 Indian, 8 Korean, 6 Chinese.  What can I say?  I love Asian food.  Doesn’t matter what kind.  You email me about a new Asian place, I will be there the very next day with a camera (and bib) in hand, ready to check it out.  Italian, not so much.  There are only two Italian places listed, and one of them (Naples 45) was written about for their late afternoon pizza special.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like Italian food.  (Who doesn’t like Italian food?)  And if you want to talk about the actual food I ate when I visited Rome, Venice & Florence, I would even say I love Italian food.  What’s not to love?  But when it comes to Italian subs and Chicken parm, I could take it or leave it.

Now, let me clarify a little bit before the commentors go crazy.  I like a good chicken parm sub.  I’m a fat man.  I obviously don’t think there is anything wrong with taking a piece of chicken, covering it in bread crumbs, deep frying it and serving it on a gigantic roll covered in cheese and sauce.  It’s good.  I’m just saying, if given the choice for lunch, unlike most people, I would rather have any kind of Asian food (or Latin food, or street meat), before Italian.

That being said, the other day a couple of co-workers and I checked out an Italian place on 55th btw. 5+6th that piqued my interested enough to pull me in and get me to order.  Tuscany Catering.  Why, you ask?  Because it’s cheap, it’s sort of hidden, and even once you’re inside (and told you can order food by your co-worker)- you’re still not sure if you’re actually going to walk out with some lunch.

What they’ve got, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

After doing this site for over a year, I have become the go to guy for lunch recommedations at my work.  And while I’m usually pretty good for a decent suggestion, there is one request that has, and will always stump me.  “Where can I get something healthy?”  I’ve been to a ton of places in Midtown, and they all have one thing in common.  None of them are healthy.  (Look at my flickr page for proof.  It’s not a pretty sight.)

What can I say?  Fat guys don’t eat healthy food.  If we did, we wouldn’t be fat anymore, and then we couldn’t make jokes about how fat we are for the amusement of people who read our websites.  Plus, you’re not going to trust a skinny guy to tell you where good food is.  I guess I wouldn’t mind eating healthy, if it tasted good- and they gave you more of it.  Healthy food is always less filling.  Maybe if they had healthy food, in an all you can eat buffet form, I’d be down with it.

What did you just say?  Buffet form would automatically make it unhealthy?  Oh.  Well, that sucks.

It’s just unhealthy food tastes so much better.  Well, Yushi is trying to change that.  It’s a new “Bento Bar” that opened up on 47th btw. Park & Lex, serving healthy bento boxes.  You know I love a good bento, so last week I headed over to check it out.

What they’ve got, healthy bento porn and the +/- after the jump… Read more »

I always thought the cheap Chinese place in a food court was untouchable.  Like a hot dog stand in front of the Museum of Natural History- some places don’t need to be good to make money, they just need to show up.  After all, who can resist orange chicken in a food court.

So much for that theory.  Manchu Wok, the terrible Chinese food place in the Rock Center Councourse, has closed.  I never met a cheap chinese food place I didn’t like… until I ate at Manchu Wok- so I’m not too upset.  But you can rest assured there a ton of lazy Chinese food addicts in 30 Rock who are finding it hard to get out of bed these days.  I guess they’ll have to walk a few blocks to Hing Won, Yips or Wo Hop/Ho Yip to fill their urge.

In a related note… this weekend I will be stepping up my praying for Panda Express to move into the now vacant space.  If anybody else would like to join in, feel free.

If you missed the news– today is the last day to enjoy Kati Roll at their 46th St. location.  They will be re-opening on 39th St. btw. 5+6th in a week and a half.  The reaction has been pretty predictable.  If you work near the current Kati Roll, you’re pretty bummed.  If you work near the new location, you’re pretty psyched.  But there’s one thing that there is no denying… come tomorrow there will be a Kati Roll void, waiting to be filled in the 40s between 6+7th.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Biriyani Cart that started serving Roti Rolls on 46th & 6th.  A perfect replacement for Kati Roll (and half the price!).  Well now it appears that cart will have some competition.  Last week, a new cart quiety opened up between the Biriyani Cart, and Kati Roll- serving their own brand of Kati Rolls.  And there is no mistaking the intentions.  The new cart is looking to be Kati Roll replacement.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the signs they had printed up- after the jump Read more »

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 now offer three different versions.  And then of course there is the McDonald’s lobster roll.  That’s right.  In parts of New England, you can get a lobster roll at McDonald’s for $6.  Scary. (But still better than eating a Big Mac)

Having a lobster roll at a place like McDonald’s for less than $10 can really make you wonder- “What the hell is in this thing?”.  But a real lobster roll is pretty simple.  It’s just lobster meat served in a hot dog roll.  From there, the argument will begin as to what makes the “perfect” lobster roll.  Mayo or no mayo.  Lemon juice or no lemon juice.  Celery is sometimes added, and often a layer of lettuce can be put under the lobster meat or salad.  Grilling the hot dog bun first, and brushing it with melted butter can’t hurt either.  But there is one thing that everybody can agree on- the more lobster (and the bigger the chunks), the better.  Claws always welcome!

Unfortunately, the more meat in the sandwich, the more expensive it’s going to be.  That’s why a good lobster roll will usually run you $14-18 in New England, with many fancy New York restaurants charging upwards of $25+ for their version.  While some purists would never eat a fast food lobster roll, some of us more frugal diners want to be able to experience that taste, without dropping a ton of money.  So when Cosi introduced their limited time only “Lobster Salad Sandwich”, I was pretty excited.

What it looks like, what it tastes like and the mayo filled +/- after the jump… Read more »

That’s right.  Our beloved Kati Roll (on 46th btw. 6+7th), has lost their lease and is moving.  The last day to eat at the current location is Thursday, June 28th.  They will re-open on July 7th on 39th St. btw. 5+6th.  Great news for the folks in Midtown South, who never made it up for a delicious “Indian Burrito”.  Bad news for the local regulars.

Currently they only do delivery after 2:30pm, but I was told that they are hoping to do lunchtime delivery from the new location.  It is also going to be twice as big.  R.I.P. Kati Roll 46…  Long Live Kati Roll 39!

Their apology letter, after the jump… Read more »

I still hold out hope that one day Manhattan will get an IKEA.  It’s probably futile, but a guy can dream, right?  The funny thing is, I don’t even care about the furniture.  I just want an IKEA Cafe!  In my eyes, the cheap furniture shopping world is divided into two seperate groups.  Those who have gotten over the fear at eating in an Ikea, and those who haven’t. 

There are a few stages that every Ikea shopper goes through.  First, denial.  You see the signs for the food and laugh.  “Who the hell would eat at Ikea?  That food looks gross!”.  Then, after a few times of going to Ikea (you never get everything done in one trip), the curiosity starts to seep in.  “Well, it is pretty cheap.  It can’t be that bad, right?  It’s just so damn cheap!”  Finally, you submit.  It helps if you forget to eat before going shopping- in which case you end up being starving after navigating through the gigantic store, with no other food options.

I went through all these stages, and when I came out on the other end, I had discovered a new weakness… swedish meatballs.  Covered in gravy and topped with lingonberries, they are perfect for anybody who loves the sweet and salty combo.  And at around $4 for ten meatballs, it couldn’t be any cheaper.  Awhile back I wrote about a fancy Swedish meatball sandwich at FIKA Swedish Espresso bar.  Super delicious (but expensive), I lamented that there was no equivalent to Ikea in Midtown.

After writing that, a tipster recommended that I check out F&B Gudtfood, a “European Street Food” chain on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd.  Founded by one guy from Germany and one from England, they wanted to start a place where you could get all the street food they enjoyed in their travels around Europe  Fancy hot dogs, fish and chips, frites with different dipping sauces, and of course- Swedish meatballs.

I finally made it over to F&B to see if I had found an Ikea replacement.  What they’ve got, pictures and a +/- after the jump Read more »

It is not often I will write about food delivery.  I admit, it is probably something everyone would be interested in reading about (whether or not your favorite place delivers), but I don’t write about it because I never order delivery.  I don’t believe in it.  I am a staunch advocate of taking time to get out of the office for a little bit.  You’re supposed to get a lunch break.  You need a lunch break.  Use your lunch break. (Even it’s just to walk around for 20 minutes.)

But like all rules, there are some exceptions.  For example, when delivery is made to be fun!  Like in the case of Chiyoda Sushi.  Chiyoda is a place I’ve written about a few times.  Along with Yagura & Cafe Zaiya, it makes up the Japanese Trinity on 41st btw. Mad+5th., my favorite block for Midtown Lunch’ing.  Unfortunately it’s a little too far for me to make it down there too often-  but last week, I discovered (thanks to an email tipster), that they have delivery- and it’s fun!

Chiyoda has a special online delivery menu that is really fun to look at, even if you don’t want to order.  Each day they offer three different lunch boxes, and the schedule for the entire week is posted here (http://www.chiyodasushiny.com/bento_en.html).  But it gets better.  Not sure what one of the items is?  Each morning, you can click on the box and it will show you a picture of the item.  How cool is that?

The boxes range in price from $6 to $8 and there is no delivery charge, or tax- the only requirement is that your office orders a minimum of 3 boxes.  Don’t have two friends who want to order weird Japanese boxed lunches… there is still one more way to get your bento fix- and it’s the best part of the whole story.

The Chiyoda guy on the street with Bento boxes, after the jump… Read more »

The new House of Pita opened yesterday on 46th btw. 5+6th.  The window on 48th btw. 5+6th will remain open with the same menu they’ve always had, but the new location will have an expanded menu, and places to sit.  They are only at about 60% right now, serving the same falafel you can get at the 48th St. window, an expanded bourakas menu, plus their new personal pizzas- but come Monday (6/18) they will be at 100%, with a full service salad bar, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juices, sandwiches and more. 

The new House of Pita opened yesterday on 46th btw. 5+6th.  The window on 48th btw. 5+6th will remain open with the same menu they’ve always had, but the new location will have an expanded menu, and places to sit.  They are only at about 60% right now, serving the same falafel you can get at the 48th St. window, an expanded bourakas menu, plus their new personal pizzas- but come Monday (6/18) they will be at 100%, with a full service salad bar, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juices, sandwiches and more. 

The new salad & fruit bar, PLUS the apple cinnamon bourakus- after the jump… Read more »