Midtown Lunch

When I first found out about Paris Baguette, I was a little perplexed. Like many of us, my mind first turned to Vietnamese sandwiches, but when I found out that it was really a Korean chain of French-inspired bakeries specializing in pastries and desserts, I was even more confused.

I’ll go for sweets here and there, but they are rarely a big draw for me, so I didn’t rush to check it out. After reading Blondie’s dessert report, I decided it was worth a second look. What I found when I got there was that the menu was even more diverse than I had expected. What really got my attention was the cross-cultural menu of sandwiches from lobster rolls and cheesesteaks to bulgogi and chicken parm.

See the good, the bad and the just plain different after the jump.

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I headed to Koreatown for lunch yesterday hoping to get some of my favorite katsu in the neighborhood, only to find the door locked up at Arang (on 32nd btw. 5th+B’way). A quick phone call got no answer or voicemail. Judging by the Halloween decoration in the window, it doesn’t seem like they’ve been closed for very long. Has anyone heard about them closing up shop? Let us know in the comments.

Despite being quite fond of pretty much all of David Chang’s Momofuku ventures, I find that I rarely take the trouble to head to the East Village or fight a damned web site to go to any of them. When Ma Peche (aka MomoMidtown) first opened, I was psyched to have them in Midtown, but being 20 blocks away, I never quite managed to check it out. And then I heard about the new sandwich additions to the lunch menu.  Hello excuse for a  subway-ride lunch!

In fact, it was a good excuse for two back-to-back subway-ride lunches. This week I stopped in two days in a row to try out their new Shrimp Po’ Boy and the Beef Sausage sandwich (and discovered a new happy hour special at the bar!) Check ’em out after the jump.

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Walking down 32nd street the other day, I caught this moving sign in front of the old Red Mango space. Typically, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it – I never got on board with the frogurt craze – but the new address was familiar. 11 West 32nd street is the site of the Koreatown Food Court we reported on back in the spring. The initial word was that they hoped to be open by September or October. That could be any day now, although word on the street is that they’ll probably open early next month.

With FoodParc and Eataly open within 10 blocks, the whole food court scene has changed dramatically from the spring. Still, I’m pretty excited about the potential for some underrepresented Asian food to finally come to the area. Back in the spring speculation was that we might get some “Korean Pizza”, and I’m still holding out hope for some Vietnamese sandwiches.  Plus NYC Cravings’ brick and mortar will be in there.  But with the Korilla truck and Baorrito seemingly covering our Korean Taco needs, what else are you all hoping to see in the new food court?

The beginning of my search for Vietnamese food ahead of my upcoming trip to Asia coincided with the rainy days we had over the last few weeks. With the early onset of soup weather, I’ve found myself at Pho 32 a lot lately. The Koreatown soup station has been mentioned many times here and I’ve written about it, but it’s never gotten the proper Midtown Lunch treatment.

With fall here, it’s just about the right time to start looking at the area soup options, so check out Pho 32’s offerings after the jump.

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It looks like the days of Mad For Chicken being a “hidden bar for those in the know” are all but gone.  Yesterday they put this big honkin’ sign up announcing the news that was reported last month… Mad For Chicken is now Mono + Mono. Based on what we heard from the staff when the name change was announced (and this report from the new downtown branch) things aren’t expected to change considerably. They updated the menu a few months ago to include maki and some bar foods, but it sounds like there isn’t going to be anything new or exciting beyond what we’ve already seen. That doesn’t mean that a return visit isn’t warranted, just to be sure… y’know, for science.

Related:
Mad For Chicken to Become Mono + Mono
Korean-Fried-Chicken-Palooza: Kyochon vs. Bon Chon vs. Mad For Chicken

Fall is upon us. The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting nippier, and suddenly lunch time has gone from merely a break in the day, to a necessary means of warming and comforting ourselves. It seems that many Midtown lunchers agree that soups are the perfect cold weather comfort food, and I wholeheartedly concur. And what’s more comforting and familiar than a bowl of hearty chicken soup?

When it comes to chicken soup, Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th) has a fine version, which can be paired with their famous Cuban sandwiches, for the ML friendly price of only $9. For this price, I’ve always considered this combination to be one of the best soup and sandwich combos in Midtown. Find out why after the jump.

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Good news for Sophie’s Cuban fans who work in the heart of Midtown. Construction has started on a new Sophie’s outpost at 45th st. between 5th and 6th Ave (next to Goodburger.) We’re hearing that the plan is to open in October, and Sophie’s feels a lot more confident about this spot than the ill fated 41st Street branch that closed almost two years ago. Looks like Margon and Cafe Cello are about to get their toughest competition yet. ¡Viva la Selección!

A few weeks ago when we reviewed Boki, the new Korean food cart on 5th Ave. near the 32nd Street strip of Koreatown, we found that the dumplings weren’t so great and the fried chicken, though tasty, didn’t live up to the name “Korean Fried Chicken.” Well, last week Luncher ‘Pink’ chimed in to let us know that the fried chicken and dumplings were gone, and the folks at Boki confirmed that “after a couple of weeks of trial and error, we took the chicken and dumplings off our menu.” They went on to say that they are continuing to update the menu over time and that they love the feedback.

In the name of research, I decided to stop in again to see what options have replaced the outgoing ones.

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Earlier this week, we received reports that Pro Hot Korean (on 56th btw. 5+6th) was offering a Korean taco special this week and next (9/7-9/17). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve professed my unabashed predisposition towards Korean tacos during my previous assessments of Café Duke and Bann Next Door. Not to be outdone, the demurely humble Pro Hot Korean joins in on the suddenly chic Korean taco trend with their version of galbi, bulgogi, and spicy chicken filled tacos.

At $4.99 for two, these appear to be priced at a bargain – but how does it compare to its predecessors? We take on the tacos and get a feeling for the fillings after the jump.

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