Midtown Lunch

When I first heard about Schweddy Balls, Ben & Jerry’s latest Limited Edition flavor named for the classic Alec Baldwin SNL sketch, I had to go check the Rock Center shop to see if they had scoops. And come on, Schweddy Balls are tailor made for amusing interactions.

Me: “hi, I’d like a cup of Schweddy Balls.”
Woman in business suit next to me: “Getting some Schweddy Balls today?”
Me: “Yup.”
Woman in business suit next to me: “Me, too. Those are some good Schweddy Balls.”

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When I passed by Harry’s Italian in the concourse at 30 Rock on Monday, I took a few other photos of the new shop. Get a closer look, including a menu shot, after the jump.

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Taste of Summer has returned for the next couple of days, giving us another chance to sample some of the best Rock Center has to offer. Last year, Chris stopped by and got an early taste of Bill’s Bar & Burgers. This year, you can get a taste of the new Rock Center concourse pizza place Harry’s, which is scheduled to open in the beginning of August. All of the Rock Center lunch spots are there: ‘wichcraft, Cucina & Co, AJ Maxwell’s, ML favorite Tri Tip, and even Manchu Wok with a $4.99 special. I would have loved if they were offering a nice little buffet, but logistics probably got in the way.

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Every day, the Chef’s Table at Cucina & Co. in the Rock Center Concourse offers a different lunch for $9.50 from 11:30 to 12:30. The lunches change each week (Brownie enjoyed their pork tenderloin medallions with pasta), but Fridays are always the same. Chef Juan anchors each week with his cheeseburger sliders, and they’re popular enough to have gotten the attention of Concourse neighbor Tri Tip. We’ve never had the sliders though, so I decided to head out for an early lunch last Friday (the Chef’s Table is known to run out of food). See what I found after the jump.
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Yesterday the Rock Center concourse branch of Jacques Torres opened. When I heard that JT himself would be on hand for the official opening, and that there was free hot chocolate involved I had to go check it out. I dropped by just before noon and the store wasn’t crowded. Chef Torres himself was greeting people at the door. The shop itself is brightly lit and all done up for Valentine’s Day. There are 3 small tables for eating/drinking in and four additional stools at the bar. Read more »

As I type this the finishing touches are being put on Rock Center’s brand new Jacques Torres!!! I made a quick stop by at lunch today and the place is looking great. Peeking in from the window I could see an espresso bar and a few tables for eating in.  And I’m pretty sure I spied Mr. Chocolate himself, doing some hands on lifting and set up. They are officially opening tomorrow and JT will be there from 10 until noon. So excited to see the Godiva space taken over by superior chocolate.  Dessert win for Rock Center! 

Did you happen to catch last week’s 30 Rock episode, which featured Tracy Jordan trying to convince Jack Donaghy to invest in a new Times Square theme restaurant featuring “unlicensed versions of Japanese monsters battling it out in the dining room”.  Eater posted a clip, and asked if anybody knows where it was filmed. From the looks of it, we’d guess somewhere in the non-restaurant depths of Rock Center.  (It actually looks more like the lobby of 30 Rock than a restaurant.)  This isn’t the first time 30 Rock has delved into ML territory… in Season 1, Kenneth’s church was hidden behind a secret door in the back of Margon (but that wasn’t tough to recognize.) Anybody know the place in last week’s episode?

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 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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