Midtown Lunch

It just goes to show, it’s never too late to change things up.  People were pretty underwhelmed by the meatball sliders that the Papa Perrone truck entered into the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.  Complaints were lodged in the comments, and Papa Perrone himself responded…  not just in the comments, but with a brand new sandwich entry.  Eggplant Parm + Meatballs + Garlic Bread = Full and Complete Redemption.

Check it out after the jump.

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If you wanted this, today is your last chance.

Today is the last day for Certe’s catfish sandwich, so if you’ve been putting off trying their second entry in the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge- this is your last chance. Tomorrow they’ll introduce an April sandwich, The Primavera: featuring crispy eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash with basil ricotta, fresh mozzarella on a homemade garlic herb focaccia for $8.95. Compared to most of our entries, this seems a tad bit standard- but I guess if you’re a vegetarian, a sandwich with fried eggplant and basil ricotta on fancy garlic bread would be as good as it’s going to get! Certe is on 55th btw. 5+6th.

Not my words… but from Midtown Lunch commenter/early adopter “Boyd”.  But, per the rules of the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge, I had to go and try them… and post about them.  And “meh” pretty much sums it up. One for $3, 3 for $8 they weren’t bad… just… well… meh.  Especially for an entry into the sandwich challenge.  They are definitely fun (I don’t know what it is about mini sandwiches that makes them so endearing), and the meatballs and bread taste good, but while you’re eating it you can’t help but wonder “why didn’t I just order the meatball parm hero”?  You also kind of need a fork… and I would have liked the cheese to be melted.

The guy who runs the truck told me he was considering doing a eggplant parm/lasagna hero on garlic bread (!?!) but switched it up at the last minute.  Now that sounds like a MLSC entry!  Maybe if we bug him enough, he’ll try doing that one day…

It only took seven weeks, but the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge finally has a banh mi entry courtesy of Boi Sandwich, the take out place on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th owned by upscale Vietnamese restaurant Boi.  Midtown Lunch’er “Clues” was on this one early, and filed this report in the comments:

I just had their special “Curried Chicken Meatball” sandwich. It was awesome in two respects: size and taste. First, this thing is big. It’s probably almost 2x the size of a Sophie’s sandwich. The “baguette” is more like a 7″ x 5″ slice of a large loaf. The bread is, however, one of the strongest elements of the sandwich – crisp on the outside and very moist and airy on the inside. The French influence in Vietnam definitely pays off here. The combination of flavors is very good – curried chicken meatballs, cilantro, some sweet pickled veggies… all comes together well. None of the flavors are overwelming (the curry is very mild). I highly recommend it. The $7.50 price is high but you do get a lot of food and they are giving away promotion cards where you get your tenth meal for free – so ten sandwiches works out to $6.75 each plus tax.

Well, after reading that endorsement, how could I wait any longer to try this thing for myself?

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Some bad news on the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge front:

“The Taj at Crisp (on 3rd Ave. btw. 43+44th) is apparently discontinued. I called them yesterday evening and they said they’re not making it anymore. Maybe I heard it wrong and they just serve it for lunch and not dinner. Either way, I haven’t tried it yet and now it seems like I never will… -Tanman”

The owner says they could not continue serving the Indian style falafel without getting rid of another sandwich on their menu-  so, they are “trying to figure out the logistics” and will bring it back eventually. (And when they do, I’ll be there on day one- that sandwich was good!) This should also be a lesson to all of you… if a sandwich challenge entry sounds good, don’t put off trying it. These special sandwiches may not be on the menu for long.

Related:
Crisp: Abomination… Or One of the Best Falafel in the City

The Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge gets its 15th entry today, as the Papa Perrone Pizza Truck on 55th btw. Mad+Park sends word that they are now selling meatball parm sliders (or -for those who can’t stand that term being used for anything other than steamed mini hamburgers- mini meatball parm sandwiches).  One for $3, three for $8 (topped with sauce and mozzarella), they definitely have them today and have assured me they’ll have them tomorrow.  (The bread is tough to get, so beyond that you may want to call ahead to find out if they have them: 917-880-1432. They’ll also do free delivery at the same number.)

Boi Sandwich (on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th) has just sent word that they will be introducing a “Chicken Meatball Sandwich” today as their entry in the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge. I’m guessing this will be a Vietnamese version of a meatball sandwich, and while their banh mi aren’t considered the best in the city- they are better than most of the sandwiches in Midtown. Early adopters, let us know what you think.

Related:
At Lunch Now: Boi Sandwich is Now Open on 3rd Ave.
Boi to Go (aka How I Learned to Love the $7.50 Banh Mi)

When I started up the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge I don’t remember if I mentioned anything about the boundaries of Midtown Lunch, which right now are 3rd Ave. on the East, 8th Ave. on the West, Central Park to the north, and 32nd St. to the south (got to include Koreatown, right?)  I started these boundaries because, while I feel there are some who will venture to 2nd Ave. or 9th Ave. or 28th St., the majority of lunchers confine themselves to this area.  And in the end, you have to the draw the line somewhere.  I will, occasionally, though break my own rules if there is something really out of the ordinary good.  Something you can’t get anywhere else in Midtown (i.e. Baoguette.)

I don’t know if Manchester Pub’s pork tenderloin sandwich fits that criteria, but they submitted it as an entry to the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge- and it sounded good enough to get me to trek over to 2nd Ave. to check it out.

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You could probably say this about anything (movies, music, art), but I think half of whether or not you love or hate food comes from expectations. Nostalgia can cause you to enjoy a meal more than a person who is trying it for the first time (or have the opposite effect, if it isn’t as good as you remember); an incredibly positive review can cause you to judge a restaurant more harshly than if you had stumbled upon the place accidentally; and, finally, “authenticity” can be the killer of an otherwise enjoyable meal- if it doesn’t conform to exactly what you thought you were getting when you ordered it.  A perfect example of that is Baoguette (which was the catalyst for Ed Levine’s review of Ba Xueyen on Serious Eats: NY this morning.) As mere sandwiches, you could argue that Baoguette is making some of the best food in New York City.  As “banh mi” you could complain about ingredients, lack of ingredients, bread, authenticity, whether or not a banh mi should have catfish, and of course price (“banh mi should always be under $4!”)

The same kind of thing could be said of Certe’s new entry into the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.  Called “The Bayou”, this sandwich evokes many expectations (New Orleans, Po-Boys, what blackened catfish should or shouldn’t taste like), and if you fall prey to these thoughts, you may be disappointed.  Go in looking for nothing more than a satisfying fish sandwich, and you will be rewarded.

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