Midtown Lunch » Milant

Melange Green & Gourmet Does a Delicious Roast Beef Sandwich

Donny T. — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:45:59 +0000

There used to be a deli called Cafe Express on 7th Ave btw 29th and 30th (they closed couple years ago to make room for a stupid Pret A Manger ) that served my favorite roast beef sandwich. It had roast beef, mayo, fried onions and was sandwiched between 2 delicious slices of focaccia bread. It was such a magnificent sandwich, that I got really sad when I found out the place was closed. Since then I haven’t really eaten a good roast beef sandwich in Midtown during lunch. So when I found out that Melange Green & Gourmet has a roast beef sandwich that was supposed to be great, I knew I had to give it a try.

There isn’t anything particularly special about the roast beef sandwich (aka H3 on the menu) from Melange. There’s no crazy toppings like fried onions, or fancy bread like focaccia. But I think that might be why I enjoyed the sandwich so much. It was just a simple honest sandwich with good ingredients that all came together to make one awesome meal.

For $5.99, the sandwich came with a cup of soup (I got a split pea soup) and it had roast beef, Swiss cheese, green leaf lettuce, tomato and honey mustard on rye bread. Just like Amy’s chicken cutlet sandwich, the meat to bread ratio was perfect, about 2 parts meat to 1 part bread. The cheese was nice and melty, the fresh lettuce gave the sandwich a nice crispy texture and the honey mustard really pulled the whole sandwich together nicely.

The soup may look a bit like generic deli soup but it didn’t taste like it. It tasted fresh and tomato-y and was loaded with lots of split peas.

It looks like Melange can’t seem to make a bad sandwich and I’m quite excited to try the rest of the menu. I might just start off with the crabmeat sandwich and work my way down the menu. Anything else at Melange that can’t be missed? Let us know in the comments.

Melange, 158 E 39th Street (btw. 3rd+Lex), 212-682-1292

Milant ahem I Mean, Melange Is Back to Making Midtown’s Best Sandwiches

Amy Cao — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:50:10 +0000

Now, I have to admit, we don’t tend to go nuts over sandwiches here at ML. Schnitzel? Sure. Grilled cheese with chorizo and bacon? All over that freaking thing. FREE FOOD? OMG! Yes. But getting pumped up for cold cuts on a roll is another thing. So when our boss kept asking, “Has anyone tried Melange (on 39th btw. 3rd+Lex) AKA the new Milant yet?” I knew we were talking about the return of some serious sandwiches. Zach’s old standby – Milant’s #13 – is now Melange’s H5 comprised of breaded chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, pesto sauce and sundried tomato on French bread for 5.99. And on a good day (like when H5 is put up on the dry erase “Specials” board outside) it comes with free soup too! So is Melange offering Milant’s awesome food under its new name? Find out after the jump…

I attacked the sandwich with a measuring tape. (I’m moving apartments and come prepared, what can I say?) We’re not talking about two slabs of bread stuffed with sheets of lettuce. We’re talking about 8-inches of well-seasoned, tender, breaded chicken cutlets on a fresh French baguette! The meat-to-carb ratio was also just right: two parts meat to one part bread. The sundried tomato gave kick to each bite and the pesto was a nice addition as well. You just know somebody put thought into the creation of this sandwich. It’s delicious. In fact, it even reminded me of the warm chicken cutlet sandwiches I used to get from the Brooklyn sandwich-bagel shop I grew up with, first mentioned in my review of Vic’s Bagel Bar.

It happened that I was lucky and stopped in when H5 was one of the daily specials yesterday. The free cup of chicken-and-wild-rice soup hit the spot. Not too watery (sorry the pic just shows some floating veggies. The rice and meat are taking up the bottom half).

The sandwich was perfect for a late lunch yesterday, but I’ll be back to try the rest of Melange’s new take on Milant’s old menu. The lunch plate offerings looked good too. For $4.99, you get three prepared items from the cooler and FREE SOUP. God, I love free food.

Melange, 158 E 39th Street (btw. 3rd+Lex), 212-682-1292

Milant Is Back As Melange Green & Gourmet

Amy Cao — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:45:25 +0000

Milant is back! Sure, we’ve said it before, but the small deli is really back this time under a new name, Melange (on 39th btw. 3rd+Lex). One of the original owner’s son runs the business now so ownership stayed in the family. Apparently, dad’s still helping out and cooking, so the name change probably has more to do with distancing themselves from the issues that plagued their former self than any meaningful changes. The great news? The place is spotless and they’ve retained all of the awesome sandwiches plus added a whole bunch of new ones along with breakfast, a salad station, and hot bar.

Check out their sweet lunch specials and sandwich menu after the jump…

The “with soup” situation may only apply to the lunch specials, but it looks like Milant’s #13 AKA Zach’s old standby has returned! (It’s H5 now.) For only $5.99 for both sandwich and soup, this makes the combo even cheaper than it was in 2007!?

COMBINATION SANDWICHES (order by number or else…)

C1 Imported prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sundried tomato with herb olive oil & on Semolina baguette 5.95

C2 Smoked turkey, Swiss emmenthaler cheese with honey mustard and roasted red peppers on Italian bread 5.95

C3 Genoa salami with fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers on French bread 5.50

C4 Smoked chicken breast with mozzarella and sundried tomato on French Baguette 5.50

C5 Black forest ham, brie, sundried tomato, herbed olive oil on Italian Semolina bread 5.50

C6 Grilled chicken, grilled roasted peppers, honey mustard on French bread 5.75

C7 Grilled chicken, grilled vegetables with light balsamic vinaigrette on Seven Grain 5.95

C8 Crabmeat cake with fresh tomato, lettuce, and mayo on Italian bread 5.95

C9 Italian combo 6.50

C10 Fresh roasted turkey in a wheat wrap with avocado, plum tomato, cilantro, black beans and carrots 5.75

C11 Grilled white meat chicken, fresh chopped greens and Caesar dressing in a red pepper wrap 5.75

C12 Honey ham, smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard on panini 6.25

C13 Egg salad with lettuce, plum tomato on white/wheat bread 3.99

C14 Chicken melt, chicken salad, avocado, lettuce, tomato and melted cheddar on panini 5.50

C15 Smoked salmon with thin layer of cream cheese, thinly sliced red onion, fresh tomato, and lettuce on pumpernickel bread 5.99

C16 Tuna with granny smith apple and fresh dill on rye with lettuce and plum tomato 4.99

C17 Tuna Melt (tuna salad, melted cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato on panini) 5.50

C18 Flounder filet with lettuce, plum tomato, red onion, fresh lemon, cilantro, and Russian or tartar sauce on sliced whole wheat bread 4.50

HOT SANDWICHES

H1 Corned beef, Dijon mustard, cornichons, and Swiss cheese on rye bread 5.99

H2 Pastrami, Swiss cheese, Bermuda onion on seven grain bread 5.99

H3 Melange roast beef and Swiss cheese on rye with green leaf lettuce, tomato and honey mustard 5.50

H4 Fresh roast turkey, Fontana cheese, lettuce, tomato and cranberry sauce on Italian bread 5.99

H5 Chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, pesto sauce and sundried tomato on French bread 5.99

H6 Meatloaf with lettuce, tomato on rye bread 4.99

H7 Meatball, lettuce, tomato and pickle on French baguette 4.99

H8 Chicken cutlet parmesan on rye/seven grain bread 5.50

H9 Gyro lamb or chicken 4.99

VEGETARIAN SANDWICHES

V1 Grilled eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, green pepper, carrots, feta cheese and balsamic herb olive oil on multigrain bread 5.25

V2 Cheddar cheese, cucumber, fresh plum tomato, lettuce and honey mustard on sourdough bread 4.99

V3 Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sundried tomato, extra virgin olive oil on Semolina bread 5.50

V4 Veggie burger, romaine leaf lettuce, plum tomato and tahini sauce on roll 4.99

V5 Falafel mixed green, plum tomato, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and hummus on pita bread 4.50

V6 Hummus chickpeas with tahini, mixed greens, fresh tomato in pita bread pocket 3.99

Melange, 158 E 39th Street (btw. 3rd+Lex), 212-682-1292

Related:
Milant Still Makes a Damn Good Sandwich
Milant Gourmet Deli (Original Review 2/12/07)

Milant is Probably Not Coming Back

Zach Brooks — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:02 +0000

Speaking of the DOH… when Milant closed earlier in the year, there was talk of the owner finding a new space to re-open his beloved sandwich shop. Sadly I’m hearing rumors that it’s not looking good… they just can’t afford the rents in the area.

Midtown Lunch Mourns the Loss of Milant

Zach Brooks — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:30:36 +0000

This was not a good week for Mom and Pop, old school Midtown Lunch spots. Following the sad report that Fashion Soup (on 41st btw. B’way+5th) is now closed, and unloading all of their equipment- comes this expected, but still hard to take, news. “This morning there are two for rent signs on the front of Milant with numbers. All over for the place. -Lunch’er Andrew”. The owner is looking for a new space, but it’s still a terrible blow to lose a place (even temporarily) that was once considered the best sandwich spot in all of Midtown. And right before summer too! Where are we going to go for gazpacho now? The ML flag will fly at half mast today.

Milant Closed Again… Possibly For Good?

Zach Brooks — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:00:48 +0000

Could this finally be the end for Milant, the little deli (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) that just two years ago was considered by many to be the best place for sandwiches in Midtown? After a couple of DOH closings, and a noticeable drop in business, Milant was finally sized by the Marshal last week on behalf of their landlord. I’ve seen places bounce back from this before, and when I ate at Milant in April everything was delicious… but clearly things are not looking good.

A close up of the Marshal’s notice is after the jump.

Thanks to “Lunch’er Andrew” for passing along the photos.

Milant is Back, Baby

Zach Brooks — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:45:09 +0000

There was a time, not long ago, when Milant (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) was considered the best sandwich place in Midtown. Then the DOH hit, followed by a weird period where they were closed more than they were open. Since that time, I’ve only been back to Milant once- for a good lunch, which I enjoyed- but there is no question their reputation has been hurt. On Friday I walked by Milant once again, to see what was cookin’, and found they had quietly entered the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge. Sort of…

Clearly they didn’t completely understand the challenge. Instead of coming up with a completely new and crazy sandwich, they used the sign to promote the few sandwiches I had tried on past visits- including my favorite one, which was listed at the top. The #13: Chicken cutlet with fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, and pesto. How could I resist?

Delicious as always. It’s amazing how much great flavor can be packed into something so basic, when it is done correctly. If only the chicken parm purveyors of Midtown could use this chicken cutlet, the world would be a much better place. Now if we could just get them to make a special sandwich for the ML Sandwich Challenge (maybe something involving that pate they keep in the fridge…)

I also noticed that the chocolates in the front window are still looking clean and fresh- but I still wouldn’t go anywhere near the “sale” stuff on the sidewalk cart. As I left I was reminded of one reason I loved Milant so much to begin with:

No matter how many times you’ve been, you always notice something new. Might have to go back for this one (anybody tried it before?)

Could Milant Be Facing More Trouble from the DOH?

Zach Brooks — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:30:23 +0000

This was posted in the comments on Friday about Milant, the sandwich shop that has been plagued by quality questions since they spent much of the past few months closed:

Before the “renovations,” I had been going to Milant at least once a week. No longer. On Wednesday, 8/27, I returned to Milant and ordered a sandwich and soup. Also purchased two “buttercrunch” candies to bring home for my wife. She wound up saving her candy to eat on Thursday. Last night, she opened the cello to discover the candy teeming with bugs. Definitely not from our home. Utterly disgusting. A complaint has been lodged with health dept.

Ouch. I had lunch there last week and thought my sandwich was good, but have always been skeptical about that candy in the window. We’ll see how effective Health Department Complaints actually are. If you noticed Milant closed this week, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

Milant Still Makes a Damn Good Sandwich

Zach Brooks — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:16:43 +0000

Always up for challenging my stomach, I decided to hit up Milant yesterday (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) despite the fact that they’ve been closed for most of the past month or two. Since they were shuttered by the DOH, there has been concern about the freshness and cleanliness of what was once considered Midtown’s finest sandwich place. All the food in the display case looked fine, although there is a creepy-ness that will probably only go away after multiple visits without incident (i.e. sickness). I went with my standby #13. Chicken cutlet, fresh mozarella, sundried tomatoes, and pesto.

Check it out, plus more- after the jump…

I made the mistake of ordering it on a whole wheat baguette, which made for a smaller sandwich than the french bread (which they didn’t give me as an option for some reason). The bread was a tad bit stale, but the oily goodness of the pesto took care of that problem, and overall the sandwich was pretty damn good. As reported by a number of commenters, soup no longer comes free with a sandwich. All soups now cost $1 as an add on, making it not as good a deal as it used to be…

For the sake of being “thorough” I orderded Milant’s $6.99 lunch plate, where you get to select any three prepared items from the cooler, plus a salad.

From left to right, I got their curry chicken salad (with all that mayo you can’t get much more dangerous than that), roasted veggies in the middle, and babaganouj (eggplant dip) on the right. It also came with a free soup, and considering that at a by the lb. deli the same amount of food would probably cost you over $10, it’s a pretty amazing deal (especially if you’re a vegetarian.) All three choices were really tasty, although I will admit I’m not as much of a fan of the Milant gazpacho as I used to be. It was cool and refreshing, but I definitely couldn’t eat a whole cup of it. Next time I’ll go with the hot soup. Aside from that, the only other complaint I have about the lunch special was they should give you some bread with it.

All in all a great lunch (I shared all that food btw) and I’m pleased to report that there were no unpleasant side effects. Even the sweets in the window looked a little fresher than normal… although I still don’t think I would eat them. (Has anybody? I’m always curious if they’re ok to eat.) Anyway, I think it is safe to eat at Milant again. Not sure if it’s still the best sandwich in Midtown, but it’s still a damn good Midtown Lunch.

Milant, 158 E. 39th St. (btw. Lex & 3rd), 212-682-0111

Read all Milant posts here

Milant Makes Its Full Return Tomorrow

Zach Brooks — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:14:03 +0000

Milant (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) re-opened today, after a run in with the DOH and a complete “rennovation” of their kitchen. The refrigerator case that houses most of the sandwich ingredients was totally cleaned out, so they were only serving smoked turkey sandwiches today (I passed.) I guess this is good news, considering that at one time Milant was my favorite sandwich in Midtown, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that something is still off with the place. Questions still linger about the cleanliness, and the really old looking stuff they still have for sale in the windows and on a little shelf on the sidewalk doesn’t help.

The guy behind the counter told me the fridge will be re-stocked tomorrow, and the full menu will be available, so Milant lovers should keep their fingers crossed. If any super-fans go, let us know in the comments how it is…