Midtown Lunch » New York Times Building (41st & 8th)

Times’ New Critic Sam Sifton Likes Go Go Curry

Zach Brooks — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:15:27 +0000

“Uh… excuse me. Do you know if Sam Sifton eats here?”

If you read any other food blog in the universe besides this one, than by now you know that the New York Times is replacing their food critic, Frank Bruni, with Sam Sifton. Unlike Bruni, who probably didn’t spend a ton of time in the New York Times building (on 8th Ave. btw. 40+41st), Sifton is the culture editor for the paper and one would assume is there every day. Which leads me to wonder… where does Sam Sifton each lunch every day?

While everybody else is probably wondering what kind of food critic he’ll make- I’m more curious about whether or not anybody has noticed this guy eating at Popeye’s or Ying Du. What about Pick-a-Pita, or even the (hilariously named) Time’s Halal Food cart on the corner of 40th and 8th?

According to Eater he likes katsu curry, and had this to say about ML fave Go Go Curry in this New York Times Magazine article from last year:

Miyamori is the proprietor of a chain of 26 Go Go Curry restaurants in Japan; he opened his 27th in Manhattan’s garment district in 2007. The restaurant was an instant lunchtime hit and is packed daily with rheumy-eyed young office workers solving last night’s problems with a massive lunch alongside Japanese tourists getting their version of a hometown fast-food fix. You could eat in the place every noon for a week and not figure out how to make the stuff.

The Diner’s Journal is soliciting for questions that the new critic will answer. Here’s mine: What are your favorite places to eat lunch every day near the New York Times Building? Oh, and congrats on the new gig.

Popeye’s on 40th Files For Bankruptcy

Zach Brooks — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:37 +0000

Terrible news from Lunch’er “MychaelS” on Friday: Crains is reporting that Franchise Kings of Midtown (which owns the Popeye’s on 40th btw. 7+8th) is filing for Bankruptcy protection. The owner “aims to pay off her debts and sell the franchise and lease for the store.” The location is still open for now, but it’s not entirely clear if it will remain open in the future. (Hopefully somebody will come in and save it!) Also unclear is whether the bankruptcy is directly related to the location itself, which was always packed during lunch, or just a failure of the parent company. Of course this isn’t the first time Midtown has lost a Popeyes. There used to be one on 34th Street, and one on 46th Street. Both are now closed. The block itself, which is located right next to the New York Times Building appears to be jinxed. The Sophie’s Cuban located directly next door, closed last year despite always being full during lunch.

Pete Wells Loves the Trini-Paki Boys Cart

Zach Brooks — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:45:45 +0000

via Twitter today:

C’mon boys… this is the Dining Editor of the New York Times we’re talking about. Don’t you think he knows what chicken and rice cart he’s talking about?

So… I gotta ask:

Good to know… I think if I worked in the New York Times Building (on 8th Ave. btw. 40+41st) my new go-to lamb/chicken over rice cart would have to be the new Kwik Meal Cart on 37th & 7th named after President Obama. Anybody else have any other street meat recommendations in that area? Put them in the comments…

Inakaya Opens to the Public on Thursday Night

Zach Brooks — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:45:54 +0000

It’s not cheap enough to be a Midtown Lunch, but if you are into robatayaki, the Japanese style of eating simple food grilled right in front of you, Inakaya is opening tomorrow night in the New York Times Building. Eater has the first photos of the place, plus a look at their lunch menu. Sadly the lunch boxes are $18 to $32, but it looks like this place would be a fun splurge.

Hale & Hearty is Bringing Fish Tacos and More to the NYT Building

Zach Brooks — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:00:59 +0000

Lunch’er Jasmine snapped a photo (above left) of new signage that just went up on the New York Times Building for Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen, a new restaurant concept from the former* owners of Hale & Hearty. According to their website they’ll be serving burgers, salads, fries, sandwiches, fish tacos, mac and cheese, sloppy joe’s, milkshakes, beer and wine. I like sloppy joe’s! I like fish tacos! The website says the place will be opening on 41st and 8th Ave. in December… and that’s about it. No prices, so we’ll have to wait and see if this one falls under the official Midtown Lunch’ing domain.

* This was not included in the original post. The Schnipper Brothers were the founders and former owners of Hale and Hearty, and this is their latest venture. (They sold their interest of Hale & Hearty over 2 years ago.)