Midtown Lunch

The International starring Clive Owen opens today, and according to Lunch’er Leslie our favorite salad (and now sandwich) cart, 100% Healthy & Halal (on 55th & Park), makes an appearance at the end of the movie: “Just wanted to let you know that we here at Nation’s Restaurant News patronize the cart on a regular basis. The salads are great just as described. In fact, the cart can now be seen in the new movie ‘The International’ with Clive Owen. There is a small scene towards the end. I saw it last night and recognized Gamal. I asked him about it today. He was so nonchalent.”  It’s good to see they used what they shot with him in the finished film… the Daisy May’s cart never made the final cut of Don’t Mess With the Zohan.

Note: Surprisingly none of the official promotional stills for the movie contained our beloved halal cart (shocking right?) so I had to doctor up the one above. The fake photo in no way reflects on the accuracy of the story.  You probably think that this doesn’t need to be said, but the last time I used a fake photo to add a visual element to what was a true story, people loved pointing out that the photo was clearly fake (as if I was trying to pass it off as real.)

I noticed this little sign hanging on the register at FreeFoods NYC the other day when I was paying for my duck sandwich. This not only sucks for restaurants, but it sucks for consumers too. Just one more thing for me to worry about when I pay with a $1000 bill. Lesson learned… inspect every bill!

Oh, almost forgot… F all you FreeFoods patrons who actually have 100 dollar bills to pay for your lunch with.

I lived in L.A. for two years before moving to New York, and while I was there I loved the fact that every restaurant had a health inspection letter grade posted in the window.  This way you could see exactly how clean or dirty a restaurant was before eating in it.  Seeing an “A” was always reassuring, but a “B” would only keep me out of places I knew nothing about. For example, seeing the “B” didn’t discourage me from eating at Mario’s Peruvian or the Baja Fresh across from my office. Although when the Baja Fresh got upgraded to an “A” I suppose it made me feel a little better about things. (I think since I moved away Mario’s was upgraded as well.)  I don’t think I ever ate a restaurant with a “C”. (In fact I probably only saw one or two in all the time I lived out there.)

But now that it is being reported that New York City plans on adopting the same style of inspections, I’m a little apprehensive.  I don’t think I want to see a letter grade hung outside Hing Won or Ying Du.  I prefer to keep eating at my favorite dirty Midtown Lunch places in blissful ignorance. I guess if it gives restaurants the incentive to improve their cleanliness, that is a good thing- but clean doesn’t always equal better food.  Ying Du was forced to get rid of their old (and no doubt disgustingly dirty) meat roaster… and now some have complained that their roast pork doesn’t taste as good.  Thanks a lot Department of Health. I’ll take dirty and tasty food over antiseptic boring food any day.

Photo courtesy of Spare Change

More terrible news coming out of last week’s fire in the building above Menchanko Tei and Five Guys on 55th btw. 5+6th. Everything in Five Guys has water damage (computers, etc.) and they expect to be closed at least a month, but probably more like 6 weeks. Apparently the fire was directly above Five Guys and they were the hardest hit. (Menchanko Tei said last Thursday that they hoped to only be closed for a week.)

The West Village Five Guys Burgers & Fries says that they will happily deliver up to Midtown, but it would have to be a big order (at least 20 burgers) and you would have to offset the cost of a cab as well. Friday burger office party anybody?

Lunch’er Larry sends along this photo and report: “I just noticed on the NE corner of 45th & Lex, which used to be a Vitamin Shoppe, there’s a sign in the window for a ‘Green Room Cafe on Lex’.” Just another generic Midtown deli? Or perhaps it’s a U.S. outpost of the healthy cafes run by Aramsa Spa in Singapore. Either way it’s pretty meh news, but I’m betting on generic deli… besides, the last Singapore company to open a chain in Midtown didn’t fare so well.

Photo courtesy of Occam

Wednesday morning, there was a fire in the building that houses Menchanko Tei on 55th btw. 5+6th, forcing them to close along with Onigashima and the Five Guys Burgers and Fries on the same block.  Menchanko Tei says they’re hoping to be back open in a week, while Five Guys is not answering their phone.  Five Guys is always packed on Fridays, so I’m guessing there will be a lot of disappointed people today. Another prediction: Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) and Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th) will be mobbed…

Here are a few items that have nothing to do with Midtown Lunch, but they happened in Midtown, and are kind of interesting: Lost City reports that Frankie & Johnny’s on 46th Street have renegotiated their lease, and won’t be forced to close at the end of the month… the former Grayz space on 54th St. reopens as Atria today… a former waiter has filed a class action lawsuit again sushi chain Haru… yesterday Frank Bruni reviewed the upscale healthy restaurant Rouge Tomate on 60th Street… and Bobby Van’s Steakhouse on 46th & Park has set up a scotch approval matrix in their window.

After a short winter recess, most of the hipster food trucks are back in Midtown today. The Treats Truck is on 38th & 5th, the Wafels & Dinges Truck is on 46th & 6th, and the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck is on 52nd and Lex. The one holdout? The Dessert Truck, which will be returning in mid-late January.

Photo by nycblondieandbrownie

Sugo e Basilico (on 5th btw. 44+45th) was one of the Readers’ Poll nominees for “Saddest Closing of 2008” but even sadder is what it’s being replaced with:  another Europa Cafe.  Blondie and Brownie have the full report, along with a New Years resolution to boycott Cosi. Now, while I can surely get behind any boycott of a non-Midtown lunch’ish corporate chain, at least Cosi bakes their bread fresh in a brick oven right in front of you.  If I had to choose one of the crappy chains to save, it would probably be a toss up between Cosi & Pret a Manger. Cafe Metro, Europa Cafe, Pax, Chop’t, Chipotle, and Qdoba on the other hand…