Midtown Lunch

When Zach discovered the Santouka in Los Angeles, he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t read more about the place while he was still in New York (there is also one at the N.J. branch Mitsuwa.) Always Hungry did a ramen video from there, but didn’t even mention the name Santouka once, and Time Out New York left them off of their list of the Ten Best Bowls of Ramen in NYC (although in fairness I guess it technically isn’t in NYC.) Coincidentally enough, forums diva “Yvo” wrote about Santouka this week on Feisty Foodie, calling the broth amazing.  Why isn’t this place mentioned in the same breath as the East Village ramen royalty more often?  Sure… it’s not Midtown, but we love Mitsuwa, and if you have time for a 2 hour lunch there is a bus from Port Authority that will take you there.

I’ll admit when I walked by A+ Thai’s newspaper-covered windows a few weeks ago, I was surprised. Could it be? Another Thai place? I’ve had my share of under $10 Thai lunch specials (almost all are on 9th Avenue) and while most are reliable if you’re just looking for curry or cheap noodles, there’s no place I’d walk farther than three blocks for – especially on the East Side. So what’s a girl with a Thai craving and great expectations to do? Go hungry, that’s what. Then walk one avenue out of bounds and order the “I Love Pad Thai” and Mega Balls at Midtown’s newest Thai.

Check out the goods after the jump… Read more »

I know we have a few Midtown Lunchers stuck outside the official boundaries in that no man’s land between Midtown and Chelsea in the high 20s low 30s between 8th and 10th Ave.  Lunch’er Jamie (who now runs our Philly site) used to work over there… and thankfully so do the folks over at Serious Eats!  They just posted about the amazingly delicious looking, and surprisingly ML friendly Ovest Pizzoteca (on 27th btw. 10+11th) which not only has some delicious looking under $10 pizzas and lunch specials, but also their own version of the pizzacone (and it looks far better than this!)  You didn’t think we’d go the whole day without a single pizzacone mention, did you?

Even though the meat lovers on Midtown Lunch outnumber the vegetarians, sometimes we like to shine a light on some of the less offensive meatless options being offered for under $10 (some of you may remember the days of Zen Burger!?) The latest spot is Vegan Hut, a just out of bounds chain that opened a few months ago on 7th btw. 29+30th… and we figured what better to assess it’s awesomeness (or suckiness) then by bringing in Lunch’er “Sarah”, our resident Vegetarian commenter, for a heads up point/counterpoint with me- a bonafied meat eater. In other words, we have something for everyone today. It’s a tale of he said she said. Meat eater vs. vegetarian. Both sides of the story. How will Vegan Hut hold up!

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It’s a little out of bounds, and you know most of us aren’t really down with the vegetarian stuff (save for Zach’s weird obsession with the now shuttered Zen Burger) but if you are a vegetarian or vegan you’ll be excited to hear that a branch of the international vegan chain Loving Hut opened on 7th Ave. btw. 29+30th a few months ago.  Everything on the menu is under $10, and “all dishes are free of animal ingredients. NO MSG. NO MILK. NO EGGS. All items are 100% vegan.” [via GirlieGirlArmy]

Loving Hut, 348 7th Ave. (btw. 29+30th), 212-760-1900

By now it’s no secret that the Godfather of Midtown is leaving us for the left coast. Like you could somehow find a pocket of deliciousness in L.A. that rivals Midtown Manhattan. As if! The one thing that we should all remember about the Godfather is that he has a penchant for cheap Chinese food. Those crunchy, left coast, salad eaters won’t ever convert him. He’ll always be a fat man at heart. There’s plenty of evidence pointing to Zach’s love of cheap Chinese food, so when an email from Lunch’er “Ethan” recently recommended the General Tso’s chicken from Alpha Fusion I knew it would make the perfect jealousy inducing post for Zach’s first day away from Midtown.

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It’s been 5 months since the Dessert Truck lost their permit, and left the Midtown Lunch scene. But last week they made their triumphant return with DT Works- a brick and mortar shop on the Lower East Side- and Serious Eats and High Low Food Drink have your first look. That’s kind of close to the F train for those of you who miss their bread pudding enough to subway lunch it to the LES.

Remember that new Union Square California style burrito spot you guys went crazy for in the forums a few months ago?  Well, I was treated to a fine lunch there by Ed Levine last week and today he reviewed the place over on Serious Eats: New York. He was a big fan of the quesadillas, and preferred the chicken and steak over the carnitas (which he thought was dry.)  I can’t speak for anything else on the menu, but I actually enjoyed my carnitas burrito more than any other carnitas burrito I’ve ever had in NYC (although I admit that is not saying much.)  They don’t off all the different ingredients properly (beans, meat, pico de gallo) so the integrity of the burrito was severely compromised after a few bites (very disappointing), but I thought the taste was there.  Regardless of its faults, the choice between hopping on the Q train or going to Chipotle is no choice at all.  (And Serious Eats agrees… they did a side by side Chipotle taste test and Dos Toros easily won.)

The old Soul Fixins’ spot on 34th, just west of 9th finally has a replacement. Tawa Tandoor opened at the end of last month, serving kati rolls, chaat, and a steam table full of pre-cooked hot dishes. Prices are pretty standard ($6.99-$8.99 for a combination plate of hot food), and all the stuff I saw looks pretty decent. I know 34th Street and 9th Ave. is technically out of bounds, but I’ve been to know to travel over there when something is really good (hello homemade gyro!) and I know there are a bunch of Midtown Lunch’ers who work in that area that will be pretty excited for this news. (You just might want to skip the vindaloo.) Anybody else eaten in this place yet? Let us know what you think in the comments…

Tawa Tandoor, 371 W. 34th St (btw. 8+9th), 212-502-0082

It would be virtually impossible for me to try every single dish at every single spot in all of Midtown (although I’ve clearly spent the past 3 1/2 years trying).  So that’s why I love getting crazy recommendations… and not just places, but specific dishes as well.  Normally I go for Asian food on the Monday after Thanksgiving (four days of turkey and stuffing makes me crave something sweet and sour) but for some insane reason I decided to get my lunch based on this email from Lunch’er Robert:

I know it is just outside the boundaries and it is just outside the price range… the location is 34th and 2nd and the place is called Rosa’s pizza. Order either chicken or veal parmesan platter with pasta. The servings are absurdly large and the meal tastes delicious – for chicken parm it is only $10.50 and veal is like a $1 more. Trust me when I tell you this is the best deal for chicken/veal parm in the city.

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