Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Anthony, a consultant who loves mole and is willing to trade info about small hidden restaurants that nobody knows about…

Name: Anthony

Age: 25

Occupation: Consulting (I make confused people less confused)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: By Carnegie Deli

Favorite Kind of Food: Everything! My tops are ocean critters.. I once had some freshly caught octopus off the coast of Spain, the quality brought tears to my eyes. Anything with heat, the hotter the better. I always had a thing for Mexican, and the non-fish Japanese sub-cuisines (of course I like Sushi). Oh, and cheese and mustard and French Macarons.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Food made without love…tacky diner food, bland Latin food, red meat cooked more than medium-rare, overcooked fish, and last: Take-Out Chinese.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th) for Ramen, Sapporo (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for the Tonkatusu, Pret for the occasional sandwich, H&H for soup, Daisy May’s (on 50th btw. 6+7th) for the Brisket chili, I think I want a burger from Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) today… Tehuitzingo (on 10th Ave. btw. 47+48th) for tacos (the closest to Mexico in Manhattan as far as I’m concerned), Tina’s (on 56th btw. 5+6th) Cuban sandwich, and the Halal Guys on 6th/53rd for street meat.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. I’ve been enjoying Cer Te’s sandwiches for over a year now, and with Pizza by Cer Te a few weeks from opening (on 56th btw. Park+Lex) I felt like it was time to meet the guy who comes up with all their crazy sandwich specials.  Fresh off his “Best Sandwich” win in this year’s Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, meet Edward the pizza loving, 260 pound Chef/Owner of Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th).

Name: Edward

Age: 39

Occupation: Chef/Owner Cer té

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 55th btw. 5+6th

Favorite Kind of Food: It’s easy to say as a chef I favor exotic cuisines. I especially enjoy Ethiopian because I love to get in to and eat with my hands. I also love their calculated use of spices. As far as favorite I am “in” love with pizza, not just love. I can eat it in the morning out of the refrigerator. I can eat it if it is out of the critical zone (board of health term for proteins left out for more than 2 hours.) and I can eat it right out of a 650 degree oven and worry about the wounds later. I equate it to sex- there is some that are better than others but it’s all good. I don’t have a favorite midtown pizzeria. One of my motivating factors to open Pizza by Cer té was the “lack of” in Midtown.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This is a hard question for a guy who weights 260 pounds. I guess I would just have to generalize and say highly processed or “factory foods.” I just will never understand how bread could stay fresh for more than 30 days. I would also add cookie cutter food establishments to that. With that said I have included a large amount of midtown establishments.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: What? Besides here… hmmm. Late work night definitely Five Guys Cheeseburger with onions and fresh jalapeños. No fries though, for the calories I’d rather have two burgers. Daisy Mays I love but I don’t know if it’s midtown enough, we park our truck there. It’s on 46th and 11th avenue. BEST BBQ.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Tat (aka Streetmeasonsumer3008) a street meat fanatic who wonders if anyone will recognize him on the streets after he appears as today’s profiled lunch’er.

Name: Tat but very few people even call me that.

Age: 29

Occupation: Corporate Tax on weekdays, Lazy Hobo by night & weekends

Where in Midtown do you Work?: In a cubicle with my face glued to my desktop, located inside an office building between 51st & 52nd and Park Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Italian, Tex-Mex, and Chinese. I’m always down for healthy servings of pizza, hard-shell tacos, empanadas, paella, noodles/pasta dishes, congee, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburgers and steak/home/waffle fries. Street Meats was one of my favorite meals when I started working in Midtown but lately I’ve grown tired of eating it. Throw salads into the mix? Hell no! Unless the leafy greens are covered in a pile of fried chicken or grilled lamb. I also tend to over-season my food with black/ white pepper and hot sauce. I can’t say I’d measure up as a Phall monster but I do enjoy spicy and flavorful foods. And there’s no turning down chocolate cake for dessert.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Poorly executed orders of street meats since I’ve grown to be highly critical of Halal carts food after eating it often. I know it’s cheap and I shouldn’t be nit-picky but I am still paying for it. Then again, poorly excuted anything will be disappointing to anyone when you’re paying for it. I’m also not the biggest fan of Thai food but will eat it with friends for lunch. If anything, I’m game for Malaysian which is similar. I use to be against curry but now I’m willing to give most foods a chance. I don’t like raw celery or raw onions but would eat either vegetable thoroughly cooked/ grilled/ fried.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: XPL‘s Chicken & Lamb with basmati rice or their lamb on pita, and a Philly cheesesteak with Fries at Gourmet 53 (3rd btw. 52+53rd) are my top lunch choices around my office. My infrequent favorite lunches in Midtown would have to be the hakata ramen at Menchanko Tei (55th btw. 5+6th), Carnegie John’s (on 7th Ave. and 56th) grilled chicken with rice covered in tzatziki sauce (my favorite type of white sauce in the Street Meats world), and anytime I can devour a Big Mac, McNuggets and fries. Let’s not forget about Popeye’s (on 40th btw. 7+8th) and 53rd and 6th Famous Guys remains a favorite lunch Halal cart despite not eating there all the time.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Anthony, an IT man who wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

Name: Anthony

Age: 23

Occupation: IT Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 40th between 5th and 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: Indian / Spanish. Anything spicy.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Chipotle

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Chicken and lamb over basmati rice with extra white and hot from Adham’s (on 40th & 7th), Margon on 46th btw. 5+6th (Cubans are amazing) also all of their daily hot dishes are great, and Abitino’s (on 40th and 7th) has a good spinach slice

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Anita, an avid bike rider who wishes she lived in India.

Name: Anita

Age: 26

Occupation: Digital Strategist, Bike Blogger

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 34th and 5th Ave but I used be on 42nd and 3rd when I discovered Midtown Lunch

Favorite Kind of Food: Noodles and dumplings from pretty much from any ethnic cuisine. I love ramen but also love those hand pulled noodles in Chinatown. There are great places in Sunset Park Brooklyn. One gave me food poisoning but I love it so much I keep going back. I also love homemade pastas, Chinese dumplings, polish dumplings, ect. I like my carbs.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Generic American or in Midtown things found inside my building like Europa Cafe and Big Apple Cafe

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Kati Roll (on 39th btw. 5+6th), the Aloo Unda and Chicken are my staples. Menchanko-Tei (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd), though it’s pretty far from me now. Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th) and Saravanaas- though I guess that’s technically outside Midtown

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Edward a (possibly) Kosher software architect who is obsessed with Asian Station.

Name: Edward

Age: 34

Occupation: Software Architect

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 3rd Ave and 54th Street, across the street from the Lipstick building (aka “Madoff” building)

Favorite Kind of Food: Kosher grilled chicken or kebab in general, and pretty much any noodle dish

Least Favorite Kind of Food: No oatmeal for me!

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Vegetable Pad Thai at Asian Station (on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd). Grilled Baby Chicken at Moshe’s cafe (down the stairs, outside the subway entrance on the NE Corner of 53rd and Lex) – a little pricey but worth it. Especially if the weather is nice and you can sit at the outdoor plaza next to it. Vegetable Udon at Azure (on 50th & 3rd). Salad + cookie + freshly baked bread + fruit cup at Gourmet 53 (3rd Ave. btw. 52+53rd). Falafel from the yellow truck on the corner of 3rd Ave and 52nd St ($5 for a very big plate + soda!) And Veggie Pizza and remarkably good Garden or Side Salad at Ray Bari Pizza on 3rd Ave & 56th.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week I’m excited to welcome Moira, the brains behind Rum and Blackbird a brand new food walking tour company in Hell’s Kitchen.

Name: Moira

Age: 28

Occupation: Tasting Tour Tycoon

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Rum & Blackbird Tasting Tours in Hell’s Kitchen – I know 9th Avenue is technically out of bounds for midtown lunch, but I do find myself venturing into the thick of midtown for the right food, especially if its something Mediterranean or barbecued.

Favorite Kind of Food: Savory pastries and meat pies

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Salisbury steak and over-cooked salmon.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: This list is a bit 9th Avenue focused: Xie Xie (on 9th btw. 45+46th) for their sweet glazed pork bun, Poseidon Bakery (on 9th Ave. btw. 44+45th) for their spanakopita and tiropita. Inside midtown, Akdeniz (on 46th btw. 5+6th) for hummus and babba ganoush and Virgil’s BBQ for BBQ trash riblets.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Geetika Khanna, a well known chef (formerly at Raga & Masala Cafe) who now operates the catering company “All Things Food”. She is also a cooking teacher and founder of the Indian Culinary Center, which offers Indian cooking classes on West 23rd Street. Oh, and she’s a bonafied Midtown Lunch’er who’s looking for some good fried chicken (and Korean food!)

Name: Geetika Khanna

Age: 40

Occupation: Chef/Instructor (and founder of the Indian Culinary Center)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: I live in midtown, in the East 50s.

Favorite Kind of Food: Mediterranean

Least Favorite Kind of Food: There’s no food I don’t like! I think I have eaten almost everything. I went on an African safari and ate every kind of animal they offered me — including snake. Though, there was one embarrassing moment. The Masai make a drink of milk and blood that they offer to you as a gesture of respect. It was pink and frothy and warm and I just couldn’t bring myself to drink it. I just couldn’t!

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: For Indian I like Kati Roll (on 39th btw. 5+6th). I had been going to the one downtown so I was really excited when they opened a branch in midtown. And, Apna Taj (on 55th btw. Lex+3rd) has cheap take out lunch boxes — they are $8 for the vegetable and $9 for the meat. Lately I have been all about fried chicken. A friend took me to Chicken House on 36th between Seventh and Eighth — it was amazing fried chicken. And then we tried the chicken at The Bastard Son on Eighth at 39th. The line was crazy but they had great fried chicken. That is something I am not going to cook at home. I’ve also been into Korean food lately — I love all the stuff they give you in the beginning — and the hot pots! I go to Taam Tov on West 47th for the tamarind and noodle soup they make. And, though it is out of the Midtown Lunch price range, when I want a splurge I go to Anthos on West 52nd. It is fancy without being too expensive. Midtown has a ton of chi chi places — but I don’t like to spend a ton of money to eat well.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Keith, an actuary (?) who loves Japanese food and hates Chipotle.

Name: Keith

Age: 29

Occupation: Actuary

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Right next to Bryant Park

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese (really into good sushi, izakaya style, ramen…), good burgers under $10.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Big chain wannabe Mexican fast food like Chipotle and Qdoba. I grew up in SoCal and the burrito/taco places that end in “-erto’s” serve tastier Mexican fare.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th)  if I can beat the lunch rush. Love the Katsu Curry single at Go Go Curry (on 38th btw. 7+8th). Yum Yum Bangkok I on 9th btw. 45+46th has a great lunch special if you are into Thai. Lastly, I’ve been to Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th) 3x since it opened. I like the Banh Mi (really good terrine) but it’s a bit on the small size.

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Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. In addition to being a long time fan of Kefi (on the Upper West Side), it’s no secret that I’m also a huge fan of the lamb burger at Anthos on 52nd btw. 5+6th. So I’m incredibly honored to welcome this week’s Profiled Midtown Lunch’er, Chef Michael Psilakis… PLUS we have a copy of his new cookbook “How To Roast a Lamb” to give away at the end of the profile.

Name: Michael

Age: 41

Occupation: Chef/Owner of Anthos, Kefi, Gus & Gabriel and Eos in Miami, FL.

Where in Midtown do you Work?: I float around to all of my restaurants constantly, but am mostly on the Upper West Side at Kefi in our offices up there.

Favorite Kind of Food: I appreciate any and all types of food, but if I had to pick one it would definitely have to be Greek food… or pizza.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: That’s impossible! I do not have one, does not exist.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I love the cheeseburger at the Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th.) That place is like an oasis with neon signage. Another place I really enjoy, that is out of ML’s price range but worth a splurge, is Esca (on 43rd and 9th) for the whole grilled fish. It doesn’t matter what type of fish, you know when you go there it’s always fresh and doused with really, really good olive oil.

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