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 I’m excited to welcome Amy from the site Amy Blogs Chow.  Not only does she have a great website, with funny videos of her making “Stupidly Simple Snacks”, but she was also one of the attendees of my Crash Course in Food Blogging at Whole Foods (in her defense, though, those two things are completely unrelated.)

Name: Amy

Age: 25

Occupation: Freelance Writer for Zagat and offManhattan.com. I take photos of food and blog about it on my own site, Amy Blogs Chow. Plus, I make s’mores on YouTube.

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Close enough to the UN to be cordoned off from the building every time someone with a black limo and national flag pulls up.

Favorite Kind of Food: Corned beef sandwiches, sushi, medium rare cheeseburgers, cookies, cakes. Thai and Italian cuisine. Barbecue. I’m also quite happy about the fried chicken trend.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Licorice.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Any of the rice balls and croquettes at Oms/B finished off with coffee and a chocolate chip cookie from Macchiato Espresso Bar (on 44th btw. Lex+3rd). When I worked on the west side, I would go to Kashkaval (on 9th Ave. btw. 55+56th) for the goat cheese and caramelized onion panini, which I would drown in balsamic vinegar before eating. I love the pad thai from Wondee Siam (on 9th Ave. btw. 52+53rd) too.

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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 Casey, who moved here 13 years ago only eating chicken and pretzels.  Now, she’s a bonafied Midtown Lunch’er!

Name: Casey

Age: 30 going on 60

Occupation: Slave…

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Commercial Real Estate firm on 47th and Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: Pizza. I could eat it all day, every day. Mom’s macaroni and meatballs (which have now exceeded perfection due to a new secret ingredient I recently provided her with). I’d travel to NJ every Sunday for that if I didn’t hate going to NJ. Lentil soup. Hearty, stick to your bones lentil soup flavored with bacon, ham or chorizo….

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t really have one. I moved to the city 13 years ago only eating chicken and pretzels. I remember going to Smith and Wollensky’s Steakhouse within my first few months here and I ordered roast chicken. After that I knew I had to make some changes. I did and I now I could give or take chicken..pretzels are another story.….I will eat (or try) just about everything.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: My #1 is Oms/b Rice Ball Café (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd). I never met a rice ball I didn’t love, but these I would marry. My favorites include the risotto spring roll, popcorn shrimp rice ball and teriyaki chicken. If I feel like treating myself, I love the veal milanese and veal and mushroom ravioli at BiCE (on 54th btw. Mad+5th). I never ate anything else there though. Mantao Chinese Sandwiches (on 53rd btw. 2+3rd) for their Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Dumplings. I undeniably, unequivocally leave there a happy girl every single time. Pick a Pita (on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th) for a falafel (stuffed with fries!) and shawarma. Outstanding food, incredible value…Well done E.D.!!  Dessert: I enjoy baklava at Güllüoglu (on 52nd and 2nd). My two favorites: sour cherry and chestnut. Guilty Pleasures: The Newman slice at Two Boots (which I never told anyone). Sweet Sausage and Sopressata on a white pie. I will devour a slice in Grand Central every now and blend in with the tourists. AND… cole slaw from Cer te (on 55th btw. 5+6th). Red cabbage, raisins, poppy seeds….delicious.

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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 Wai, a breakfast loving cooking instructor who has redefined dumplings with a brand new cookbook: “The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide”.  And after he gives his recommendations for lunching in Midtown, we’ll give away a copy…

Name: Wai

Age: 38

Occupation: Cooking instructor and co-author of The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Officially, I guess I’m downtown. But while researching my book, I spent many long days at the 42nd Street Library. Additionally, I worked in midtown for many years at 43rd Street and 6th Avenue, Worldwide Plaza on 50th Street and 8th Avenue, and the most food desolate of all, at 59th Street and Lexington.

Favorite Kind of Food: Before any great lunch, there is of course breakfast. I love a tasty breakfast. Fried eggs over medium with fresh tomatoes and chunky home fries, a big bowl of noodles in steaming hot broth, an omelet or frittata with roasted vegetables and mushrooms, congee (heavy on the cilantro and ginger) dipped with a fried cruller, or any crusty, chewy bread toasted or not with some butter. I also love asopao (a type of soupy rice) and fried sweet plantains for breakfast.

There are a few restaurants in Chinatown that specialize in Hong Kong-style breakfast. This includes a quirky assortment of western-inspired dishes like HK-style spaghetti, ham (or Spam) and egg sandwiches, elbow macaroni with soup, 1-inch thick toast with almond paste or condensed milk, as well as more traditional Cantonese dishes like rolled rice crepes with scallions and dried shrimp, congee, steam buns, noodles, and one-pot rice casseroles. And, of course, there’s Ovaltine or Horlicks to wash it all down.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Overly spicy foods, like when something is hot to the point where you can’t taste any of the other flavors of the dish. I also vehemently dislike any dishes that contain baby corn.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Café Edison (on 47th btw. B’way+8th) wins me over every time. Maybe it’s the no-nonsense service or the giant matzo ball-beach ball dangling from the ceiling. I love coming here and eating at the counter. The fried fish sandwich is big and generous enough for 2 meals. And the matzo brei and matzo ball soup are among the best in the city. I always try to save some room for the overstuffed cheese blintzes.

I love starchy things in general and Japanese noodles in particular, which makes Men Kui Tei (on 55th btw. 5+6th) a favorite. The ramen there is not as salty or fatty as you’ll find at other places in the city. Mostly, I have the Miso Ramen, Vegetable Ramen, or the Hiyashi Ramen Salad, but I recently discovered their fried rice…naturally sweet and chewy Japanese rice, lightly fried, and delicately seasoned with soy sauce.

More favorites after after the jump…

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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 Mike, a Financial Panther who hates Brother Jimmy’s and is really pissed at Pampano Taqueria for getting rid of their Agua Fresca combo add-on.

Name: Mike

Age: 24

Occupation: Financial Panther

Where in Midtown do you Work?: My office is at the out of bounds location of 29th and Madison. I used to work on 51st and Park. That’s where I did my serious midtown lunching. I never thought I would miss that area when it came to lunch but now I actually take trips up there to get some of my favorite places that I miss.

Favorite Kind of Food: Wow that’s tough! Does cheap eats count as an answer? I live in the village so I try to bring my midtown lunching rules of nothing over $10 back for dinner and I rarely go over. My favorite type of food has to be Mexican, BBQ, or Bar Food but basically I love anything loaded with starch or carbs (healthy right?). I love all Asian food and have recently been on a soup dumpling and ramen kick (and no not Nissan cup of soup). At a pizza joint I will ALWAYS order a chicken parm sub unless were talking Neapolitan pizza. I grew up on my grandmother’s sauce so anything Italian that is not smothered in red sauce is sacrilege. Finally, a bagel with nova lox and cream cheese is my favorite all time favorite breakfast. I don’t get it that often because I haven’t been able to find a good place in the city that gives me nova with cream-cheese on a bagel for less than 10 bucks.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: It is a tie between Vegetarian and Ethiopian. When I say vegetarian I don’t just mean food with no meat. I am talking about anywhere that serves wheat grass cocktails and tofu burgers. Yuck. Eating raw fatty meaty is disgusting to me. I’m grossed out by Kosher pizza and the other day I heard of Kosher Mexican (I don’t even want to know what that constitutes).

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: For this I will stick to my old midtown location of 51st and Park. I still make the trip uptown to go to Pampano Taqueria (on 3rd Ave. btw. 49+50th). 2 or 3 Alambre steak tacos with the combo and the Agua Fresca and I am in the food zone! The Agua Fresca always sealed the deal for me and I was even so bold as to ask them how it was made. They gave me the Heisman and said, “no way” but every time I go I still try to find out that secret recipe. Now the sad news. I went there last Friday with my girlfriend and they got rid of the Agua Fresca as a add on to the combo. I called shenanigans and tried to reason with them that the Agua Fresca made the deal, but I was denied. Even without the Agua Fresca it is one of the best lunches in midtown. My go to pizza place was always La Bellezza (on 49th btw. Lex+3rd) for a chicken or eggplant parm sub. When a chicken parm is made with thin flat pounded chicken that is freshly breaded and spiced just right it is a thing of beauty. Sizzle chicken with extra sauce at Fusion Grills in the food court at 875 3rd Ave is great. Cheap generic chicken teriyaki is one of my favorite food court meals. When I found this I was so excited because I mourned the Sarku that got removed when the heartless JC Penny Corporation moved into the Manhattan Mall.

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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 Janet, a PR consultant who loves Asian food and is looking for a good cup of coffee.

Name: Janet

Age: 30

Occupation: PR Consultant

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 7th Avenue between 40th and 41st

Favorite Kind of Food: All Asian – Korean, Thai, Japanese, Sushi, Vietnamese, (more or less anything that involves noodles or rice), Italian, Indian, french fries, pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, any kind of seafood – especially oysters, mussels, lobster and crab!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Not going to lie – Mexican. I don’t hate it but it’s definitely not my go to choice of cuisine. Also, I don’t really have a sweet tooth so all those cupcake/dessert places…can definitely do without.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Kati Roll (on 39th btw. 5+6th), Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th), Duke’s, Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th), Hale & Hearty, Lazzara’s Pizza (on 38th btw. 6+7th). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada where the only street food is hot dogs and there are no buffet/salad tables in delis so I’m in love with the abundance of street food options and delis here.

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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 Pat, an intern who just moved to NYC a month ago to work in the north eastern corner of Midtown. Let’s try and help him find some good eats (without rubbing it in too much about the Sox hat.)

Name: Pat

Age: 20

Occupation: Marketing Intern

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Permal Asset Management at 54th and 3rd

Favorite Kind of Food: Sushi

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Overall, there’s not much in the area, but I recently found two great go to spots. Sushi Express at the corner of 55th and 2nd. Despite the awful name, the sushi is actually pretty good, and fairly priced (8 bucks for 2 rolls, 12 bucks for 3). Service is great, it’s never crowded. I don’t know too much about sushi but me and my buddy thought it was really good and we go there often. The second is Lenny’s at 2nd and 54th. Although its a chain, the food here is amazing. Ask for the Jimmy T. Two chicken cutlets with melted mozzarella covered in sweet peppers and onions with honey mustard. Sounds like a weird combination but its awesome.

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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 Joanna, a magazine marketer who is Taiwanese and love street food- but conspicuously leaves out whether or not she likes NYC Cravings (the Taiwanese fried chicken truck.)

Name: Joanna

Age: 24

Occupation: Marketer for Fortune, Money & Real Simple at Time Inc

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Time & Life Building on the corner of 6th and 50th

Favorite Kind of Food: I’m Taiwanese, so I’m really partial to all that is delicious and Taiwanese. I can’t narrow it down to anything specific, but Taiwanese street food is amazing. Sometimes I think my stomach is made of iron for all the street food I put into my stomach and not get sick from when I’m back on the streets in Taiwan… Other than that Japanese and Italian come in at a close second.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Can I say none? Oh I know! Anything bland and unflavorful! (Cliche I know, but oh so true).

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I hope everyone in the Midtown West area has gotten out to Roberto Passon (on 9th Ave. 50+51st). It’s emptier and emptier each time I go, but please go and check it out! It’s such a great deal for a prix fixe. I’m always getting their caesar salad, salmon and tiramisu. Other great lunches includes Katsuhama (two locations) – delicious succulent pieces of pork? Yes please! In fact, you’ll find me there sometime this week because I’ve just made myself hungry. I’ll also add Aoki (on 48th btw. B’way+8th) to this list, their lunchboxes are big and inexpensive.

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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 think it’s pretty well established that I am not exactly the healthiest eater when it comes to lunching, but I am well aware that occasionally some of you like to eat healthy. Every once in awhile a brave healthy eater will step to the plate and recommend some places for those Midtown Lunchers looking for a less gut busting lunch. This week it’s Alexi, a health and wellness coach that doesn’t like Chinese food (stick a dagger in my heart!) but likes rice balls.

Name: Alexi

Age: 28

Occupation: Health & Wellness Coach (plus I have a blog), but my day job is Office Manager/Receptionist

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Zelnickmedia – office is near Bryant Park

Favorite Kind of Food: I love creative food that is healthy and made from whole foods but doesn’t compromise taste. Basically, anything fresh and full of flavor – from Ethiopian to sushi.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Not a fan of Chinese, or anything fried

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The dolce vita hummus salad bowl from Crisp, with whole wheat pita – SO tasty. Rice balls from Oms/B (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd) are really good. I also love picking at Free Foods‘ food bar, and their fresh shakes are juices are great. When I need a major boost I get the Curious George with cacao nibs, banana, coconut and espresso. You can’t lose. And the raw vegan macaroons are to die for. If I’m feeling uninspired I’ll hit up Dishes for a salad (but recently I was elbowed in the chaos of a lunchtime mass so I think I’ll take a break).

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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 we’re proud to welcome a really special guest to the site… it’s Street Food Week on Gourmet.com, and every day they’re posting recommendations from different cities. Yesterday was New York City and Philly, today is Portland and Seattle, and LA, SF, Zurich, SE Asia, Miami, and New Orleans will round out the week. To commemorate the occasion Gourmet’s Executive Editor John “Doc” Willoughby kindly agreed to tell us where he likes to lunch- including his favorite street cart.

Name: Doc

Age: 61

Occupation: Editor, Writer, Dog owner

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Conde Nast

Favorite Kind of Food: As long as it’s got some powerful flavors going on, it’s okay with me.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Sea slugs and other murky creatures of the deep

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: If I’m putting on the dog for a writer, whatever Dave says is best that day at Esca; if it’s just me and friends, samsa and bakhsh at Taam Tov (47th between 5th and 6th) or kurobuta tonkatsu at Katsu-Hama (the location on 47th between 5th and Madison).

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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 Jason, a pizza loving Marketing Manager by day, super blogger by night.

Name: Jason

Age: 25

Occupation: Marketing Manager, but my passion is in the blogosphere: I Dream Of Pizza, NYC DAILY DEALS, and RateThisPlateNY

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Park Avenue in the 60s — meaning I must make daily pilgrimages to the Midtown area for some grub. Luckily, I get a full hour to make the round-trip.

Favorite Kind of Food: Pizza. (If beer was eatable it’d be up there too!)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Fish. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I have an extreme phobia of fish — live fish, dead fish, goldfish, gefilte fish. You name it.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I would always look forward to hitting up Baja Fresh when I’d visit my family in suburban Maryland, but now that there’s one in the heart of Midtown (Lex bet. 45th & 46th), I can satisfy my cravings on a weekly basis. Their grilled veggie burrito has been doing it for me lately. Don’t worry, I still give Chipotle some love on occasion (44th bet. 3rd & Lex). I really like the lunch specials at Szechuan Gourmet (39th bet. 5th & Madison), especially the stir fried chicken with roasted chili peanuts. Burger Joint (57th bet. 6th & 7th) is fun to show out of town guests.

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