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 James, a possibly homeless editorial director with big dreams of a new Midtown street cart…

Name: Jim

Age: 37

Occupation: Editorial Director

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 49th & Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern. Pretty open to everything.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: At the risk of offending the fierce ML anti-vegetarian crowd, I’ve been trying to stay away from assembly line meats (ie: animals that need to be pumped full of hormones/antibiotics to live long enough so I can eat them). That said, I’m not a vegetarian.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Okay, the first admission right off that may or may not DQ me from a profile. I generally bring in my lunch. This is because I’m cheap/poor but also because I learned I can make myself a much better lunch for less money then most generic midtown options. But I very often only bring part of my lunch and have to supplement it. I sort of make a game out of how cheaply I can do this. IE: scallion pizza ($2.50) from Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) along with my homemade lentil curry soup=cheap, good lunch.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Several women in my office have a Mangia fetish. They go there and bring back these huge bags that have nothing but greens, seeds and air. It’s all a little frightening. That said, I go there sometimes for their bread. Many times I make part of a lunch but don’t have fresh bread at home. Their whole wheat bread is outstanding and .50 for a (big) slice. They also have good condiments there (honey, mustard, good butter). I could go on about the free-condiment salad dressings I’ve created from places like this but I’m aware that I’m sounding like a homeless person… Oh, off topic but another option when I don’t have my own bread is my local street meat vendor. A few months ago it occurred to me when I had my own lunch fillings to go buy just this guy’s bread. He gave it to me for free. I’ve been back several times since, he won’t take my money for his awesome bread even though I’ve never bought anything from him (I keep meaning to go back for lunch). Heartwarming. But again, I sound like a homeless person

Place(s) you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? The usual suspects: Japanese trinity on 41st btw. Madison & 5th (Cafe Zaiya, Chiyoda & Yagura), Pampano Taqueria (on 3rd btw. 49+50th), oms/b (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd), Woorijip (on 32nd btw. 5th & B’way), and the favorites of falafel week. I usually get my lunch out on Fridays and try to make it count. (James, do you realize Falafel Week occured on Week 2 of Midtown Lunch’s existence. That’s over 2 years ago… -zach)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Well, Thailand first. The street food there is just ridiculously good, fresh and cheap as dirt. I have a friend who lives there and I curse him every time I pay for overpriced Thai and think about the incredible meals I had there for under $2. Next choice is downtown. Lower East Side/Chinatown for cheapness, East village for Yaffa and drinks at the holiday cocktail lounge, West village for Mamouns and Murray’s cheese.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? I want to start a Thai food cart. Fresh ingredients, authentic recipes, reasonable prices (for midtown). I did some cursory research and the NYC food vending policies seem prohibitive for a novice, so ideally I’d like to find a partner (or partners) who has a license and/or knows the deal with getting one. I’m vaguely serious about this. Short of such a connection, would like to know from ML readers: a) what would you be looking for in the ultimate thai cart? b) how much would you pay? c) what should it be called? If I pursue this, the support of the Midtown Lunch readers would be part of the business prospectus.

Oh yeah?  Well, I don’t think you’ll find anybody on this site who wouldn’t support a Thai food cart.  My suggestion is, if you want to make it good, you should focus on just one thing, and make it awesome.  I find that carts that try to do too much stuff, end up doing everything mediocre.  My suggestion for a Thai Cart Prototype, after the jump…  Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown.  Three weeks we profiled “Blondie” half of the duo that runs the blog http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com.  Today, Alex (aka “Brownie”) gets her moment in the sun… 

Name: Brownie

Age: Mid-Twenties

Occupation: Publishing (and 1/2 of the blogging team “Blondie and Brownie“)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Rock Center Area

Favorite Kind of Food: Cupcakes, peanut butter, cheese, dark chocolate, New Haven pizza, Ethiopian, Korean, Greek, and Indian.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Cottage Cheese. Yuck.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Kwik Meal’s lamb pita (45th & 6th), grilled cheese with gruyere and caramelized onion from ‘wichcraft, chicken pita platter from the cart on 53rd and 6th, red lentil soup from Dervish Turkish (47th btw. 6+7th), small combo with moudardara and mousakka from Bread and Olive (45th btw. 5+6th), spicy pork and the kimchi pancakes from Woorijip (32nd btw. B’way+5th), and plain fro-yo from Forty Carrots (yes, I consider fro-yo lunch).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Ever since I discovered Midtown Lunch, I’ve ditched the old go-to spots. Just say no to overpriced soups at Hale and Hearty. I still shudder when my co-workers order in from Pronto Pizza. Not my kind of pie.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? I will always be grateful to ML for breaking the news that the cart on the SE corner of 53rd and 6th is the same as the night cart on the SW corner of 53rd and 6th. Cut my wait time in the evening and brought their chicken pita into my lunching world. Thanks, Zach!

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I went to school in the village and I miss some of the cheap eats there. And Downtown lunch correspondent, Daniel Krieger is making me a bit jealous. I’d work in Chinatown solely for access to cheap and authentic bahn mi and roast pork buns.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? I love cupcakes. I’ve tried Cucina, I’ve tried the ones from Dean and Deluca, from Crumbs, Zaros, and most recenlty the Treats Truck. Am I missing any notable Midtown cupcakes?

Cupcake recs in the comments please…

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er to get his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Nathan, a Financial Analyst who after 5 years of toiling away in Midtown is moving to Philly, and wanted his Midtown Lunch moment in the sun before he takes off.  (Oh, and yes- that is him posing in front of Morimoto.)

Name: Nathan

Age: 27

Occupation: Financial Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: For the last five years, I have toiled diligently between 50th+57th Streets and between 7th+Madison Avenues

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything Tasty (see below)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: 1) Burrittos – something about the double-starch whammy of rice and tortilla just does not sit well with my palate, 2) Caesar Salad – especially when my co-worker orders it as a “healthy” option, 3) Average or not-fresh sushi

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: 1) The vegetarian lunchbox at Bay Leaf Indian Brasserie (on 56th btw. 5+6th.) Since the dishes rotate on a daily basis, you never know what you are going to get!) 2) The Pad Si Ew noodles, Crispy Pork with Chinese Broccoli and Thai Iced Tea at Wondee Siam II (9th Ave. btw. 53+54th) 3) Beef Tendon with Hot Sauce from Grand Sichuan (on 9th ave., now closed) 4) Swedish Meatballs, Truffle Frites and Homeade Lemonade from F&B Gudtfood (also now closed) 5) Grilled Tofu Steak with Lemongrass from Saigon 48 (48th btw. 7+8th) 6) Beef Empanada, Breaded Chicken with Yellow Rice and Beans from Sophie’s Cuban on 56th btw. 5+6th which has now Morphed Into Tina’s Restaurant, 7) Ramen and Gyoza at Sapporo (49th btw. 6+7th) or Men Kui Tai (56th btw. 5+6th), 8) Lentil or Lobster Bisque Soup at the Soupman (Multiple Locations). Oh- and pretty much everything on the menu at Izakaya Hagi (aka Sake Bar Hagi on 49th btw. 6+7th), but they are not open for lunch.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? I answer with “your co-workers” as the key phrase in the prompt: Blockheads, Chop’t Salad (WAY OVERPRICED), Delmonico Gourmet (and other similar generic delis), The Great American Health Bar, Mangia, Cafe Europa, The Pump Energy Kitchen, Hale and Hearty Soups

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Bon Appetit Pop Up Cafe (Now Gone), Pro Korean (56th btw. 5+6th), FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar (58th btw. 5+6th), Five Guys Burgers (55th btw. 5+6th), Go Go Curry (38th btw. 7+8th), Hallo Berlin Cart (54th & 5th)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I have not been there yet, but Singapore with its mix of Asian cultures and its gauntlet of hawker stalls.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? One of my favorite dishes is Za Jiang Mein, the Chinese (and also Korean) answer to Spaghetti Bolognese, consisting
of noodles served with a salty black bean / ground meat sauce and garnished with raw vegetables. But I have had trouble finding this dish in New York City, let alone in Midtown. Anybody know of restaurants that feature this dish? Plus- I will be moving to Philadelphia for a few years. Now
that you have read about my favorite New York lunch haunts, do you have any tips on surviving lunchhour in Philadelphia?

So, I don’t know about Za Jiang Mein (the Chinese version) but we tackled the jjajangmyeon question a few weeks ago after I had an ok Korean version at Han Ah Reum (on 32nd btw. 5th+B’way.) There are some good suggestions in the comments of that post. Since then, I had a good (and cheap) version at Shanghai Mong on 32nd btw. 5+6th which I’ll be posting about soon.

As for the Philly thing, that’s a-whole-nother question. Anybody used to work in Philly (or currently work in Philly) and have good suggestions for Nathan? Feel free to post them in the comments.

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Nina, a paralegal who loves Asian food and would like to meet each and every one of you…

Name: Nina

Age: 26

Occupation: Paralegal

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 44th St. & 6th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything Asian, especially kimchee. Really good bread. Essentially everything except cauliflower and raisins. Most things I like to eat also tend to make the office smelly. To me, it’s heavenly, but my coworkers don’t always agree.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: See above. Also, organs or things made with organs (liver, tripe, haggis, etc). I mean, in all fairness, I haven’t really tried them, but it’s the general disgust for the idea that keeps me away. Everything else is essentially a go.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Oms/b (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd), of course. Korean food at Ambrosia (on 45th btw. 5+6th) even with the price hike. Olympic Pita (on 38th btw. 5+6th).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? People eat in the cafe upstairs in our office building. It’s cheap and pretty decent, but I keep telling myself that if I eat there, that means I don’t leave the building at all during the day, and that’s depressing.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Olympic Pita (on 38th btw. 5+6th). Thank you, thank you, thank you! I do believe that Laffa is officially proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I would like to work on East 11th between Aves. B and C, because my favorite place of all time, Kasadela, is located there.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? This isn’t really food-related, but I think it’d be fun to meet up with some of the Midtown Lunch readers for our hour-break from the grind. It’d be a good way to discover new places, eat good food, and take a break from coworkers, all while meeting new people. Just a thought.

Oh yeah?  This idea has been floated out there a few times, but nothing has ever come of it.  If you guys would like to start a meet up thread in the comments, I’m all for it.  Although if I were a betting man (and I am) I’m guessing it will just disintegrate into a bunch of dudes telling Nina they’d love to meet up with her anytime, at which point some of our “choice” commenters will step over the line of what is commonly accepted conversation, and that will be end of the meet up talk.  Either way, it should be a very productive/entertaining read…

As always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Siobhan, but you probably know her as “Blondie,” half of the duo “Blondie and Brownie” from the blog of the same name. An avid Midtown Lunch’er, Blondie loves pizza and has been eating her way through the Treats Truck one treat at a time…

Name: Blondie

Age: Mid 20s

Occupation: Freelancing at an ad agency, but my passion lies in the blogosphere (http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Grand Central Area

Favorite Kind of Food: Dessert, pizza, peanut butter, cheese, BBQ, and lately (and very surprisingly), Indian

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Metro. It smells funny; I won’t even eat it when it’s free.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I’m a big fan of the chicken pita at Kwik Meal (45th & 6th), and the chicken, rice and beans from Sophie’s Cuban (multiple locations.) Also, I wish I was more to the west so that I could enjoy Kati Roll (on 38th btw. 5+6th) more often.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? My coworkers tend to get Metro and Bistro Gourmet, two places I’d rather starve them eat at. Sometimes my body calls out for nutrients, and I’ll give it some Cosi.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? I did first hear about the Treats Truck here. Thank you Zach.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? With all the posts Danny on Food in Mouth has been doing about Portland, Oregon, I’d say there. Of places I’ve actually been to, I’d have to go with the East Village.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? It’s summer. I’m hot. Where can I get some bubble tea? (PS Bossman, I know what you want to ask; no they don’t.)

I have no idea what bossman wants to ask… but I’m guessing we’ll be enlightened in the comments. As for bubble tea, I feel like this has been discussed a bit in the past few weeks, but we can re-visit. Check out the milk tea with tapioca pearls I had last week, after the jump… Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Janine, a vegetarian/consultant/food blogger who strangely enough has been closely tracking the opening of Five Napkin Burger on 9th Ave. in Hell’s Kitchen.  I guess they serve veggie burgers?  Plus, she has a question at the end I’m sure you are all going to enjoy answering…

Name: Janine

Age: 22

Occupation: Consultant and food blogger (http://lifewithfoodanddrink.blogspot.com)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Times Square

Favorite Kind of Food: Cake in general, although chocolate cake with white frosting is my favorite. I also like cupcakes, the more convenient yet significantly less frosted cousin of the cake.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Well, I’m a vegetarian, so I guess I’m obliged to say meat, but that’s not really my “least favorite…” I’m not the biggest fan of eggs eaten straight up, although in other dishes I’m fine with them. Also, I really hate parsnips.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Now that I’ve discovered a Pain Quotidien near Bryant Park, that’s got to be my favorite lunch place in Midtown (although I haven’t been to that particular location yet.) I also like Free Foods NYC (45th btw. 5+6th), Starwich (38th btw. 5+6th), and Zest (B’way btw. 40+41st)… but I bring my lunch to work a lot also.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Europa, Mangia (catering), Duke’s (41st & B’way). And the Kati Roll place (39th btw. 5+6th), for some reason.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? The Macaron Cafe! One of my friends loves macarons, so I was happy to find an alternative to Maison au Chocolat (36th btw. B’way+7th).

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Boston, Massachusetts, because it has my favorite lunch places in the world: B.Good. The Boston office of my employer is actually two doors down from one of B.Good’s four locations, and yet perversely I chose to work in NYC… if I could have the B.Good New American salad with orange soy dressing and real fries every day of my life, I would be a very happy person.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? What is the best “pick-up” place in Midtown (restaurant, bar, club…)? I’m talking eligible, datable singles here (and preferably men.) Midtown Lunch readers, help a single girl out!

Oh boy… this is me slowly getting out of the way of this one.  Er… comments?

And as always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Monica, an Attorney who hates raspberries, but loves Chinese food. 

Name: Monica

Age: 35

Occupation: Attorney

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 62nd & Madison.

Favorite Kind of Food: Tapas, Greek, Sushi, Soba Noodles, Dim Sum, Chowder, In-N-Out burgers

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I detest raspberries. Everything about them – the way they taste, smell and feel. I know everybody else loves them, but I just can’t bring myself to even mildly tolerate them. I’m also not a big fan of ricotta cheese.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Pretty much anything from the Dishes salad bar, Margon‘s Cuban sandwich (46th btw. 6+7th), Utsav‘s buffet (47th or 46th btw. 6+7th), especially on the days they have chicken tikka masala, Lenny’s (any place that puts freshly sliced pickles on a sandwich gets my seal of approval) and Wu Liang Ye’s pan-fried pork dumplings (48th btw. 5+6th). It’s probably outside the ML boundaries, but the Follow Me Caffe on 62nd and Lex is a cute sit-down place with inexpensive sandwiches, salads and soups. For excellent cheese and Italian sandwiches, I like Cheese on 62nd (also at 62nd and Lex).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Since switching jobs last year, I can only live vicariously through the adventures of Zach and the Midtown Lunch readers. I now work in a kosher facility, so we’re not allowed to bring any outside food into the building. We do, however, have a private chef who prepares hot multi-course lunches for us every day and the food is tasty (and free), so I can’t complain. I used to work at 47th and 6th and would go to Europa for a salad at least twice a week.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Oms/b (45th btw. Lex+3rd), Taki Sushi (48th btw. 5+6th), Woorjip (32nd btw. 5th+B’way)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? San Francisco. Specifically, right near the Ferry Building. I could eat Acme bread, Cowgirl Creamery cheese and the Shaking Beef from Slanted Door every day. Locally, I’d say Chinatown due to the easy access to dim sum.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Other than Wu Liang Ye (the one on Lexington btw. 39+40th), is there any good Chinese food in the Murray Hill/Midtown East area?

Phew. I thought you were going to drop the “Is there anywhere to get good Dim Sum in Midtown” bomb. Clearly if there was, this site would go away- because I would have to eat there every single day of the week.  Anyway- back to your very good question.  My one Murray Hill recommendation, after the jump…

Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Vanessa, a marketing person who has the enviable position of being involved with the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend in Madison Square Park.  She even snagged us a Fast Pass to give away to one lucky Midtown Lunch reader.  ($100 value, the pass will entitle you to food, and shorter lines.) 

Name: Vanessa

Age: 38

Occupation: Associate Publisher Marketing, Every Day with Rachael Ray

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 34th and Madison (just close enough to the Treats Truck and not too far away from Gramercy Tavern) I work at Every Day with Rachael Ray so there is definitely no shortage of excellent food. It seems like you’d never have to leave, but sometimes you do have to.

Favorite Kind of Food: Asian (sushi, chinese, the like–anywhere that serves sticky rice), also love just about everything else including sweetbreads.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly and Yogurt (just can’t get past the first bite)

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I like the chicken rice bowl at Au Bon Pain. When I have time to travel, I’m quick to get soup at Hale & Hearty. Feeling like I need food fast, I’ll do chicken dumplings at Eden Wok (34th btw. Mad+Park), which may be Kosher but seriously they have the best chicken dumplings. If it’s a sit-down fast lunch I’m looking for, I like Todai (32nd btw. Mad+5th), the one city block Japanese all you can eat buffet. It’s the best buffet I’ve ever encountered. Finally, when I want to go out with a group for a fun Friday lunch it’s always Blue Smoke (27th btw. Park+Lex). I know it’s out of Midtown Lunch boundaries, but it’s the best BBQ in the city. This weekend I might get my fill though, given that I’ll be eating the best BBQ in the country at Madison Square Park for two days.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Why and Gallard?…(really Guy & Gallard, but constantly asking myself why I can’t go a block or two further to wich craft)

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Woorjiip (32nd btw. B’way+5th) literally makes me feel like I’ve left New York and ventured to another country. Once you can navigate the space, its the best lunch ever. Love, love, love the eel.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I have to say, I miss working close to Dishes on 45th. Although it is perhaps one of the priciest go-to lunches I never got bored. Sushi on Friday, soup anytime and summer rolls when you could time it correctly. It was my all-in-one. If I really had to dream though, I’d say Paris (although I’d probably eat a little too much)…the bread alone is worth working there for, not to metion, pate and L’aduree. (I didn’t mean to rhyme)

Now for the good stuff.  It’s not Midtown, but if you read this site (and you’re not a vegetarian), I’m guessing you like BBQ, and if you like BBQ the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is the biggest NYC BBQ event of the year.  Some of the best pitmasters from around the country converge on Madison Square Park and sell the best dish they have to offer (go here for a complete list of pitmasters and the dish they’ll be serving.) The event is free, and you only pay for what you eat- but the lines can get pretty long. That’s why we’re giving away a fast pass, after the jump… Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Paul, a die hard Mets fan from Queens who has been waiting over a year for his Profile to finally see the light of day.

Name: Paul

Age: 26

Occupation: Literary Agent’s Assistant and part time/uncompensated consultant for http://www.beermenus.com

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 56th & Park at Janklow & Nesbit (feel free to snail mail me if you happen to be a brilliant writer with a polished manuscript)

Favorite Kind of Food: Y’know, the four food groups: pizza, Chinese, Mexican, and breakfast.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I’m not down with hating on vegetables cause they are wonderful things, but the overdressed Midtown salad is disgusting. And since when did salad need to be “chop’t”? And what the hell’s happened to the normal NY slice in the past 15 years? I feel like I have to go to gourmet pizza parlors to get something edible- consarnit.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: My original response was the Azuri Café on 51st, but then it popped up on in another profile, so my tip for your Midtown West folks is a burger place named Vizio. They featured Angus beef, which is incredible (and maybe unbelievable but that’s for someone else to discuss) for $5.50 burger, even if fries aren’t included. It puts goodburger, betterburger, bestburger, homeburger et al to shame. In my heart of hearts, I’m a street food man and I try to hit the Dragon on 62 & Mad and the Indian cart on Park & 53rd often.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Lightbites, 55th btw. Park & Lex (prototypical and awful representation of quick salads/sandwiches for people ‘on the go’ in Midtown)

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Indian fast food carts on 53rd+Park and the 1.25 pizza at Naples 45 (although the price is up!). The after work, Naples 45 slice might be a tad stale, just so your readers know, but they’ll reheat if it’s not packed. Recently tried the Pampano Taqueria and Sophie’s Cuban , both of which were terrific. I’ve pretty much planned my life around this website for the past year and a half.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? My roommate and I once talked about getting into the cart game so lunch would follow work around; however, I’m leaning towards Brighton Beach/Coney Island. They have a wonderful talent of stuffing meat inside of dough and then frying it…or Napa.

As always, if you want to be the next Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, or you’d like to nominate somebody in your office, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

As I mentioned at the very end of the day yesterday, Crazy Legs Conti and Tim “Eater X” Janus will be squaring off in a watermelon eating contest at the Ninetendo Store in Rockefeller Center today from Noon to 3pm.  Most people know Crazy Legs Conti as a hero of the competitive eating circuit (he’s always at the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest), but did you know he is also a Midtown Lunch’er?  That’s right, when he is not stuffing his face, Crazy Legs has a day job at The Penthouse Executive Club in the outer reaches of Midtown West.  Situated around the corner from the actual Daisy May’s BBQ (the restaurant where the cart comes from), Crazy Legs knows his way around food, and was kind enough to give us an inside glimpse into his unique Midtown Lunch’ing experience.

Name: Crazy Legs

Age: 37

Occupation: Purchasing Director of the Penthouse Executive Club & Competitve Eater

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 45th & 11th Ave. As purchasing director, I order everything from demitasse spoons to demi sec champagne. Everything, but the food for Robert’s Steakhouse, which is the high end restaurant inside our swanky gentleman’s club. The food is impeccable, and as strip club menus go, this is usually not the case (years ago, the chicken nuggets and baked ziti at Shenanigans were considered haute cuisine). I have a janitor’s ring of keys, but as the 11th ranked Major League Eater they don’t allow me access to the meat aging vault or any of the refrigerators. Probably, very wise. Despite the world class restaurant, the Penthouse Executive Club’s scenery of seventy five topless women each night, gets the most attention. Evening gowns precede the topless part — it’s a very classy place. The enthusiastic ecdysiasts are not known as “Strippers” but as “Entertainers” and the PEC is anything but a run-of-mill peeler joint. But, here’s the disappointing part for Midtown Lunchers — Robert’s is only open for dinner and the PEC is a night time place. For me, it’s doubly disappointing, because even though my office, a giant warehouse of liquor, shares an air vent with the Entertainers’ Locker Room, my workday finishes long before the women show up. In some ways, I feel like a modern day Tantalus — so close, yet so far. During the day, the place is as quiet as the public library. Granted, instead of books, we have a light-up wall of naked 1970s Penthouse Pets so there are some perks to the day shift. Often when college kids ask for advice, I tell them to study harder; otherwise they will end up commuting to a strip club at 9 am every weekday.

Favorite Kind of Food: As a competitive eater, one has to be a cross disciplined athlete — eating whatever foodstuff is on the plate. During my seven year pro eating career, I have in short time consumed voluminous amounts of esoteric fare such as pelemeni and posole and more common foods such as Krystal hamburgers and Nathan’s hot dogs. However, if it wasn’t financial untenable for me, I would probably eat sushi every day. There has not been a US sushi eating contest in the modern era of pro-eating. Taped while I was still a casual diner, Fox’s 2002 Glutton Bowl featured a fire hose of poorly made sushi that caused one gurgitator to suffer, “an urge contrary to swallowing.” Recently Tim “Eater X” Janus, in exhibition, ate 141 pieces in six minutes. If Major League Eating holds a sushi eating contest in 2008, I wouldn’t even care about the trophy, just the free food. Hungry Charles Hardy (who once had the opportunity to eat fifteen feet of sushi in Japan) and I have been thrown out of two all-you-can eat sushi places. I believe our pictures are still under the counter in the right-to-refuse section. If I can swing the bucks, I will order from Oyishi, a tiny place on 46th btw. 8+9th. Instead of ordering rolls, I usually just point to the party catering platter menu. Options A and C make for an enjoyable lunch for myself, but if I am going to share, we have to order deeper into the alphabet. I also love Japanese noodle soup. It’s a great time for ramen and noodle soups in NYC. I could watch “Tampopo” for lunch and be just as satiated without eating a bite.

What even Crazy Legs refuses to eat, plus his favorite carts in Midtown, after the jump… Read more »