Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday we 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 Christine, a food show assistant who wishes she worked in Seoul.

Name: Christine

Age: 22

Occupation: Edit Assistant for a food show, food blogger on the side

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Smack dab in the 30s–an area most lacking in awesome food trucks

Favorite Kind of Food: Dumplings, truffles (both the sweet and savory kinds), peanut butter and jellies, brunch food, anything Korean, bacon, shakeshack burgers, macarons, Ippudo ramen, roasted brussels sprouts, Momofuku pork buns. Any meal involving a combination of the above would make me exceedingly full and happy. It’s hard to believe that I was a vegetarian just a year ago.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Thanksgiving leftovers, Ethiopian injera, lackluster salads with far too little topping. Just say no.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) for Japanese comfort food (I may or may not have inhaled a curry pan for breakfast), Nanoosh (on Mad btw. 33+34th) for organic hummus made in-house, Ktown’s Food Gallery 32, Mandoo Bar, E-mo Kimbap, and Woorijip for cheap and delicious eats, currently the Flex donuts pop-up at Zocalo in Grand Central (who says dessert isn’t lunch…), Num Pang (on 41st btw. Lex+3rd) for “Vietnamese” “Cambodian” sandwiches, also the awesome selection of food vendors at Bryant Park/Columbus Circle Xmas Market.

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Every Tuesday we 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 Caryn, a 30 Rock coordinator in charge of ordering catering for her office. Can you help her out with some suggestion?

Name: Caryn

Age: 23

Occupation: Program Coordinator

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 30 Rockefeller Plaza

Favorite Kind of Food: Really good hot, melty gourmet sandwiches with high quality cheese.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Sushi. It’s embarrassing for a foodie, but I just can’t get into it.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Since my lunch break is limited, I typically don’t stray far from the concourse of 30 Rock. But the billion options keep things interesting. For example: ‘Wichcraft’s Pressed Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Parmesan Panini deliciously tricks me into believing it’s a healthy option with all the veggies. When I’ve sat at my desk too long and it’s suddenly 3pm and I need to eat something monstrous, Potbelly’s Meatball Sub is my drug of choice. My co-worker is also addicted to their fresh baked chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. If I’m feeling Mexican, Tri Tip Grill’s burrito is really fresh and the chicken is juicy. For a lighter day, Hale and Hearty’s Sengalese Chicken with Peanuts soup with a half of Balsamic Chicken is satisfying. The limited-time Holiday Toastie from Pret a Manger (Roasted Turkey, Brie, Cranberry Sauce, Veggie Stuffing) is a festive addition to the lunch rotation. When I’m pretending to diet, I order Just Salad from their online system and pick it up 15 minutes later, which allows me to skip the massive line and avoid making excessive compulsive topping decisions.

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Every Tuesday we 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 Peg, a quantitative analyst (!?) whose birthday is tomorrow!

Name: Peg

Age: 45 (tomorrow!)

Occupation: Quantitative Analyst

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 55th & 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: Tasty.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Boring.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Jerk chicken at Jamaican Dutchy’s multimedia experience & food cart. Drunken noodles with pork at Topaz (56th bet 6th & 7th). Original or spicy Menchanko noodle soup at Menchanko Tei (55th bet 5th & 6th); with a side of shrimp or pork gyoza for a splurge. Cheeseburger & fries at The Burger Joint (56th bet 6th & 7th), Five Guys (55th bet 5th & 6th), or Island Burger (9th bet 51st & 52nd). Ma Paul Tofu at Wu Liang Ye (48th bet 5th & 6th). Falafel sandwich at Meze Grill (8th Ave bet 55th & 56th). Korean tacos at Bann Next Door (50th bet 8th & 9th). Korean tacos or superbowl from Korilla – bacon & kimchi fried rice is worth the extra $1. Cuban sandwich at Margon (46th bet 6th & 7th) or Tina’s Cuban (56th bet 5th & 6th). Coffee & panini at Zibetto (6th bet 56th & 57th). A pie at Angelo’s Pizza (57th bet 6th & 7th). Out of price range splurge: unagi rice box at Radiance Tea House (56th bet 6 & 7th), the eel-sashimi combination meal – a total deal! – at Ise (56 bet 5th & 6th), lobster salad BLT or grilled cheese & tomato soup combo at Bouchon Bakery (Columbus Circle).

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Every Tuesday we 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 Alexa, a musician who wishes she lived in Japan.

Name: Alexa

Age: 24

Occupation: Music Publisher and Musician

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Midtown East – 51st and Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: Generally Asian – Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean – as well as Italian and Polish/Eastern European. And Tacos.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Salads (usually too boring), Nuts (most things are just better without ‘em)

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Schnitzel & Things (the truck, when it’s parked on 51st between Madison and Park): The pork schnitzel platter with spicy Sriracha mayo, accompanied with beet salad and potato salad. Yes, I have a Schnitzel & Things sticker on my electric stapler…it looks good on there. Hing Won (48th Street btw. Rockefeller Plaza and 6th Ave): Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup with Roast Pork. I’m a noodle soup junkie from when the temperatures start to drop to the most humid days of the summer. Glaze (Lexington Ave btw 54th and 55th Street): Salmon Teriyaki w/ a side of pork gyoza. Every time I go to this restaurant, I’m bound to hear Phoenix playing on their speakers and it makes me even more pumped to eat my salmon teriyaki. And, as a transplant from Seattle, this place tastes like home – it’s the real deal for Seattle teriyaki. Bian Dang (last encountered on 46th and Vanderbilt): Fried chicken over rice!

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Every Tuesday we 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 Julia, a Mad (Wo)Man who wishes she was eating steak and eggs on a beach in Argentina.

Name: Julia

Age: 23

Occupation: Account Executive

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Ad agency @ 41st and Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: The best kind of food is the free kind. After all, if it’s free, it’s for me! In terms of cuisine, I will never turn down Thai, Caribbean, or anything carby and cheese covered.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Salads that cost $9+. This is wrong.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Pork Curry Katsu at Sunrise Mart (on 41st btw. Mad+5th). Ropa Vieja with yellow rice and beans and “green sauce” at Sophie’s at 41st and 3rd. Pork belly sandwich at Num Pang (on 41st btw. Lex+3rd) with a liberal dousing of Sriracha. Giant bibimbap with a runny fried egg at Bibimbap Deli on 41st & Madison. A cream cheese & jelly blueberry bagel from Delmonico’s on Lexington & 41st (Favorited because I always get a heart drawn on my bagel foil).

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Every Tuesday we 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 Michelle, a fashion designer who loves curly fries.

Name: Michelle

Age: 24

Occupation: Fashion Designer

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 37th & 8th

Favorite Kind of Food: Hands down, BBQ

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Pasta Salad, no idea why… maybe I think its a waste of pasta haha

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Sour cream apple pie from the Little Pie Company (43rd btw. 9+10th), Bulgoki from Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart (on 46th btw. 5+6th), Lobster BLT from Ed Brown in Foodparc (on 30th btw. 6+7th), Totto Ramen (on 52nd btw. 8+9th), Lamb Burger at the Breslin (on 29th btw. B’way+5th)

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Every Tuesday we 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 excited to welcome our old friend Kim Ima from the Treats Truck to the pages of ML. Her cookbook “The Treats Truck Baking Book” comes out today, so we thought it would be fun to ask her where she eats for lunch and give away a few copies at the end of the post.

Name: Kim

Age: Hard to tell! I think I am in my 40s, but I feel like a combo of 12 yrs old and 75 yrs old (part kid running a lemonade stand, part grandma baking for all the neighbors)

Occupation: Owner/baker/driver of The Treats Truck

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Well, two Midtown spots were my mainstay for over four years, but now… I move around a bit more than that! All over Manhattan and bits of Brooklyn and the other boroughs for special events.

Favorite Kind of Food: Any and all, both savory and sweet, as long as it’s fresh and made with care and is delicious! Although I must admit a very special place in my heart for Mexican food as my goto comfort food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Pre-packaged sandwiches and overly processed food.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I have a lot of favorite carts and trucks, plus a few sit-down restaurants, but the street food and the vendors have my heart! I love all my fellow truckers and carts, so it feels like picking favorites to list any, so here are a few but know that the love runs deep for all of them! El Rel Del Sabor Mexican Cart on 43rd & 6th (anything), Jamaican Dutchy truck (the mini meal stew chicken with rice and peas), Moshe’s Falafel (either a snack of falafel and pickles or a full falafel sandwich with lots of hot sauce, tahini and pickles), Le Gamin Truck (savory crepe with goat cheese and whatever they recommend that day), Wafels and Dinges (a mini wafelini with a dinges), Frites N Meats (cheeseburger and fries!), Eddie’s Pizza Truck (straight up cheese pizza) and Mexicue (burnt end chili slider and a chicken taco). For sit down, Cafe Edison on 47th btw. B’way+8th (again, goto comfort food like the matzo ball or bean soups or a dinner of some sort, like my grandma’s, and I love the comforting atmosphere of a diner. Diners are second only to home kitchens of my friends and family), Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) at the Parker Meridien Hotel (go with one or two friends for a cheeseburger and a beer. The atmosphere is cosy and fun but you need to go when it isn’t too crowded or then it can feel rushed), and most ramen joints (I wish I had a fave and hope to find one someday). I have a new category for you, which I will include here! Wish list of new future favorite Lunch(es) in Midtown: Favorite ramen joint, favorite Korean cart, favorite Korean sit down (I always just go to 32nd and randomly walk in), favorite salad, favorite Japanese sit down.

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Every Tuesday we 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 excited to welcome Andrew Steinthal, a Midtown Lunch’er I can completely relate to. Not only is he a publicist at Warner Bros. Records, but Andrew is also co founder of Immaculate Infatuation- one of my favorite NYC restaurant blogs.  And they just released a great new iphone app to help you find recommended dinner spots all over New York City.  Of course we’re more interested in hearing where he eats lunch!

Name: Andrew

Age: 31

Occupation: Publicist at Warner Bros. Records and Co-Founder of Immaculate Infatuation

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 6th Ave between 51st & 52nd St.

Favorite Kind of Food: Lobster rolls, burgers, oysters, sushi, steak, seafood, salad, pizza, ramen. I like it all.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t like cheese. I know, that’s not normal. I also hate mushrooms and am scared of Indian food.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for burger and fries. Bouchon Bakery (on 48th btw. 5+6th) for hearts of romaine salad with chicken. Kodama Sushi (on 45th btw. 8+9th) for spicy crunch tuna roll/Eel Cucumber roll (they deliver). Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th) for rice noodles. Bella Napoli (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for their buffalo chicken pizza slice. Blue Dog Cafe (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for their Laguna Beach smoothie. Prime Burger (on 51st btw. Mad+5th) for their turkey club. Hale & Hearty for their chicken & corn chowder.

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Every Tuesday we 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 system admin who is a member of Brick Lane Curry House’s Phaal of Fame.

Name: Mike

Age: 29

Occupation: Systems administrator/remote tech support

Where in Midtown do you Work?: A managed services provider in the Garment District

Favorite Kind of Food: Soup. I am a giant sucker for soup even if it’s the dead of summer. Almost any kind of soup, but especially Asian noodle soups. And in a pinch, I love almost any kind of spicy food. I have to tell Indian restaurants to spice it like it’s for a fellow Indian and not for whitey.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Lasagna – it’s just not my favorite. Big, heavy, and usually not at all flavorful. The only kind I like is my wife’s turkey and spinach lasagna. Maybe I’ve only had crappy lasagna, but I just never really liked it all that much.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I am a huge adorer of the Shanghai noodle soup with pork and pickled cabbage from Ginger’s (7th and 37th). Chef Yu (8th and 36th) does a good version of it too – both have their own unique touches! Comme Ci Comme Ca’s (36th and Bway) merguez sandwich with extra spicy mint sauce is a great standby, and I miss the hell out of Sunrise Grill’s jerk chicken from when they were on 37th and 6th. Oh, and the Hungarian mushroom soup at Soup Stop (31st between 7th and 8th).

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. We had the privilege of meeting this week’s luncher at the Vendy Awards. She’s not only the daughter of the owners of the Chimichury Malecon truck, she’s also a Midtown Lunch’er!

Name: Monica

Age: 24

Occupation: Pharmaceutical Advertising

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 42nd between 2nd and 3rd ave (Daily News Building)

Favorite Kind of Food: Indian, Peruvian,Shawarma, Pork dumplings, Plantains, risotto (only when I make it), my moms rice and black bean, anything with bacon, Italian cold cuts, turkey burgers, chicken burgers, kobe burgers, Chimichury’s (I love burgers!), yam fries and yucca, cous cous, latkes, scallops, crab cakes, Almond butter, dates, popcorn.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Not a fan of clams or octopus. I want to give Korean another chance, but so far I’m not won over

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Naya Express (43rd and 3rd) I love everything on their menu especially their hummus, kibbe and beef kebab, Rickshaw Dumpling’s Chicken Thai Basil dumpling, Schnitzel & Things warm potato salad, Energy Kitchen turkey burger, Pio Pio on 44th and 10th, their chicken is ridiculously good and so is their garlic sauce and Daisy May’s for BBQ and sweet tea.

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