Midtown Lunch

Over the past few months I know we’ve been a little heavy in our coverage of Treehaus, the upscale deli on 51st and 3rd with fun sandwiches, a bibimbap bar, a monster burger, and bone marrow and pork belly on their by the pound buffet.  But sometimes it feels like these guys just get us.  And quite frankly, how could we not post this? Your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  That’s veal testicles, on a Midtown buffet, for $11/lb.   Over the years we’ve spotted some pretty fun and exciting things on Midtown pay what it weighs buffets (soft shelled crabs anybody?) but I think it’s safe to say that this kind of takes the cake, right?  Anybody get a chance to put these balls in their mouth today?  Let us know how they were in the comments.  And big thanks to Lunch’er Jon for sending along the photo.

 UPDATE: The owner of Treehaus checked in to let us know that due to the holiday there will not be Rocky Mountain oysters on the buffet today… but they will have lamb testicles on Wednesday! (4/3)

As a general rule, the more options a restaurant has, the more likely they are to be mediocre ones. Think about it. Who’s more likely to make a better torta? A Mexican joint that only makes tacos, burritos, and tortas, or a deli that makes tortas plus a plethora of other sandwiches, plus soups, salads, ramen, and who knows what elese? Hint, it’s the Mexican joint.

That’s why you wouldn’t expect a place like Treehaus (3rd Ave. btw. 50+51st), which has a menu that reads like a Russian novel, to do one thing really well. They’re far more likely to do a few things pretty well. Still, when I saw that Treehaus had a small section of its menu dedicated to ‘smashed’ burgers, I had a feeling that might be one area where they excelled. Having eaten a couple, I think I was right.

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Considering how often I’ve been to Treehaus (3rd Ave. btw 50th+51st) in recent weeks, it’s hard to believe that inside I missed  Kosofresh, a separate eatery specializing in build-your-own bibimbap-style rice bowls.

Kosofresh follows the basic Chipotle model: you choose either the Koso-Bap (rice bowl, $8.45) or Koso-Green (salad bowl, $7.45), you choose your protein (bulgogi, soy garlic chicken, spicy pork, or tofu), additional toppings typically found in bibimbap, and your sauce.

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Treehaus (3rd Ave. btw. 50+51st) has been stepping up their Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge game as of late. Each of their offerings has sounded great, including the newest Rutgers Grease Truck sandwich, and the one I tried tasted great. But what really caught my eye on their menu was the porchetta sandwich. I had high hopes for the meat of this sandwich, especially given the porchetta photos Treehaus has posted on Twitter in recent weeks. Specifically, I was looking for thick slices of juicy pork – something I could really sink my teeth into.

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Treehaus, the newish upscale deli on 3rd Ave. btw. 50+51st, has run with the Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge in a way we haven’t seen since Cer Te busted onto the ML scene a few years ago. Two weeks ago it was the buffalo chicken wrap, followed by a Mexican chicken sandwich. But their latest creation is the one we’re most excited about. All this week they’re serving an ode to the Rutgers Grease Truck “Fat Cat”, which means chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries all in a hero roll with lettuce, tomato, smoked mozzarella and marinara. It’s not the first Rutgers Grease Truck to be served in Midtown, but the last one was almost three years ago so we’re pretty happy to welcome back this new version with open arms. Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.

We’ve already mentioned midtown newcomer Treehaus (3rd Ave. and 51st St.) for its next-level buffet options, but they’ve now stepped up to the plate with an offering for the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge (remember that old thing!?)  The Crispy Buffalo Chicken, which is priced at $8.50 ($9.25 with tax), is actually a wrap- which generally speaking can’t compare with proper sandwiches — after all, flour tortillas are often just soft, one-note, well, wrapping for ingredients that could otherwise benefit from a nice, crusty roll or slices of bread. Treehaus finds, however, finds a way to elevate the humble wrap by toasting a wheat tortilla in a panini press, giving it nice grill marks and a bit of texture.

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We here at Midtown Lunch are fans of buffets and gaming the by-the-lb buffet system. But every now and then, a by-the-lb comes along with something special, and there are those of us who have been waiting for the inevitable: a super fancy steam table buffet. And that has happened with Treehaus (3rd Ave+51st St). Opening two weeks ago, Treehaus features everything you get from the other places: two steam tables, noodle bar, salad bar, drinks section, snack section, along with an odd cleaning supply area stocked with Mrs. Meyers (in case you need to do laundry in the office?) But look closer and you’ll notice these aren’t your regular steam table options.

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