Archive for April 2010

Spring Lunches are Here at Columbine in Tribeca

Columbine 014
For those of you who work or live in Tribeca, I apologize for what I’m about to say, but on the other hand, I’m sure you’ll probably agree with me when I say that Tribeca is a little hoity-toity.  A tad highfalutin.  Perhaps a skosh grandiloquent.  But you’re lunch’ers nonetheless and for that, we love you.  So this one’s for you, Tribeca.

Just yesterday I found out that a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in nigh 6 years and hadn’t even spoken with since I moved to New York had taken up residence in our fair city.  In fact, they were living mere blocks from my old apartment and also worked within lunching distance of my office.  So the natural thing to do was to meet up for lunch ASAP.  Meeting somewhere in the middle, I suggested we give Columbine (on the corner of West Broadway and White St.).  Daniel Krieger swung by this spot more than a year and a half ago (took some awesome pictures too!) and made the dreaded mistake of ordering a salad, but I had heard they know their way around a sandwich and a cup of soup. And boy howdy, did they. Read more »

More Than Just Egg Salad To Be Had At Jou Jou

I can’t always offer a good explanation of why I like a place, and Jou Jou Cafe on the corner of Nassau and Maiden Lane is one that stumps me a bit. It’s not the tastiest or the cheapest or the nicest or the most creative, but I still find myself coming back.

Maybe it’s the always-very-friendly staff, or maybe the consistently interesting selection of sandwiches. Or maybe it’s just that while Jou Jou is not superlative in any one category, it does well in all of them. Whenever I go – which is pretty often – I feel like I’ve gotten a good meal for a good price.

You’ll find drool-inducing photos of two such meals after jump.

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’ers “Plantains & Kimchi”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, our fellow Downtown bloggers Plantains and Kimchi, aka Reynaldo and Sonya, get in on the fun! Let’s here what the competition, I mean, our colleagues have to say…

Rey & SonyaName: Reynaldo and Sonya, a.k.a., Plantains and Kimchi

Occupation: Paralegal and Attorney

Where you work: Downtown (him: FiDi, her: Tribeca)

Age: 32 + 30

Favorite Kind of Food: We go through phases, but they always seem to revolve around Asian food. We’ve been eating a lot of Sichuan lately, in all its spicy and oily glory.

Least Favorite Food: He hasn’t yet found anything he doesn’t like. They call him “The Pit,” for a reason. She doesn’t like anything that tastes gamey (luckily, the lamb noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods (88 East Broadway)are too cuminy to taste gamey). Read more »

Niko Niko Bento Bento

I’m a guy who likes to try a little bit of everything when I’m eating out. I love menu items with the word “sampler” in them, and my friends graciously tolerate my wandering fork at meals. Given my predilection for variety, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that I love bento boxes. They’re the perfect way to get a little bit of a lot of things, and I wish every world cuisine had their own take on the bento.

For Japanese bento, though, Niko Niko on Pearl between Wall and Pine will treat you right. They serve up good bentos at reasonable prices in a large, glossy space. It’s probably not the best food or the cheapest, but the good balance between quantity, quality, variety, and price will have me coming back.

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Downtown Links (The “Reality TV to the Rescue” Edition)

A taco and a tostada from Pinche Taqueria, courtesy of Lunch with Front Studio.

  • The look of the food at Pinch Taqueria on Mott between Spring and Prince makes me wonder if NYC is such a bad place for Mexican food after all. [Lunch with Front Studio]
  • Kathy at Serious Eats makes the Panino Greco from Grandaisy Bakery at West Broadway and Beach sound like the perfect summer sandwich. [Serious Eats]
  • Elsewhere on the site, Ava gives us the rundown on where to find Thai ingredients. [Serious Eats]
  • What’s the point of walking without eating along the way? There are still three dates for the Downtown Alliance’s culinary walking tours. [Downtown Alliance]
  • Reality TV saves the Blarney Stone. [NYDN]
  • Can they please also save Doyers Vietnamese? [Zagat Buzz]
  • Expect some behavior fit for reality TV when the Water Taxi Beach at South Street Seaport reopens on April 30. [Grub Street]
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/04/where-to-buy-thai-ingredients-in-new-york-cit.html

Grassroots Banh Mi Palooza: We are the Champions, My Friend


Yesterday, Midtown Lunch reported that a lunch’er organized banh mi competition had taken place that definitively placed us, Downtown, at the head of the Manhattan banh mi pack. We effectively swept the podium, taking first, second, and third place! Ok, so technically first place was given to Baoguette in Gramercy, but we totally have one of those too (at 9 Maiden Lane), so I count it in our favor. Taking second and third are our very own Chinatown legends Banh Mi Saigon (138 Mott St.) and Paris Bakery (213 Grand St.), respectively. Daniel Krieger did something a little similar to this back in the day, but not quite on the same level, so we certainly applaud the Banh Mi Seven (sound like political dissidents in Vietnam) for taking the initiative, pulling off this amazing competition, and being kind enough to share the results. Thank you!

Free *cough*Healthy*cough* Lunch from Energy Kitchen: Sometimes we're faced with ethical dilemmas that rock us to the core. Today we face one of those challenges. As reported by NYC Daily Deals, Energy Kitchen (71 Nassau @ John St.) is giving out your choice of a Bison Cheesesteak Wrap, California Wrap, or Buffalo Chicken Burger with the purchase of a drink between 12 and 2 today. The question is are Midtown Lunch principles more about delicious, greasy food, or more about free shit? You decide. Freeloaders engage... with caution.