Midtown Lunch

I know that the eateries in the World Financial Center don’t really get any love from this site, partly because they’re either places we try to avoid (Au Bon Pain, Cosi, Starbucks), or they’re just too freaking expensive (Grill Room, SouthWest NY, P.J. Clarke’s).  Basically most of them are chain places, with a couple of exceptions like the newly opened Ed’s Lobster Bar Cart and Quality Burger. When I heard they were having an event to sample food from these restaurants, I decided to go check it out because I know a lot of people work at the WFC and I was curious if there was anything worthy of a Midtown Lunch. Read more »

All of this can be yours for less than a 10 spot, courtesy of Serious Eats NY

• The thali plate at Hampton Chutney Co. gives you a crapload of food for just under $10, making it a true Midtown (or in this case Downtown) Lunch. [Serious Eats NY]
• Speculation continues on what’s going into the Goldman Sachs building in Battery Park City. This week’s word is both Shake Shack AND Blue Smoke. [Eater NY]
• Wo Hop has been serving up Americanized Chinese food in Chinatown for more than 70 years, and Sam Sifton compares the taste of its wok-kissed food to “that of an endearing hobo, full of pipe tobacco and sweet wine.” [NY Times]
• The Bon Chon on John St. is “pretty satisfying,” although the food, much like ghosts, defies conventional photography. [Lunch with Front Studio]
• La Cense Burger Truck is a marketing ploy to sell you delicious meat, but they turn out a decent burger that’s not too dry. [Money Grub]

I know what you’re thinking: You go to Torrisi Italian Specialties, a sandwich shop that has eggplant and chicken parm, and you get a freaking turkey sandwich? Well, let me just say that this is no ordinary Boars Head turkey on a roll. That was clear when I saw the two amazing-looking turkey breasts sitting on a cutting board and a guy slicing large chunks off of one of them. And then the three people in front of me ordered the turkey sandwich, so I felt like I was on the right track.

Let me back up a minute, though. Torrisi, located on Mulberry St. (at Prince) in Soho, has pretty much received nothing but glowing reviews since it opened. And Ed Levine from Serious Eats NY reviewed the place back in February and raved about that turkey sandwich (and the chicken parm). Clearly, a field trip up north was in order. Read more »

There’s no signage yet, but the opening of the new Five Guys on Fulton St. (at Dutch) is nearing with plywood going up over the last couple of weeks. A rep from Five Guys says it’s expected to open on July 31 which is somewhat weirdly on a Saturday. So there’s only a few more weeks to go until you can pile the free toppings on your burger and eat a heaping helping of cajun fries. Also, according to Zach is the closest thing you can get to In N Out Burger in NYC. Read more »

There have been a couple of new additions to the downtown cart scene recently, and I spotted another one last week with the Biryani House Cart, on Liberty St. (nr. Broadway). Midtown has the famed Biryani Cart and the Kati Roll shop and I was always a little jealous that we didn’t really have a cart or shop where you could consistently get good biryani or kati rolls, aka, Indian burritos. You have no idea how excited I was when I saw this cart had been added to the collection on Liberty St.

I happened to check out Biryani House on its second day of existence, and was excited to learn that it’s not just a transplant from midtown like its next-door neighbor the 99% Vegetarian Food Cart. Nope, this is a spankin’ new cart, as its friendly owner from Bangladesh told me. Read more »