Midtown Lunch

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, we have Craig who doesn’t believe in $5 foot longs or certain green vegetables, and thinks the FiDi is a pretty good place to be come lunchtime.

Name: Craig Savitzky

Occupation: Research Associate

Where you work: The American Lawyer magazine

Age: 28

Favorite Kinds of Food: Neapolitan-style pizza, Cincinnati chili, Milwaukee frozen custard, Tibetan momos, El Salvadorian pupusas, muffulettas, shokshuka and any and all Caribbean food.

Least Favorite Foods: Not into peas, green beans or baked ziti.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: The “Napoletano” calzoni at Farinella on Worth St. (nr. Broadway); jerk chicken at Veronica’s Kitchen on Front St. (at Pine); Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau) for their red lentil soup; the calamari done with a southwestern flare at the Capital Grille on Nassau (btw. Liberty & Pine); the speck, taleggio and frisee sandwich at Barberini Mercato on Front St. (btw. Beekman & Peck Slip); the chicken, mushroom and spinach burger with peach ketchup at Kitchenette on Chambers St. (btw. Greenwich & W. Broadway); Urban Lobster Shack on Stone St. (btw. Broad & Broadway) for the ongoing $10 special, but if it’s ambiance you’re after, get the tuna roll at Ed’s Lobster Bar kiosk instead behind the World Financial Center (nr. Vesey); Jou Jou Café on Nassau (at Maiden Lane) for their Israeli panini comprised of egg salad, Swiss cheese and Zataar; Takahachi Bakery on Murray St. (at Church) for scrumptious almond-miso cookies. Finally, step on over to Battery Park City where Izzy & Nat’s on South End Ave. (nr. Albany) will tend to all of your appetizing needs.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Cordato’s on Greenwich St. (btw. Rector & Carlisle) – the “secret” bar in the back stopped being a secret 10 years ago and it’s just an average deli. And, the phrase “$5 foot longs” should never be uttered in any true foodie circles. Also, trucks, is anyone else over them? Sorry Tyler Florence.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: The chicken beiruti sandwich at Baba Ghanouge on Church St. (btw. Chambers & Reade) is amazing. It’s like Primanti Bros. meets the banh mi craze. Not to mention two great slices of NY pizza – first, the jalapeno and bacon slice at The Grotto on New St. (btw. Beaver & Exchange Pl.) and second, the grandma slice at Pizza Italia on Stone St. (btw. Broad & Broadway)

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: The FiDi is a good base for lunch operations. You can walk to either Tribeca or the South Street Seaport, and have quick subway access to downtown Brooklyn. Lower Manhattan also boasts a total of eight farmer’s markets! It’s also not overwhelming. If I had all of the dining options of say an East or West Village, my head would explode.

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: You let Mr. Skewer & Co., Klatch, Perle and now Burritoville all go under. How do you sleep at night?

I too mourned Klatch since it was across the street from my office, although not as much as one of my co-workers. I was OK with its demise once I heard that Baoguette was going in there.  And as always, if you would like to be next week’s Profiled Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email us at downtownnyc@midtownlunch.com.