Archive for October 2010

Become One With Tourists While Eating A Grandma Slice At Majestic Pizza & Calzone


After a disappointing slice experience recently, I’d kind of shied away from pizza for a while. One day that I didn’t have much time for lunch I headed over to Majestic Pizza & Calzone on Cortland (btw. Church & Broadway) on the intel that they had a good grandma slice with fresh basil. I have maybe eaten one grandma slice in my life (unless you count what those in the Midwest call pan pizza, of which I have eaten a lot), so I was happy to make this No. 2.

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Bailey Pub & Brasserie: Possibly Worth Going Over ML Price Limit?: Lunch'er dbdtron wrote in to say that he tried Bailey Pub & Brasserie on William St. (at Pine) that opened a couple of weeks ago, and liked the burger he had. The burger is $12 with fries and the rest of the menu is over the $10 mark, but it sounds promising. Anyone else tried this place out?

The Ear Inn Is Worth The Hike For Lunch


The Ear Inn is one of those places that you really have to want to go to since it’s off the beaten path in SoHo, and not exactly a typical lunch destination. Despite that, when I and my co-luncher walked in for a later lunch on what was a holiday for some people, the place was still full and not just with people drinking at the bar. It had been recommended not once, but twice by profiled lunch’ers who work in the area and that was good enough for me.

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Has Vietnamese Sandwiches Closed?

 width= I was walking around after lunch yesterday, and happened to notice that Vietnamese Sandwiches on Pearl St. was not open. Also missing was the sign board that’s usually outside and the signs that used to be outside announcing the store actually existed. Maybe not enough people were hooked on their buffalo chicken banh mi or stopped caring once they stopped offering a free soda. Has anyone eaten here lately?

PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Mike”

 width=Name: Mike
Occupation: Production artist (at a digital advertising agency)
Where you work: Tribeca (a block from Canal near the Holland Tunnel)
Age: 22
Favorite Kinds of Food: I love ethnic food, particularly with a good dose of spiciness. I am always willing to try eating something strange (including offal). Tiny, authentic, ethnic hole-in-the-walls are my favorite. If it’s what the locals eat, that’s what I want to eat. I’d probably rate Thai food as my favorite nationality of food though I dislike getting watered-down/Americanized Thai food. I’m obsessed with pork… pork prepared in any style: bacon, BBQ pulled pork, pork belly, schnitzel, chicharron, pernil, panchetta, porchetta, sausage, proscuitto…I’ll eat it any day, any meal. I know this is not really food per se, but I love sauces. Mustard, Sriracha, Russian dressing, chipotle mayo, pesto, Peruvian aji (!), ponzu, teriyaki, hoisin, curry, hollandaise, buffalo sauce, chimichurri, mole… I think sauces really make a dish. I’ve also really been on a huge pho kick recently so working within walking distance of Chinatown is awesome for me.

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Saving The Earth One Chicken Cilantro Sandwich At A Time At Birdbath Green Bakery

Tribeca seems to be a magnet for a certain type of bakery/ lunch spot hybrid, especially the farther north you go in the neighborhood. That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when Birdbath Bakery opened the latest in its continuing expansion of “green” stores on Church St. (at Thomas) late last week. I had been meaning to check out the SoHo location that opened not too long ago, strictly for the chicken cilantro sandwich which had been recommended. But thanks to my procrastination, I didn’t even have to take the subway! Find out what a “green” bakery looks like, after the jump.

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Downtown Links (The “We’re Getting A Shake Shack, For Realsies” Edition)

Ignore the decor and eat some cow. Courtesy of Fork In The Road

  • Put on your sunglasses and stay away from the pho at Chinatown’s Tu Do. [Fork In The Road]
  • A new place called Burger & Barrel is opening in the upper reaches of SoHo, although it looks like the chances of an under $10 meal are slim. [Eater NY]
  • Lahore Deli serves a reliably good pile of mush. Mmm…mush. [Lunch with Front Studio]
  • Umberto’s Clam House has closed (again) in Little Italy, although this time let’s hope it wasn’t the site of a mobster’s murder. [Eater NY]
  • Yet another vote for the turkey sandwich at Torrisi Italian Specialties for “best I’ve ever eaten.” [Serious Eats NY]