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 Jake who eats at his desk a lot but still manages to not eat salad or other boring lunches every day.

Name: Jake S.

Occupation: Trader

Where you work: 140 Broadway

Age: 23

Favorite Kinds of Food: I’m not a picky eater; I like most everything. I’m a sucker for soup and other foods that make me warm (especially in this weather). Pizza is my biggest weakness and it’s a daily struggle to turn away from the pizza shop at lunchtime. Other likes: Chicken liver, Israeli food, Mexican food, Jewish food, Indian food (especially Palak dishes), mozz. sticks.

Least Favorite Foods: Tuna (from a can), cucumbers.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: I’ve only been working down here since about mid-October, and my office orders in a lot, so I’ve been able to try a new place almost every day. Truth be told, I’m not loving anything so far, but I’ve been to only a handful of places more than once, making them, I guess, my de facto favorites: Chipotle (Multiple Locations), Sushi by Bento Nouveau (Multiple Locations)  for location convenience and an OK udon soup; Zigolini’s on Pearl (at Coenties Slip), Ruben’s Empanadas (Multiple Locations) – spent some time in Argentina and elsewhere in South America and their tuna empanada brings me back there..if only they were better!; Sale and Pepe on Wall St. (at Exchange Plaza), burgers at Zaitzeff on Nassau (at John) – amazing fries; Diwan E Khaas (Multiple Locations) –  it’s also very close, decent and cheap, but greasy Indian food. I am clearly shopping for new places, so some help would be appreciated lunch’ers! Read more »

We don’t get much of the fad foods downtown, unless you count The Meatball Shop or the million cupcake places. A new Italian place called Da Mikele opened on Church St. (btw. White & Franklin) recently and while I was scanning the menu my eyes immediately skipped to the words “pizza cone.” Those of you who read the midtown site may recall the hype and rapid flameout of K! Pizzacone, which I could tell just by the pictures I would not want to put in my body. I was pretty sure the cones at Da Mikele were going to be a step above and not just a vehicle to get a wad of cheese into my stomach. And I found a co-lunch’er to go along so I could also justify sampling the pizza. Read more »

Fishballs really need to be more widely used. Courtesy of Food in Mouth.

• The identifiable proteins at Sheng Wang are delicious. [Food in Mouth]
• The dumplings at Inexpensive Delicacies are superior to Vanessa’s [Fork in the Road]
• Yet more comments on the dainty size of sandwiches at Salume. [Serious Eats]
• More places should give out free guac with lunch. [Lunch with Front Studio]