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 John who is a street cart connoisseur and also likes a good noodle or some kimchi every once in a while.

Name: John Dillworth

Occupation: Project manager for the City of New York

Where you work: Maiden Lane (although we will be moving to Metro Tech in Brooklyn soon)

Age: 51

Favorite Kinds of Food: Street meat , sushi, noodles (udon, pho) Middle Eastern, Soma by Nature’s kimchi

Least Favorite Foods: Burgers & fries (got to watch my cholesterol), deli salad bars,  fast food chains (with all the street options why would anyone want to eat this stuff?)

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Zak’s Halal cart on Broadway (btw. Cedar & Liberty) for chicken over rice with hot sauce and just a bit of white sauce; Pho at Nicky’s Vietnamese on Nassau (btw. Ann & Fulton); Soma by Nature for either the kimchi soup, or any of the bibimbaps – especially the kimchi.  Ramen is good there too.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Zak’s Halal cart, Sam’s Falafel on Cedar (btw. Broadway & Trinity).

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Best find was Adel’s on Maiden Lane (at Front) –  I love that you can eat at the indoor atrium next door.  Handy during these cold days. Adel’s is a bit hotter (than Zak’s) because their rice is spiced.  You can tell Adel’s is good because they have a window on the back side to serve the cabs that pull up.  They are close, but I like Zak’s just a bit better. Pakistan Tea House on Church (btw. Duane & Reade), usually for the chicken and 3 vegetables.  You pretty much just have to point at what looks good there.  It usually is.   Next time I am moving up to the spicy chicken – haven’t tried hat one yet.  That’s a bit of a hike on a cold day.  Downtown could use more good cheap Indian.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: I’m pretty happy here but if it were just for the food Queens probably offers more variety than anywhere in the city, if not the world.

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: Any good noodle places downtown I am missing?  If not, what’s the best cheap hand-pulled noodles in Chinatown?  Any good curry down here?

I think you’ve found the good noodle places. Niko Niko is a good option, but it’s definitely not gourmet (or as cheap as Chinatown). Anybody have some hand-pulled noodle or curry options for John? 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.