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 Jessica who gets grossed out by overly-meaty lunches, so it’s a wonder she reads this blog!

Name: Jessica Thurston

Occupation: Policy analyst and food blogger at Crust: Baking for Sustaining

Where you work: 26 Federal Plaza, Tribeca

Age: 23

Favorite Kinds of Food: Thai, Cuban and French

Least Favorite Foods: I’m a vegetarian, so anything meat-centric or extremely heavy and fattening isn’t too appealing to me.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: The chilled avocado sandwich at Pecan Fine Foods on Franlin (at W. Broadway), especially when a warm walk in the sun is a needed distraction during the day; Wasabi-crusted tofu and a pear ginger muffin from Birdbath Bakery on Church St. (at Thomas); A mix of grain salads and roasted vegetables from the food bar at Zeytuna on Maiden Lane (at William) in the Financial District when I can’t make up my mind. And if I have time for a long lunch with co-workers, I can’t resist the blood orange margarita at Red at the South St. Seaport.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Avocado rolls (sensing a theme?) at the Sun Cafe on Reade (btw. Broadway & Church) followed by whoopie pies from Tribeca Treats on Reade (btw. W. Broadway & Church).

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: My favorite? Sophie’s Cuban (Multiple Locations) – I stop in for their yellow rice and plantains so often it’s starting to get awkward. Other greats – Taïm for when I want a walk to the West Village, Tataki on Lispenard (btw. Church & W. Broadway) for when I want an avocado roll and have been stopping in to Sun too many times that week;  Bennie’s Thai Cafe on Fulton St. (at Gold)- I had to try it after the review calling it potentially the FiDi’s best (cheap) option for Thai food at lunch. 

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: As much as I love downtown NYC – it’s where I live, work, and play the most – my new love is the avocado bibimbap at Franchia on Park (at 34th), so working somewhere in midtown would be excellent.

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: Am I the only one searching for more vegan options downtown? What are some favorites for full lunches that are vegan or, if not vegan, entirely vegetarian and light on dairy?

I do have a good vegan option for you: Pita Press on Cedar (btw. William & Pearl). It’s maybe one block over from Zeytuna, and they have both vegetarian and vegan options of Greek food. If you haven’t been to Little Lad’s Basket on Broadway (btw. Cedar & Pine) you might also want to give that a shot. 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 downtown@midtownlunch.com.