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 Connie who isn’t afraid of a little fat in her lunch, and looking for help finding a certain dessert.

Name: Connie

Occupation: City planner

Where you work: The Equitable Building, 120 Broadway

Age: Of age

Favorite Kinds of Food: My likes have been described as “full-flavored, full-fatted” foods. Notably: Cheese, Korean food, ice cream, summer fruits, real Mexican food (not burritos) and also pretty much anything in a corn tortilla covered with cheese & hot sauce.

Least Favorite Foods: Wraps, “fusion” Japanese food (for example – any time a sushi roll has a name like “spider” or “dragon”) and Subway sandwiches, mostly because of that smell – you know the one.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Toloache Taqueria on Maiden Lane (btw. Gold & William) for fish tacos or a pork torta; Sophie’s Cuban (Multiple Locations) for goat or oxtail and that killer green sauce; FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar on Pearl (at Coenties Slip) for the shrimp salad sandwich; Takahachi Bakery on Murray (at Church) for the pork sandwich and some pastries. The Korilla BBQ Truck is a new favorite when it’s downtown.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: When the weather’s not nice (i.e., most of December through April), we have to fight the urge to grab food from Ashby’s, the “corporate cafeteria” type place in the building. Next is Pret (and there are so many downtown), and then Zeytuna which is good to have nearby, but I often end up aimlessly wandering in the aisles.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Undercover Korean food at Cafe Hanover on Hanover Sq. (at Pearl) and Toloache Taqueria – When it first opened I had to confirm that it was legit before I ventured in. And I’m so glad I did! Also, lots of places that I have on a running to-do list: Nixtamalito at 1 Centre St., Veronica’s Kitchen cart on Front (at Pine), the Trinidad roti place (Ed: Trinidad & Tobago cart on Whitehall btw. Bridge & Pearl). Back when I worked in midtown, I relied heavily on the ramen noodle coverage, too.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: Tokyo, and I would get hiyayakko tofu and rice balls from 7-11 every day!  In NYC, I’d work somewhere between Chinatown and the LES. I dream of grabbing lunch from Xi’an Famous Foods (Multiple Locations), Alidoro on Sullivan (btw. Spring & Prince), Russ & Daughters, or some dim sum spot.

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: Tell me where to find good ice cream downtown!

Oh man, we are seriously lacking in ice cream options outside of the Mr. Softee variety. Coolhaus Truck normally comes down here once a week and I’m pretty sure that the Godiva store on Nassau & Maiden lane sells ice cream. Who else has some secret ice cream option for Connie? 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.