Midtown Lunch

I’m not quite sure why more restaurants don’t have windows selling one item, such as Luke’s Lobster‘s lobster roll express window, and the one I spotted the other day outside Koko on Greenwich St. (btw. Carlisle & Albany). Nearly everything on the lunch menu at this Asian fusion place is priced at or over the $10 limit (OK, there are a few items for $9.50, but who’s going to pay that for chicken & broccoli?). If you’re not choosy, you can get one specific Americanized Chinese item for half price – but you have to order it while standing on the sidewalk.

When I opened the container I was pleased to see my pile of General Tso’s looked, dare I say, artful? There were the standard pieces of broccoli but also a few dried chiles which you don’t always get.

General Tso’s chicken for $5.95 is a pretty good deal no matter what, but when it’s from a higher-end restaurant it seems like a steal. Another bonus is that unlike most of the other bargain-basement Chinese restaurants that scoop your chicken out of a steam table, here, it’s cooked fresh so you’re going to have to wait a few minutes on the sidewalk with the other cheapskates before getting your lunch.

The tricky thing with General Tso’s is that chicken itself had better be good since there aren’t any vegetables or anything else to distract. This was one of the best versions of the dish I’ve had partly because the chicken pieces were lighly breaded and the sweet sauce was applied sparingly. Too many times it’s like they take chicken nuggets, dump some sauce on and call it good.

If you don’t mind having only one choice at lunch I’d recommend this. Just beware you’re going to have to wade through a whole lot of tourists to get your food since the restaurant is right next to the 9/11 Memorial entrance.

Koko Asian Fusion, 120 Greenwich St. (btw. Carlisle & Albany), (212) 321-6600