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 Noah who is a fellow food blogger and is lucky enough to work both in the FiDi and near the lunch bounty that is Chinatown.

Name: Noah Arenstein

Occupation: Criminal defense lawyer. Blogger at Law & Food and editor-at-large at Real Cheap Eats.

Where you work: Pine & Pearl, but often at the courthouse.

Age: 27

Favorite kinds of food: Sichuan Chinese, cheeseburgers. Anything patently unhealthy.

Least favorite foods: I’ll try anything once. I loathe Subway, and most other chain sandwich places (with a few notable exceptions like Pret). Seriously, go to a bodega and get a sandwich. I’m not really into sweets or chocolate (with the strong exception of any Haribo product), so my meals tend to be front heavy. I had a hard time with kidneys the last time I tried them, but otherwise I’m pretty good with offal.

Favorite lunches downtown: I’ve only started working in FiDi full time in the past month or so, but I’ve worked down here on and off for awhile now. I used to get lamb over rice at the carts at Broadway and Liberty St. a lot, but I’m looking for a new go-to spot. Rubirosa on Mulberry (btw. Spring & Prince) and Torrisi (now Parm) on Mulberry (at Prince) are always good standbys. If I’m in court or visiting clients in prison, Chinatown lunches are key (especially since I work with someone who speaks fluent Chinese). In that case, it’s hand-pulled noodle and dumpling/wonton spots on Eldridge, Shanghai 456 on Mott (btw. Canal & Bayard), Shanghai Cafe on Mott (btw. Canal & Hester) and Noodle Village on Mott (btw. Bowery & Bayard), among others.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Like I said, I’ve been eating way too much Chinese in Chinatown after court lately, usually it’s at Xi’an Famous Foods (Multiple Locations) or Noodle Village. Fallbacks are Chipotle or Pret. I know, they can’t all be winners.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Downtown? I’m going to check out that Afghani cart [Halal Gyro Express] on William (nr. Maiden Lane) this week. I need to try Veronica’s Kitchen cart on Front St. (nr. Pine) too. There were many more discoveries I’m grateful for back when I lived and worked in Midtown (I’ll love you forever, Cafe Zaiya).

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: I’m pretty happy right now. Coming from cities with so few lunch options, I still feel overwhelmed by my dining possibilities. That said, I would be slightly happier working in Jackson Heights or Flushing.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch: Downtown readers? Know any good breakfast spots, preferably with good coffee?

I never get breakfast in the FiDi and the coffee situation is grim, but there’s Jack’s Stir Brew over on Front St. and Made Fresh Daily next door has Doughnut Plant doughnuts. What other options do you have for Noah? 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.