Midtown Lunch

If you’re a fan of the street food in NYC, then you won’t want to miss this year’s 8th annual Vendy Awards happening September 15 on Governor’s Island. Early bird tickets for the all-you-can-eat and drink event, which are $80,  just went on sale and you’ll probably want to snag one of these before they sell out and the price increases to $95. The event benefits the Street Vendor Project which provides advocacy and legal services to all of those people serving you lamb over rice or tacos from a cart or truck. While you’re on the site buying your ticket, you might as well nominate your favorite vendor. Last year we had some downtown favorites represented like A-Pou’s Taste and Sam’s Falafel and it would be nice to make that a trend. This year, there’s a new Market Vendor category joining People’s Taste, Dessert, Rookie Vendor and the all-around Vendy Cup. You might want to get your eating strategy mapped out and those fat pants purchase now.

Apologies for once again writing about a food offering at Duane Reade, but after a surprisingly strong showing from the sushi counter at the Wall St. flagship I figured some people are viewing this drug store chain as a viable lunch option. They are slowly overtaking the Financial District with a giant new store opening on Broadway btw. Wall & Pine in part of the space that used to house Borders. A step inside immediately shows they’re really pushing the food here with a build-your-own salad bar, coffee bar and frozen yogurt/freezee station. I assumed the fro-yo was by-the-pound like most other places but to my surprise when I went to pay I discovered it was a set price for the two different sizes. This, of course, means you can and should cram as much into that cup as possible while still being able to get the lid on, which I tried to do yesterday.

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A stroll down Fulton St. yesterday showed a bunch of construction on the street and some scaffolding on the sidewalks. Spotted amid this mess was papered up plywood emblazoned with cupcakes, and lo and behold Baked By Melissa is bringing its confections to the block between Dutch and William streets. We already have Crumbs in the Financial District, and this new cupcake shop is just up the street from a Financier, but I’m betting people (aka, tourists) will be seduced by the tiny cupcakes Baked by Melissa offers, even if they are kind of a rip off.

I can’t even tell you how many times in the last couple of years I’ve devoured every bite of my Downtown Lunch and immediately regretted that decision as the food coma crept up on me. Last Friday was one of those days. After learning that the awaited Saluggi’s Sandwich Shop – an offshoot of pizza shop Saluggi’s a couple doors away – was finally open in the old Sea World space at Church St. & Lispenard, I headed up to order myself a deli sandwich and some waffle fries.

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