PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Alex”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Alex who is loving the new Indian food truck on Whitehall St.

Name: Alex Bogdan

Occupation: Lawyer

Where you work: State St. & Pearl St.

Age: 34

Favorite kinds of food: Italian, Indian, pretty much anything from a truck or cart.

Least favorite foods: Most cheeses, salmon, olives.

Favorite lunches downtown: When I’m trying to eat healthy, Variety Cafe on Broadway (at Rector) is the best of the numerous places downtown where you can get a custom-made salad. Best variety of ingredients and value.  When I’m not, I usually get roast pork with rice and beans from Sophie’s Cuban on New Street or chicken and rice from the halal chicken truck on the corner of Beaver and Whitehall.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Definitely Variety Cafe.  The salad guy apologizes to me before I can order when they’re out of Cajun shrimp.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Downtown? The great new Indian food truck on Whitehall and Pearl (Desi Food On Wheels).  It has the best chicken tikka masala that I’ve had in the neighborhood.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: I’m pretty happy downtown.  Otherwise, Woodside, Queens, near the great burgers at Donovan’s and Indian at Masala Indian Restaurant.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch: Downtown readers? Is there any decent place to get ice cream south of Fulton Street other than a Mr. Softee truck?  I haven’t found one.

There’s the Godiva store at Nassau & Maiden Lane and La Maison du Chocolat on Wall St. (btw. Pearl & Hanover) has ice cream during the summer, but not sure about now. Anyone else know a good source of frozen treats in the FiDi? 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

3 Comments

  • In the Seaport, Amorino regularly has a cart in the main intersection, near Superdry/Brookstone. Also, in the summer, Jack’s Stir Brewed Coffee has had Van Leeuwen ice cream in a side freezer.

    In a pinch, Financier has gelato, but it’s not super great.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    I have struggled for years with where to get a good soft serve cone in the financial district. Not yogurt, not gelato, but real ice cream. I as well often have to go the mr softee route.

  • Is soft serve from McD’s/BK/Wendy’s “indecent”?

    As far as decent non-soft serve variety of ice cream:

    Wafels & Dinges truck on Wall St. on Wednesdays serve these bangin’ flavors (in the summer mostly, but they might still be serving them): speculoos, raspberry swirl, hoegarden, vanilla, etc.
    Also Goodburger or Pot Belly (Maiden Lane & Pearl) “secret menu” items aka ice cream sandwiches but ditch the cookies (~1 scoop), or milkshakes but hold the milk (~2+ scoops).

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.