Midtown Lunch

Today Roti Mediterranean Grill officially opens at the corner of Pearl St. & Cedar in the Financial District (their Web site says at 10:30 a.m.), but myself and many other Lunch’ers got a sneak preview on Friday when they were doing staff training.

There was an intimidating line out the door, but it went really quickly which bodes well for opening day. But what about the food? If you want meat and carbs, and to eat somewhat healthy food, you might want to check this place out.  Read more »

You can get Yuji’s food at Whole Foods for 3 more months. Via FitR.

• A salad chain is coming to Tribeca’s Greenwich St. [Commercial Observer]
• The list of Smorgasburg vendors at the Seaport looks awesome. [Grub St.]
• Behold the Chinese equivalent of Jell-O squares. [Eating in Translation]
• Sometimes all you need is a tuna melt at a coffee shop. [SENY]
• Looks like Kori is reopening after a run in with the tax man. [Tribeca Citizen]

You can get items such as the above when Roti Mediterranean Grill opens on Monday. Tip of the hat to Lunch’er Daniel who sent in the tip that the latest chain spot at Pearl St. & Pine is doing employee training today and over the weekend, and will open on Monday (no word on what time, but we will update when we find out). The place is a Mediterranean take on what seems like a million variations of lunch spots where you choose a rice plate, pita sandwich or salad with a choice of protein or vegetables, etc.

Look for a review early next week and view this another option when the line at Chipotle down the street is a little out of control.

Have you ever thought, “I wonder what my pizza would taste like on a puff pastry base?” Well, wonder no more, because Bravo Pizza on Trinity Place (nr. Exchange Alley) has you covered with its malawach pie.

We’ve seen our share of types of pizza in this city, but the kosher spot doesn’t seem to be flaunting its flaky take on the Italian standby.

Read more »

In addition to steam table lunches, Bombay’s on Pearl St. (btw. Coenties Slip & Broad) offers a few other items that aren’t commonly seen at competing spots like Diwan E Khaas.

They sells good kati rolls, and also a couple of Indian snacks. And then there’s the Indian fried chicken on the menu. I’d been curious about it, and decided to bite the bullet and see how this fried chicken was anything like Korean fried chicken or just the regular sort.

It turns out it’s a mash up, and one you might want to try if you’re into fried poultry in all its forms.  Read more »

If you tried to eat at Dumpling House on Liberty Place (btw. Liberty St. & Maiden Lane) Monday, you may have been in for a surprise as it’s not only closed, and turning into something different.

The space is becoming A La Saigon and will be serving Vietnamese food, which I for one am pretty happy about. With the exception of Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches, the Banh Mi cart and Baoguette, we don’t have much in the way of Vietnamese specialties in the Financial District. And really, Dumpling House wasn’t anything special, so fingers crossed that the reincarnation will be an improvement.

Update: This place opened up the day after this post. Expect a review in short order.

The windows continue to be papered up at Zigolini’s, the popular lunch spot at Pearl St. and Coenties Slip that was heavily damaged by hurricane Sandy.

Zigolini’s and Obao next door are some of the only restaurants in that area not yet reopened, but it looks like work is going ahead on the former, judging by signs in the window. The deli sandwiches and salads will remain, while the space next door that used to be for ordering burgers and other hot items is turning into a place called Guacstar, selling Mexican food and margaritas. The corner space will be a bar and grill.

There’s no word on the signs when the reopening will happen, but it’s nice to see that Zigolini’s didn’t simply abandon ship since they have some consistently good lunch options.