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 Wan-Hsi and Landy, who are the co-founders of http://www.8coupons.com/ and just so happen to live and work part-time in the FiDi. And in true Downtown Lunch style they like meat and dislike vegetarian food.

Names: Wan-Hsi Yuan & Landy Ung

Occupations: Co-founders at 8coupons.com.

Where you work: The FiDi & Chelsea

Ages: 30 & 31

Favorite Kinds of Food: We love all kinds of food.  We’re not picky eaters… but if we had a choice, for Wan-Hsi, it would be meat or Japanese cuisine or anything with meat in it.  Did we mention Wan-Hsi likes meat?  For Landy, it’s sushi. More specifically tuna, but only the fresh ones.

Least Favorite Foods: Vegetarian.  Landy doesn’t mind not having meat in a meal as much as Wan-Hsi does, but she’s not that into vegan.  Although they both like tofu a lot.  Landy can eat edamame all day long (and has done it).  So maybe that whole vegan thing is not entirely true…..

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Niko Niko on Pearl (nr. Wall) & Hot Clay Oven on Maiden Lane (at Pearl). You simply can’t find a better deal on sushi here in the FiDi.  If you can wait (or eat again) after 3pm, all their sushi is 30% off. Hot Clay Oven is a new cool joint here in FiDi.  It’s basically Indian Chipotle without the crazy lines.  Their signature thing is their naan bread, which is used in place of the “tortilla.” They have a cinnamon dessert naan that’s to die for when you eat it right when it comes out of the oven.  Also, the mango lassi is probably one of the best lassis in NYC, and we love mango and have tried a lot of lassis.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: That would definitely be Niko Niko.  It’s the “I’m hungry and need food now” place.  As such, we don’t always get the 30% off deal, but it’s still worth it.  Their udon is also pretty good.  Wan-Hsi is not into street meat, but Landy loves the Halal Cart on the corner of Wall & Water.  It’s a toss up if the No. 1 Banh Mi Cart on the other corner of Pearl St. & Hanover has a shorter line.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Adrienne’s Pizza Bar.  We’re not big pizza people, but the Downtown Lunch profile on Adrienne’s enticed us to try it out.  We also learned that it was located literally around the corner from us.  We’re not sure whether it’s because the pizza comes out in a large rectangular pan pulled straight out of their oven, but it’s certainly not your regular pizza joint down the street.  We didn’t order anything fancy, just a pepperoni with extra mushrooms and bell peppers.  It’s probably the best “pizza mushroom” we’ve ever had.  This is a powerful statement coming from Landy, who is a “pizza mushroom” snob.  Needless to say, we discovered a new restaurant nearby that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise tried, if it weren’t for Downtown Lunch.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: Hands down, the East Village.  There are just so many more good sushi places to choose from.  Yummy noodles too!

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: Where’s the best “grab and go” sushi in the FiDi?

There aren’t too many grab and go sushi options, but if you’re willing to wait 10 minutes the sushi roll lunch special at Shinju Sushi on Pearl (btw. Wall & Pine) is good, cheap, and they make it fresh for you. 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 downtownnyc@midtownlunch.com.