Midtown Lunch

There was a hot tip on Twitter yesterday (are you following us, by the way?) that the former home of Backyard Chicken on Pearl St. btw. John & Fulton is turning into another branch of Mooncake Foods which has awesome Asian sandwiches and dishes, almost all for $10 or less. I’m hoping they’re also expanding into a bordering storefront because that Backyard Chicken shop was tiny like a glorified kiosk. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more!

It really makes me sad to report this one, but Backyard Chicken, that hole-in-the-wall serving up rotisserie chicken, ribs and salmon at Pearl & John streets, has officially closed. I noticed the gate down a couple of weeks ago but decided to wait to post anything because hey, it’s summer and sometimes people take vacations. Now there’s a “For Rent” sign up, and the giant scrolling LED sign has been taken down. I know I enjoyed their food on occasion, and man did they have some great mashed potatoes and gravy.

If you haven’t walked past tiny Backyard Chicken on Pearl St. (at John) in a while you should be aware that they have branched out from selling rotisserie chicken, changed the set up a little and got a new awning with a giant digital scrolling sign above it. This hole-in-the-wall is still that, but a nicer looking one. What drew me there was the promise on that digital sign of ribs (and pizza!?). But the question is: Can you trust a place specializing in chicken with your ribs?

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There are some days when I head out with a specific lunch destination in mind, but sometimes those intentions get derailed. And that’s how I ended up with a lunch that had far more vegetables in it than I’m used to eating. Backyard Chicken has been around for a while, and in a previous review the chicken did not get rave reviews. But what about its other offering of salmon (which said review questioned who would ever order it)? Could it be a hidden gem waiting to be found? Read more »

Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

The corner of Pearl and John Streets now offer two solid Downtown Lunch options for the hungry and cheap. The banh mi cart from two weeks ago was a nice find, but Backyard Chicken sits about 50 feet away, and could be the greatest hot spot for cheap lunch in NYC (ok, not really.)

At BC you’ll spend $6.50 for 1/4 chicken with two sides and a drink…and for an extra 50 cents you can get a third side. Basically for under 7 bucks you won’t be hungry until tomorrow, as the portions are quite generous.

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