Midtown Lunch

The opening day of Go Go Curry on John St. (btw. Nassau & Broadway), the Japanese chain with more than 50 locations world wide, was a bit of a mess. I discovered when I got in line that they weren’t doing take out on Monday and you could only get the 55 cent deal if you had a good hour to wait to eat in the small space that has only a few tables and a counter along one wall. Instead, I went back on Tuesday when you could get your food to go, and to my surprise found you could get any medium size curry for $5 – a special running through Feb. 28. The staff was still working out some kinks, with a wait of about 20 minutes for food and a cash only policy, but after I finally got to eat my pork katsu curry, it was totally worth the confusion and waiting.  Read more »

There are many options for a cheese steak in the Financial District: Delis, street meat carts, the Dominic’s Truck on Whitehall St. and the occasional visit from the Phil’s Steaks truck. We’ll also eventually be getting a location of Shorty’s cheese steaks down on Pearl St.

One place we’ve never checked out, but that I’ve always been curious about it Charly’s which is on Trinity Place (at Cedar St.) and caters to every guilty pleasure food you might want, from pizza to burgers to chicken wings. The thing that many of the dudes and construction workers that throng the place, along with students from nearby high schools, at lunch time is a cheese steak. Would it be any better than the deli variety?

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In case you missed our post from last week, Go Go Curry is expecting to open its new location on John St. (btw. Broadway & Nassau) on Monday at 10:55 a.m. If you’re one of the first 555 people in line you’ll be able to pay in change 55 cents!) if you get a single size curry. Otherwise, you’ll still pay less than $10 unless you have a hunger that can only be sated by a Grand Slam.

Sabor de Mexico seems intent on quietly taking over the downtown area, although not quite as fast as its close relative Chipotle. I had checked out the first location on Trinity Place (at Thames) when it first opened and was called Caliente Mexican Grill, and on that and subsequent visits found it was dependable if partly Americanized Mexican food. Their strong point is meats, which I’d tried in the form of tacos and a burrito, but they also serve them in a torta and the more desk friendly burrito bowl. I decided to try the latter when a craving for carbs and meat hit.

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When it comes to pasta, the two options at lunch time are either hitting up a sit-down place, or settling for what comes off a steam table at many pizza shops. Zigolini’s does a good made-to-order pasta, but they remain closed after hurricane Sandy. Another option that some of you have recommended is Koyzina Kafe – an otherwise generic deli on William St. (at Cedar) that has a make-your-own pasta bar where you can watch your lunch being cooked in front of you. After a taste, I thought their pasta definitely has a leg up on what comes from a steam table.

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You sandwich fiends out there should be happy to know that the Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Maiden Lane (btw. Gold & Pearl) has reopened after being shuttered by hurricane Sandy. (As far as I know the location at 90 Broad St. is still closed).

Potbelly is one of the first in the string of chain lunch spots at the bottom of Maiden Lane to reopen, with Pret a Manger still closed, along with a Hale & Hearty location across the street. As we’ve noted, the Goodburger at Maiden & Pearl is turning into a location of P.J. Clarke’s spin off Clarke’s Standard, which just opened in Midtown.

And what about Hot Clay Oven? Read more »

It seems that sometime since I last ate at Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau) the restaurant has started playing up the fact that they serve Lebanese food rather than generic “Middle Eastern cuisine,” or coasting on the fact that at some point they were once named as having the best falafel in the city. I’ve never been wowed by the falafel, but they do have a pretty extensive selection of vegetarian items on the menu (a french fry sandwich!), including fried cauliflower. I figured this could either be a very good, or very bad way to pretend I’m being healthy.

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