Midtown Lunch

It’s not often the starch is the star of the show at lunch time, but that’s what I found when getting one of the mini meals at the Trinidad & Tobago cart on Whitehall (btw. Bridge & Pearl). The cart has stayed in its regular spot despite the fact that many office buildings in the area are not open. Nio’s Trinidad Roti truck has started parking up Whitehall St. across from the Bowling Green subway station, but the cart drew me to it with a shorter line and promise of stew chicken.

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In an article in the New York Times published on Sunday, they give us the inside scoop on how many restaurants and the people who work at them are faring after hurricane Sandy. The verdict? It’s maybe not quite as bad as after Sept. 11, but close. A lot of people who work in restaurants that are still closed or are losing business due to a lack of phone or Internet service have been laid off permanently or temporarily. Many businesses are surviving on a cash only system, which as we all know is not ideal when a lot of people only carry cards or order food on Seamless.

I know some of these inconveniences myself because my office has been effectively shuttered since the hurricane, which is why there haven’t been as many posts on the site as normal. I find out many food-related things just by walking around, and it’s hard to keep tabs on what’s happening downtown when you’re working from home in another borough.

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When I mentioned that L&L Hawaiian BBQ on Fulton St. (at Gold) had started serving Chinese food from a steam table, luncher rodalpho commented on his favorite item from the establishment:

I haven’t tried the buffet because I generally don’t leave my office for lunch, but I have sampled most of L&L’s menu. Skip the plate lunches, the sushi, and the Chinese food. L&L has one (and only one) truly great item on its menu– the BBQ beef sandwich. I strongly recommend it.

That sounded like a strong enough endorsement for me to go get myself a beef sandwich.

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There are several restaurants in the Financial District that fall outside the $10 price range at lunch, but sometimes I’m still curious about them. One of those places is Smorgas Chef on Stone St. just off of S. William St. The Swedish meatballs on the menu kept luring me in, but even the open-face lunch sandwich is $12 and the entree version costs even more. But what about the $10 appetizer of meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry? Would it be enough to satisfy at lunch?

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It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with L&L Hawaiian BBQ on Fulton St. (at Gold), one of the city’s only sources of greasy, carby Hawaiian plate lunch and Span musubi. They were closed by the Department of Health last fall, and then reopened, but I’ve got to say I’ve been a little afraid of returning for another lunch. I may have to though because they now have a $5.99/pound Chinese buffet Chinese food steam table (not by-the-pound, upon further investigation). I think in place of the sushi bar that used to be up front. This price point is on par with Yip’s a couple of blocks away on William St. so there’s a little competition brewing.

L&L Hawaiian BBQ, 64 Fulton St. (at Gold), (212) 577-8888

There are days when you want a turkey sandwich because you’re trying to be healthy, and there are others when you just need a big, cheap helping of Americanized Chinese food. New Golden Chopsticks is one of the only remaining hole-in-the-wall Chinese spots in the Financial District that we haven’t written about. It’s nestled next to Terrace Fish & Chip off of Pearl St. and I can say it’s one of the better crappy Chinese food lunches I’ve had in a while, and I didn’t even get a gratis egg roll or watery cup of soup with it.

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Ladies and gentlemen, I think I’ve found my new cheap go-to source of Indian food in the Financial District. I decided to revisit what’s now the Desi Chef On Wheels truck (initially called Desi Food On Wheels) and I was so glad I did. Yes, the food comes off of a steam table, but the women who serve it are so nice and the food I’ve tasted has been so nicely flavored that I just want to keep going back again and again. The truck’s offerings lean heavily in the vegetarian direction, and while I loved the daal I had on my first visit, the fish curry I tried on the second visit was tasty and equally cheap.

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