Midtown Lunch

Indian-fusion restaurant Hot Clay Oven on Maiden Lane (btw. Gold & Pearl) has its menu up on its Web site, and it looks like it will be a sort of Indian twist on Chipotle, one of which is actually located across the street.  You choose an “entree” like a wrap, naan and kebab, or salad and then a protein, toppings and sauces. The windows were still papered up when I walked by yesterday, but it seems like it will be opening soon (complete with a grand opening sponsored by a radio station!). Update: They’re shooting for an opening in early September. Check out the four-step menu after the jump. Read more »

It came out last week that the Bon Chon Chicken location on Chambers St. had been cast out by the company for using unapproved sauces. This leaves the larger John St. location as the only one downtown, and that might be for the best based on my experiences at both locations last week. The Chambers location was still called Bon Chon and prices and everything seemed the same. I decided it might be worth a look at what they’re serving there since that location has never gotten an ML review, and I also revisited the John St. location for some head-to-head Korean fried chicken comparison. Read more »

The first Five Guys on Fulton St. (at Dutch) opened over the weekend, and lunch’er Melanie snapped the above photo and wrote in to say they seem to be ready for “real” lunch today when it’s sure to be swamped. Click through to see what she and another early adopter had to say. Read more »

I’ve been meaning to get down to Zigolini’s on Pearl (at Coenties Slip) for a while now, but mostly the heat has prevented me from wanting a hot, carb-filled lunch. Then one day a lunchtime craving for pasta hit, and after dismissing the Ravioli Fair cart and a couple of other nearby options, I decided to hoof it down there to see theirs was any good. Lunch’er boomshanka had long ago suggested the eggplant parm from there as a go-to lunch, but once I saw the line for sandwiches, I was even more dead set on getting pasta from the much shorter line next door. The to-go portion of the restaurant in split into two separate rooms, so make sure you’re in the correct line so you don’t wait forever and then realize you’re about to get a sandwich instead of a burger or pasta. What pasta creation did I end up with? Find out after the jump.

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I had one of the weirder lunching experiences I’ve had in the Financial District at the recently-opened Vietnamese Sandwiches on Pearl St. (btw. Pine & Wall). Some of you had weighed in with reports of  long waits and mediocre sandwiches. With Baoguette in the general vicinity, a branch of Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches about to open, the Banh Mi Cart, and Chinatown not too far away that doesn’t make this places’ chances of survival too great. What it does have going for it is slightly better prices than the competition and you get a free soda until the end of the month. So, what made this such a strange lunching experience? Find out after the jump. Read more »

It’s not often I have a lunch that makes me angry afterward because I usually don’t spend enough to feel like I’ve been ripped off. I mean, if I get some bad street meat, I’m angry, but I only spent $5 on it. When I shell out almost $10 and the food is crappy, I usually vow never to eat at that place again because there are too many delicious things to eat downtown to waste my stomach space. This was the case when I first tried 22 Thai Cuisine on Maiden Lane (btw. Nassau & Broadway). I went there two days after it opened, mostly because I was so excited to see if the Financial District would finally have some some good Thai food. Thai is one of my favorite genres of food overall and I’ve been fairly disappointed with the couple of places I’ve tried down here, which are either overpriced or generic. Find out what angered me, and what made me want to come back after the jump. Read more »

I don’t know about anyone else, but I didn’t know a Thames St. existed in the Financial District. Sure enough, it does, and on it you’ll find Big Al’s Chicago-Style Pizza (btw. Broadway & Trinity Pl.). Lunch’er Paul had recommended its regular slice so I decided to go check it out on one of those day’s where I couldn’t decide what lunch appealed to me. It’s one of only a couple of businesses on the street that only exists for two blocks. According to its menu, Big Al’s has been around for 30 years and a steady stream of people came in and out while I was there during prime lunch time. The weird thing is, that they don’t really seem to focus on the deep dish pizza that you think of as Chicago-style, although they do list a pie with a “special crisp and fluffy crust.” I guess there’s always Pizzeria Uno at the South Street Seaport for that. Read more »