Midtown Lunch

I’m a guy who likes to try a little bit of everything when I’m eating out. I love menu items with the word “sampler” in them, and my friends graciously tolerate my wandering fork at meals. Given my predilection for variety, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that I love bento boxes. They’re the perfect way to get a little bit of a lot of things, and I wish every world cuisine had their own take on the bento.

For Japanese bento, though, Niko Niko on Pearl between Wall and Pine will treat you right. They serve up good bentos at reasonable prices in a large, glossy space. It’s probably not the best food or the cheapest, but the good balance between quantity, quality, variety, and price will have me coming back.

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Yesterday, Midtown Lunch reported that a lunch’er organized banh mi competition had taken place that definitively placed us, Downtown, at the head of the Manhattan banh mi pack. We effectively swept the podium, taking first, second, and third place! Ok, so technically first place was given to Baoguette in Gramercy, but we totally have one of those too (at 9 Maiden Lane), so I count it in our favor. Taking second and third are our very own Chinatown legends Banh Mi Saigon (138 Mott St.) and Paris Bakery (213 Grand St.), respectively. Daniel Krieger did something a little similar to this back in the day, but not quite on the same level, so we certainly applaud the Banh Mi Seven (sound like political dissidents in Vietnam) for taking the initiative, pulling off this amazing competition, and being kind enough to share the results. Thank you!

Crowds definitely don’t always indicate good food, but in a neighborhood with a pizza place on every block, a line for a slice is a pretty good sign. So when I showed up at Underground Pizza on Hanover Square to follow up on Valerie’s suggestion and found a line that stretched out onto the sidewalk, I had a feeling I’d come to the right place.

There was no calamari slice or bacon-jalapeno slice waiting for me, but I really enjoyed the slices that I had. Underground Pizza serves up some great product at affordable prices, but the reason to go is the vodka slice, which is $3.45 of pure delicious and which you can drool over after the jump.

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Our friendly neighborhood Swich (83 Maiden Lane) reopened last week and before too much time went by, I wanted to make sure I got in there to see what the revamp was all about. After all, it really wasn’t open all that long before they shuttered up, announcing they’d be back shortly with a new sense of style and self-worth. Now with their fancy new awning, they’re back to show us what they’ve learned on their little spring break. Let’s see what they’ve got, shall we? Read more »

Yes, friends, it’s time for another chapter in my mythic journey to find Downtown’s epic street meat carts.  Chapters one and two have been fantastic experiences (the prologue as well!) but this is an expedition that will never end. This time I went deep into the Financial District to the corner of Beaver and Broadway, right across the street from Bowling Green.  The street meat cart I visited this time looks like just about any other on the street. The generic pictures that are plastered all over the sides of the cart give the impression that this is just another place to get chicken and rice, the same blah-dee-bah spicing that makes it taste vaguely Middle Eastern.  But let me assure you, it’s not. What you’ll find here is good, flavorful food. What you’ll find here is chicken that tastes like chicken.  What you’ll find are delicious, homemade sides like lamb meatballs and kidney beans, stuff that you likely won’t find anywhere else in the city.

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I was surprisingly pleased with my first visit to Sushi! by Bento Nouveau. Despite the worryingly corporate and chain-y appearance, the food I had was very good and not at all a bad deal for the price.

I was happy with the udon, the sushi, and the dessert, so I went back for a hot entree. This time, I checked out the location on Broadway near Morris Street and got myself some Teriyaki Chicken. The verdict: very good. Photos to drool over after the jump.

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For those of you haven’t studied my bio extensively, I lived in Japan for a year teaching English.  It was a pretty good time, but I came down with a horrible affliction while I was there known as Curry Fever.   Symptoms include, but are not limited to, a strong craving for Japanese curry anytime one thinks of Japan.  While most people might immediately think of sushi, ramen, or soba when they think Japanese food, curry is what immediately springs to my mind.  (That and karaage.  Oh karaage, I miss you so!)  And to be completely honest, good Japanese curry is hard to come by in this town, and yes, I’ve been to GoGo Curry.  While they do a great job on their katsu, I’m not wild about the curry itself.   So when Lunch’er Miche endorsed the curry at Tokyo Kitchen (10 John Street, at Broadway) when Kevin wrote about it back in January, I had to investigate.  So investigate I did. Read more »