Midtown Lunch

A brightly-painted truck began parking at Old Slip & Water St. a while ago and from the side facing the street it appeared to be a truck selling smoothies, fruit juices and fruit like the carts you see dotting sidewalks in the city. It turns out Sammi’s is a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde situation as it also sells burgers, fries and chicken wings among other decidedly unhealthy foods. Had anyone had the food here or are you curious about it? I like the idea of getting carrot juice with a side of wings.

A shiny new pedestrian plaza was installed on Coenties Slip between Pearl and Water streets recently. This is great for Lunch’ers looking to dine al fresco or walk in the middle of the street, but not so great for food trucks. There was usually room for at least one truck to park there each day, but that’s no longer the case. It seems like the amount of spots for trucks to park has gone back to normal since all of the construction vehicles after hurricane Sandy are mostly gone. Still, it might be nice to have a food truck lot somewhere down here to make things easier.

There was some intrigue surrounding the replacement of Pizza Pizza with Justino’s Pizzeria on the stretch of restaurants between Pearl St. and Stone St. Pizza Pizza was serviceable but not remarkable, but Justino’s seems to be another branch of an NYC mini-chain that used to have a location in Midtown and also exists in Staten Island. A look at the online menu showed some intriguing options including clam pizza and one modeled after the L&B Spumoni Gardens square variety. Lunch’er famdoc called for an investigation, and I was ready to do it.  Read more »

You may be able to get steamed buns at some of the Chinese spots in the Financial District, but they’re often over priced and underwhelming. Vivi Bubble Tea on John St. (nr. Nassau) is not necessarily a place you would think of for anything other than a liquid lunch. Yes, they offer many different varieties of bubble tea, but you can also get a couple varieties of steamed buns at lunch time although I’ve learned that you probably need to go as close to noon as possible, or even earlier, in order to get your hands on some.

Read more »

The last time we checked in with A-Pou’s Taste cart they were still at their spot on Liberty St. & Broadway. One Citi Bike station and a couple of failed spots later, the cart is trying to put down roots on William St. between Maiden Lane & John St. in between Biryani House and Halal Gyro Express carts. As I walked up to the cart to ask if they were planning to park in that spot long term (they are), I noticed there were a couple of new dishes being advertised including a pork chop over rice and shrimp fried rice for $6 each. I’ve generally enjoyed everything I’ve eaten from this cart, but I’d have to say the fried rice may be a weak link.

Read more »

The newest addition to the genre of lunch spots serving many different types of things and having a by-the-pound buffet is Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver). The place occupies a huge retail area on the bottom floor of the William Beaver House condo building, and it’s perhaps the least-crowded lunch experience I’ve had.

Not all of the stations were up and running (still to come: Stir fry, ramen and specialty sandwiches), but most others were, along with the buffet which featured items that looked a bit tastier than the usual offerings. Prices are a bit higher than at the generic delis in the area, but the surroundings are also nicer, and they serve fancy Intelligentsia coffee. The good and bad about my lunch experience on what was essentially Open Kitchen’s opening day, straight ahead.

Read more »

This may be an exaggeration, but it seems like every week or two another place selling juices/smoothies/frozen yogurt/of the above opens or is coming soon to the Financial District. This week it’s the Elixir Juice Bar on Nassau St. between John & Fulton, opening in the spot that was formerly an Energy Kitchen. No word on why that place closed up, or if it’s being opened by the same people.