Midtown Lunch

The lowest part of Manhattan doesn’t have many lunch spots that I would term “whimsical” but I think I’ve found the closest thing at Cosmopolitan Cafe’s soda fountain on W. Broadway (at Chambers). It’s a tiny space, focused on the soda and ice cream fountain in the back but they also serve amenu entirely under $10 consisting of crepes and a few daily specials like a burger and sandwiches. Look for the smiling ice cream cones on the scaffolding next to the entrance – and don’t get it confused with the pricier cafe around the corner on Chambers. Read more »

Now that the weather is disgustingly hot 99% of the time, it’s always nice to find another source of frozen treat. Before the Nixtamalito kiosk opened, the word on the street was that they would eventually sell the La Newyorkina paletas popular at hipster events. Well, it looks like the kiosk finally has its treats on a stick, but they are instead from a company called El Sabor de Michoachan. There was a decent variety of flavors including avocado, coffee and Oreo and although I did not taste test one I’m sure they are delicious.

Last week news came that Battery Park City would be getting a branch of Francois Payard Bakery (among many other eateries) later in the year. I’d heard good things about the locations just outside of the Downtown Lunch border, on the east side of W. Houston (btw. Thompson & Sullivan) and decided I’d finally eat lunch there and see if all of you World Financial Center workers could start getting excited. Find out the verdict, and see what kind of desserts you can look forward to after the jump. Read more »

I don’t know why more sandwich shops don’t team up with another business to both lower their costs and offer some sort of combo deal. Sure there are the banh mi shops in Chinatown that double as music and jewelry sellers, but you can’t eat jewelry or albums. When I heard that itinerant sandwich shop Crosby Connection had popped up in Eat My Chocolate on Mulberry St. (btw. Prince & E. Houston) and were offering a $9 sandwich and sweets pairing I had to go check it out. Because nothing says afternoon food coma like a giant sandwich and a sugar rush.

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Tribeca seems to be a magnet for a certain type of bakery/ lunch spot hybrid, especially the farther north you go in the neighborhood. That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when Birdbath Bakery opened the latest in its continuing expansion of “green” stores on Church St. (at Thomas) late last week. I had been meaning to check out the SoHo location that opened not too long ago, strictly for the chicken cilantro sandwich which had been recommended. But thanks to my procrastination, I didn’t even have to take the subway! Find out what a “green” bakery looks like, after the jump.

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The finalists for the Dessert Vendy Awards came out the other day, and among the hipster trucks and carts was a non-flashy one from Chinatown. That would be Yao’s Long Tzi Tang (Dragon Beard Candy), which has its spot on Canal St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry). I was clued into this cart recently by Food In Mouth, which is great because I rarely walk that far down on Canal in search of lunch and never would have known it was there otherwise. Click through to see the sugary magic. Read more »

Walking into the newish Takahachi Bakery on Murray St. (at Church) is a little bit like sensory overload at lunchtime. You could compose whatever kind of lunch you want, basically, even if it’s just buying a bunch of cookies and baked goods. I had already sampled some sweets from there when they opened back in June, but I hadn’t gone for an actual lunch. This time I was after a sandwich and something sweet but as I am not immune to the impulse buy, ended up with something of a three-course lunch which was OK because I still came in under the ML $10 limit. Read more »