Midtown Lunch

Although we have a couple of spots serving banh mi and other basic Vietnamese dishes in the Financial District, A La Saigon is the only place down here with a more extensive menu. I had previously tried their bun lunch special, and it was decent, but on a recent day when I wasn’t feeling well I decided a bowl of pho was just what the doctor ordered. If you dig deep into the menu, you’ll see the shop on Liberty Lane (btw. Maiden Lane & Liberty St.) offers a few types of pho, and I headed over to see how theirs compared with the solid version from nearby Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches.

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Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen has been open on John St. (btw. Broadway & Nassau) for a while now, and on a recent gross, rainy day I decided to stop in again for lunch. I’d already tried one of their protein over rice options soon after they opened in March.

This time, I happened to have a weird cold that made eating in warm weather challenging. In defiance of the warming temperatures outside, I opted to order a noodle soup. And it both soothed my throat and gave me the seafood that I craved.

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Following in the footsteps of grilled cheese, barbeque and Japanese rice balls from Smorgasburg vendors, Yuji Ramen is bringing a test kitchen to the second floor of the Whole Foods at Bowery and E. Houston from March 12 to May 12. The ramen maker used to draw large lines at Smorgasburg, and then at a shop in Williamsburg before that shuttered. Yuji is now trying to raise money via Kickstarter to open a restaurant serving its mazeman, or dry ramen, pictured here from their Twitter. What will they be serving at Whole Foods? Find out straight ahead.

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Some of you have wondered in the comments how some of the other offerings at Blue Spoon Coffee are, and I’ve forgotten to investigate. The second location at William & Platt (the original’s on Chambers btw. Broadway & Church) has been my go-to for a cup of coffee or breakfast goods when I’m strapped for time, and it seems they either make everything themselves or source the food from good purveyors in the city.

I really like the vegetarian sandwich I got there after the FiDi location opened, and this time, on a cold and windy day, I went for one of the three soups they have on rotation each day.  Read more »

It seems like just yesterday that a tip came that the old Backyard Chicken space at John St. & Pearl was turning into another Mooncake Foods which already exists downtown in Soho. Then just like that, the doors were open for business yesterday at lunch. And I’d have to say – especially with similar places like OBAO and nearby BonChon on John temporarily down for the count due to the hurricane and a fire respectively, this is a welcome addition to the lunch scene in the Financial District. Read more »

I feel like the closer the proximity to all of the touristy sites along Broadway in the Financial District, the more generic the generic deli. Cafe Tomato on Fulton St. (btw. B’way & Nassau) has bucked that trend for awhile by offering noodle soups and a smattering of Korean food, but until last week I was unaware that they have a whole separate counter clear in the back devoted to these foods.

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Last week I wasn’t feeling so great, and come lunch time visions of noodle soup were dancing in my head. Ramen was the first thing to come to mind, but there aren’t many great options down here that didn’t require me to walk many blocks on a cold day. Instead, I honed in on good old reliable Soma by Nature on William St. (btw. John & Fulton) with every intention of trying their ramen or udon soup, but then I saw something called dumpling rice cake soup which was described as “dumpling rice cake, drop egg in beef stock.” I had no idea what this meant, but I ordered myself some and prepared to find out.

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