Midtown Lunch

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I kind of like spicy food. A lot. When I ordered a sandwich from the Route 66 Smokehouse pop up on the Elevated Acre (above 55 Water St. btw. Old Slip & Coenties Slip) I was not expecting an assault of pepper so crazy that my nose was running the entire time I was eating. That being said, I think with a couple of tweaks we can get a little excited about the food at the forthcoming Route 66 brick and mortar.

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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.

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.

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I was in the upper part of Tribeca recently on the hunt for lunch. When I passed by Los Americanos at Church & Walker streets (where Pane Panelle once was), I took a look at the menu and saw they had one sandwich and a few other items for $10 or less. Those other items included tacos, pupusas, empanadas and arepas. How could I pass up an arepa in Tribeca?

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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.

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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.

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