Midtown Lunch

Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

Why should Queens have all the good Indian food? Is it really that hard to get some good spots in Manhattan that aren’t on East 6th street or Murray Hill? This week I hadn’t planned on eating Indian food as I had just photographed an Indian wedding last weekend and got to eat some amazing food there. In other words my once a month Indian craving had been filled. After reading this comment on my Country kebab post, I had planned to check out Koyzina Grill to see if the kebabs there were really that great. Sadly though, the only kebabs I saw on the menu were shrimp, and cost like 14 bucks.

Funk that I said and wondered if I was supposed to check out the Koyzina Cafe, which is across the street on the corner. But the only thing I saw on that menu was a bunch of pasta dishes and regular sandwiches. When I asked, “Do you guys have kebabs?”, I got this reply: “What’s a kebab?” WHAT?! Needless to say, I left without answering him.

I walked back to the street, dizzy with hunger and disappointment, only to find a cheap looking Indian lunch spot starring me down and calling to me, with one of my favorite things in the world… the scent of fresh baked naan.

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) PLUS there’s a bonus cartoon at the bottom (for those who’d rather watch a review than read it.)

After reading about the Ravioli Faire cart in the ML Forums I went to check out their chicken parm, but was rather disappointed. I also tasted the meatball which was better, but still not worth posting about (IMHO). It wasn’t a complete waste though. That day I discovered Gloria’s pushcart, a Mexican vendor specializing in burritos, just 15 feet away.

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) This week he accidentally stumbles into a pub serving my favorite Italian sandwiches in the city.

While wandering around Tribeca earlier this week, I found myself licking the windows of Chanterelle. Luckily they were closed or I would have gone in for lunch… who am I kidding I can’t afford to lunch there. The seafood sausage appetizer alone (which is delicious by the way) costs as much as two normal lunches. So I turned around and stumbled across the street into a bar where I saw large hunks of crusty looking bread and sandwich fixins calling my name. I checked out a menu which boasted “The best sandwiches in New York”. Yeah I know, you and everyone else.

I was hesitant viewing the menu, which had sandwiches in the $8-9 range. I figured they probably didn’t come with anything, and if they did it would be some tiny salad that was more for looks than actual sustenance. I asked, just to be sure.

“They come with a free beer”

WHHHAAAA? I was like really? any beer I want? She said, “Yes but you have to drink it here.. you can’t take it out obviously. This ain’t Amsterdam”

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

Country Kebab is doing what many men do in a cart, but with seats and gelato! I’ve had this spot on my foodar for awhile now so I was excited to see what kind of Turkish food they were throwing down. Initially I was a bit put off by the fact that they were carrying gelato and ice cream, as I barely eat that stuff as it is, and if I do I don’t want to mix it with greasy chicken doner… ya dig?

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

Ever since Rosario’s closed last June, I’ve been dying for a giant Italian sandwich replacement. Of course nothing could replace the awesomeness that was Rosario’s, with overstuffed sandwiches and smiling Joe Rosario… But I hit up Sandwich House this week on Ann street and it came pretty damn close.

Sandwich House has mostly Italian offerings, with a long list of salads, sandwiches, soups, and pastas. But like the name says, you should go for the sandwiches, which are heavy on the Italian meats and cheeses, all made with great bread. I was originally going to go for just a sandwich (which are slightly expensive at $8.55) but when I saw that you can get a drink, a bowl of soup and a half sandwich for $10 (tax included) I realized that was the way to go. Of course that decision was also aided by the amazing tomatoish soup smell, and all the rainy weather we’ve been having lately.

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) I’m trying to get Daniel to eat at more carts, and this week he has suprisingly obliged (considering we’re in the middle of a public germs crisis!)

More Street Carts Zach says! Yes sir! Now that the weather is warming I’m more open to checking out some street carts I’ve heard about such as Veronica’s Kitchen on Front Street.

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) I’ve heard mixed things about Mooncake Foods, which also has a just out of boundaries Midtown location (on 30th btw. 7+8th).  Some people swear by their typical-diner-food-with-an-Asian-twist, but I’ve always been slightly skeptical that it was overpriced and would just leave me wanting some straight up Asian food. Here’s Daniel’s take on the Downtown location.

Mooncake Foods has inventive, tasty food at a reasonable price. I checked out the downtown location of this small restaurant this week with a friend and was impressed with my Anise & Beer Braised Beef Shins plate, served with soft tortillas. A huge pile of tender beef is slapped onto a bed of greens and it comes with a cup of jus.

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