Midtown Lunch

Just in time for warmer weather is the appearance of Yogurt In Love on Pearl St. (btw. Wall & Pine). It’s a chain of self-serve frozen yogurt shops that seems to have a lot of pink furniture according to their Web site. No word on whether they locally source their milk like a certain drug store/fro yo source in the FiDi.

Quick service vegetarian restaurants seem to go one of two ways selling falafel or sandwiches and wraps stuffed with roughage and fake meats. Terri on Pearl St. (at Maiden Lane) took the latter route with its vegan and kosher menu, also offering juices and baked goods. I’m all for these places if the food is good and not overpriced as it so often is. One good example, and a similar concept to Terri, is ‘sNice which has an outpost in Soho. I’d had a pretty good meatless Thanksgiving sandwich there, and I was curious how the version at Terri was despite my slight aversion to Tofurkey.  Read more »

We wrote about the Homemade Cart long ago, with its owner who makes lamb meatballs and will give you a scoop of red beans with your rice platter if you ask nicely. The two gentlemen you see above had quite a system going so even though there was a line when I got there, it wasn’t long before I was giving my order of a falafel platter $5) which had been recommended. After eating my lunch, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps the lamb or chicken are the way to go here.

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Sometimes it seems like the only places opening in Downtown Lunch territory are of the “build your own…” variety involving some sort of flatbread or bowl option. Maybe I’m exagerating, but when word came that the second NYC branch of The Hummus & Pita Co. was opening on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church) where Carl’s Steaks used to be, I wasn’t exactly rushing out to review it. But, the menu looked promising and so I trekked over on a brisk day for lunch. One food coma later, I was happy I made the trip.  Read more »

Some possible good news for all of you fans of Caribbean food: R. Retha’s Cart is reportedly back at its spot on Beaver St. at S. William. We got word from reader “Broadway luncher” yesterday that the cart, which was formerly the Jamaican Dutchy transplanted from Midtown – was spotted back in its old spot after an extended absence starting in the summer of 2012, and temporary replacement by a random street meat cart. I’d noticed the spot was completely empty a couple of weeks ago, so it’s good to hear R. Retha’s came back to claim it.

Do you want to feel like you’re at the movies at lunch time? Well, there’s a truck called Brooklyn Popcorn that’s been regularly parking on Wall St. and in Soho on Prince St. selling different flavors of popcorn: Caramel, cheddar, butter, dill pickle, parmesan garlic, they have them all! Whether or not the kernels at this Brooklyn-based truck are hand-harvested and popped with artisanal air by men with beards is up in the air.

The lowest part of the Financial District is somewhat lacking in good Mexican food options on a daily basis, if you don’t count Chipotle. In a space that used to house Pita Grill, El Toro Mexican Grill has opened serving a wide variety of Mexican options and few American (or hybrid) items for those who have co-workers not really into burritos or tacos. You can get a quesadilla here, but you can also get a burger or rotisserie chicken, and you really have to try to spend more than $10.

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