Midtown Lunch

A first visit to Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver) did not go well. Not all of the stations were open, things seemed disorganized, and the employees didn’t seem to be on their game. Did I mention the food I got was not that great, but they do have good coffee? Luckily, this time the food was better and the operation seemed to be running more smoothly.  Read more »

Most of the Chinese food options in the Financial District average about $7 or $8 for a lunch special. China 59 on Nassau St. (btw Maiden Lane & John St.) pegs theirs at $9 which gets you something from a list of mostly Americanized Chinese food, pork fried rice, and an egg roll. I wondered if it was worth walking down the wide staircase to the basement restaurant for lunch. To my surprise, little touches made the couple of extra dollars spent seem worth it.  Read more »

My very first review for this site was the banh mi at Mangez Avec Moi Express on W. Broadway (btw Warren & Murray). Well, that was more than three years ago and I’ve never gone back. Since then they have changed their name to Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich and added steamed buns and dumplings to the menu.  Read more »

When you first walk into Blueberry Fusion Cafe, which opened six months ago on Church St. (btw. Duane & Thomas), you will likely be greeted with a slightly empty-looking eatery. Actually, before I even walked in it was hard to tell if the place was open. It was, and after I ordered myself some food several more people came in to get smoothies, hot drinks or one of the sandwiches on offer. They tout themselves a health food place, but if you look at the menu closely there are some Caribbean food influences.  Read more »

GRK is an unapologetically meaty restaurant offering three different meats on spits for your lunch, but so far I’ve only sampled one of them (not counting the turkey special they did a couple of years ago). The pork is a winner, but there’s also chicken and a beef/lamb combo to choose from. The good news is that I’ve now confirmed that another one of their meats is many notches above what you’ll get for a couple of dollars less at a street meat cart.  Read more »

There are places downtown that specialize in Japanese curry, sushi and baked goods. Then there’s Hiroko’s Place which pointedly does not offer sushi, but instead zones in on the comfort foods including casseroles and a version of spaghetti featuring unconventional ingredients. Somehow, this works, and I discovered that this kind of food is well-suited to a blustery winter day.  Read more »

It’s soup weather and while there are several places to get your fix downtown, one of my favorites is at Alfanoose on Fulton St. (at Ryder’s Alley). Not only is their red lentil soup delicious, it’s also a steal and a complete meal if you pair it with one of their savory pies.

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