Midtown Lunch

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good street meat lunch and it just so happened that the “Gyro King” Xpress Power Lunch cart on Whitehall St. was serving something a little different. I’d spotted a picture of kofte-type kebabs hanging on the front of the cart so I decided to check them out since it was only a $5 gamble. Well, when I got there another sign was even more exciting.

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When you turn onto the block of Warren St. off of Broadway it’s pretty desolate and doesn’t look like the kind of place you would find anything good to eat. There aren’t even any street meat carts or hot dog vendors nearby, but you will be able to get your pen repaired at the Fountain Pen Hospital! Located on this weird block is Brick NYC, a newish pizza and Italian restaurant and wine bar that opened last year. It didn’t look like the kind of place that would have decent lunch specials, but after lunch’er James asked if I’d eaten there I took a look and discovered that most of the menu was $10 or less for lunch. And you don’t even have to bring someone along to share a pizza with.

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It’s been a couple of months since Hot Clay Oven started serving its Indian-fusion version of Chipotle in the FiDi. You want a wrap made with naan? Or Indian meats on a salad? Or a fancy version of meat over rice from a cart? They have it all, plus mango lassi and booze. The only time I’ve eaten there was the first day of operation when they were giving out free food and the line was up the block. I wanted to check back in and see what the food was like when I had to pay money for it instead of freeloading.

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I was kind of amazed to discover that the Wall St. Burger Shoppe has never been reviewed on this site. Sure, if you want a full lunch there you’re either going to approach the ML price wall or go over it. I for one would much rather do this than eat a crappy fast food burger (Five Guys excepted from this category, of course), and sometimes you just don’t want to eat in a bar for your burger fix. They also have some crazy burgers for $7 or more on their own. But if you get their “junior deal” or one of their daily specials you can get out of there for $10 or less and not feel ripped off.

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After both Express BBQ in Tribeca and the Picnick Smoked mobile unit left us the lone remaining seller of barbequed meats (at least that I’m aware of) was Texas Rotisserie & Grill. I ate there as one of my first lunches for this site but got the rotisserie chicken and a chicken sandwich. But they also sell “Texas platters” of BBQ beef, pork or chicken and also beef brisket. I was intrigued by the brisket (and also really wanted the cheap fried chicken meal, which has nothing to do with BBQ) but instead I got the BBQ pulled pork platter ($9). This restaurant seemed to be on the same level as Dallas BBQ, but I figured I had to at least try their “real pit smoked BBQ” advertised on the front of the menu. For research, of course.

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The Korean taco truck explosion that started with Korilla BBQ Truck and continued with Big D’s Grub Truck now includes Kimchi Taco Truck, which made its Manhattan debut in the FiDi yesterday despite getting hopes up in midtown last week. I wanted to see how their goods compared with Big D’s since they have some similar taco fillings and the price for three tacos is $7 at both trucks. Kimchi also has some interesting sides like kimchi arancini and Korean BBQ nachos. Tacos and fried rice balls? Sold!

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Sometimes you want good quality sushi in a nice setting, and sometimes you just want some cheap Japanese food to eat in a random public indoor location or at your desk. Enter Shinju Sushi on Pearl St. (btw. Pine & Wall), that may give you the most in their lunch box for the least amount of money in the FiDi. I went in with low expectations for what my $8 lunch box would contain, and other than one fail I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t Haru, but at least they make their sushi fresh!

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