Midtown Lunch

Taiwanese potsticker seller A-Pou’s Taste seems to be a permanent fixture in the line of carts on Liberty St. (at Broadway), and I had only eaten there when they were fairly new at the first ever Pushcart Market and still trying to work out some major kinks (mainly, long waits). Since then they’ve moved from the East Village to the Financial District and every time I walk by there’s a line so I figured it was time to eat there again for review purposes before the Vendy Awards this Saturday where they have a shot at being crowned the Rookie of the Year.

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The finalists for the Dessert Vendy Awards came out the other day, and among the hipster trucks and carts was a non-flashy one from Chinatown. That would be Yao’s Long Tzi Tang (Dragon Beard Candy), which has its spot on Canal St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry). I was clued into this cart recently by Food In Mouth, which is great because I rarely walk that far down on Canal in search of lunch and never would have known it was there otherwise. Click through to see the sugary magic. Read more »

There is a row of restaurants on Church St. that tend to be frequented by cab drivers, and you can add New Shezan (btw. Duane & Reade) to that list. This Pakistani/Bangladeshi steam table place seems to be popular with all sorts of people, judging by the crowd there for a late lunch. Like all of the others (Bangal Curry, Taste of Tandoor) and Pakistan Tea House, which is directly across the street, this one is no frills. They apparently have regulars, as I witnessed the girl who had dished up my food head out the door with a bag, which she handed through the passenger window of a cab. Hey, sometimes you want McDonald’s and sometimes you want goat. Read more »

Normally when people go to Chinatown it’s for, well, Chinese food or maybe a little Vietnamese or Thai. While I’m sure there are a handful of Korean restaraunts lodged in that part of the city, I wasn’t really aware of them, except for Jup She (formerly Li Hua). It’s a tiny place on Grand St. (at Baxter) with no real sign so you have to watch out for it. The reason I trekked all the way up to Chinatown for Korean food is that there really isn’t much to choose from in the Financial District unless you want Soma By Nature, Bon Chon or Cafe Hanover. Plus, I’m all about a Korean lunch box for less than $10, which I feel is a rarity (especially judging by the crappy-looking box Chris tried at Cafe Hanover for more than $10). Take a gander at what was in Jup She’s arsenal after the jump. Read more »

It’s been mentioned twice now by profiled lunch’ers, but until a few weeks ago I had no idea the Barbarini empire existed. It’s on Front St. (nr. Beekman) off the main drag of South Street Seaport, on a nice little stretch of cobblestone street. One lunch’er recommended the spaghetti alla chitarra, while another mentioned the speck, taleggio and frisee sandwich. The little Barbarini empire exists in three forms: Mercato, Ristorante andAlimentari. The Mercato part sells Italian products, with a meat counter, and reminded me a lot of Despana. Make sure if you want anything to go, you go into the Alimentari entrance or you will look like a confused tourist. It was a sandwich I was after because although the homemade pastas sounded delicious, the cheapest one is $13 and I wasn’t prepared to eat spaghetti while sitting on a bench outside. Read more »

Do you like golden-hued pastries stuffed with meat? And would you like to pair one of those patties with some chicken and rice and peas for less than $10? Well, then Golden Krust is the place to be since they have a $5 lunch special of either curry or stew chicken with “veg” and rice and peas. I realize this is probably not as good as going to either of the Veronica’s Kitchen or Little Ochi carts downtown, but it is slightly cheaper and a little more accessible for those who work in the northern part of the Financial District. I went to the location on Nassau St. (btw. John and Fulton) to try out the lunch special and finally try one of their patties that I see everyone in my neighborhood eating. Read more »

There was a huge amount of excitement last year when word came that a cart selling banh mi was coming to the Financial District. Longs lines ensued. Really long lines. Well, the No. 1 Banh Mi Cart is still down here, at Pearl St. and Hanover to be exact. Prices are up $1 since Daniel visited and the menu is different. There’s also a giant picture of summer rolls on the side for identification purposes. Read more »