Midtown Lunch

There are just some restaurants that scream “Midtown Lunch” at me when I see them, and New China Red on Chambers St. (btw. Church & W. Broadway) is definitely one of those establishments. Sure, it has a red awning jutting out onto the sidewalk like a fancy hotel, but it’s kind of worn and there are giant signs in the window on neon poster board proclaiming the cheapness of its lunch buffet, and the fact that no outside food is allowed. It was my first time trying a buffet at a Chinese restaurant downtown, and hey, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it on the cheap. What sort of delicious things awaited me inside? Would my stomach survive? Answers to these burning questions after the jump. Read more »

There has been much talk on how sub-par the burritos are in this city, with places like Chipotle drawing long lines with their weirdly flavored rice and dry meat. And then there’s Calexico, which has carved a niche for itself with its carts manned (and frequented) by hipsters, making California-style burritos. So far they have won a Vendy Award in 2008 and opened a brick and mortar store, yet they have never been graced by a Midtown Lunch review. I know those in Midtown got their hopes up that a cart was coming their way, but sadly that did not materialize. Downtown is a comparable wealth of Calexico riches with two carts in Soho, and I hit up the one on Broome St. (at Crosby) to see what all of the fuss was about. Read more »

There has become quite the crop of places selling lobster rolls in the city, and downtown has not been immune to this trend. First, there was the Urban Lobster Shack on Stone St. (btw. Broadway & Broad), and now there’s Ed’s Lobster Cart at the marina behind the World Financial Center in Battery Park City. I went two days after it opened, so I’ll keep that in mind with this assessment.  It’s an offshoot of the fancy-pants Ed’s Lobster Bar in Soho, and the prices at this cart are lower rent, but still pricey for cheap-ass lunch’ers. Read more »

Here’s some big news before a long weekend – the Street Vendor Project (the organization behind the Vendy Awards) is putting together a Pushcart Market on Park Place btw. B’way+Church Streets Friday, June 11th from 10am to 6pm. The event will bring together vendors from all over the city in a way that’s never been done before (no tube socks at this street fair!) The cross-borough food line up is mind boggling (if you wanted to, you could easily get breakfast, lunch and dinner there!) and it includes Vendy nominees and a Midtown street food legend.

Check out the temporary list of vendors, after the jump…

Read more »

South Street Seaport is turning into a food truck food court!  First Wafels and Dinges puts a permanent cart on Fulton and Front.  Then Cupcake Stop announces that they’ve launched a second truck which will be permanently parked on Pier 17. And now this!  Starting tomorrow the Go Burger Truck will also be permanently parked at Pier 17, seven days a week, from 11am to 6pm.  The truck, which launched in April and is owned by the BLT Restaurant Group, had been operating mostly on the weekends.

And as an added bonus, because tomorrow (Friday) is National Burger Day they’ll be christening their new spot with a lunch special. From 12noon – 4pm: a classic burger, fries and milkshake will be $10. And for those Go Burger fans who don’t work Downtown, the truck will travel to other locations 4 times a month… follow them on Twitter to keep track.

It’s a rare day that I venture into any mainstream fast food restaurant in the city, because why eat a Big Mac when I can have free reign over the fixin’s bar at Maoz or a banh mi from Baoguette? After passing by the Checkers on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church) one too many times, I finally decided to get lunch from there and eat in the nearby City Hall Park. I stuck with the basics at this somewhat shiny new place, and I was not disappointed. Industrial beef patties after the jump!  Read more »

Some days when I’m deciding on what to eat for lunch it comes down to one variable: spice. You see, I’m a spice fiend and am always trying to find new and different vehicles for making myself sweat during lunch, without exercising. That is part of the reason I ended up at Malaysian chainlet Nyonya’s location on Grand St. (btw. Mulberry & Mott streets). I had tried to eat there once before but was greeted with a long wait, and was reminded of it again by a mention on Lunch With Front Studio. All it took was a 10 minute subway ride up to Canal St. and I had a delicious $6.50 lunch special on the table in front of me. Read more »