Midtown Lunch

While heading to lunch yesterday I spotted a brightly-hued new cart at the corner of Pearl St. & Hanover Sq. It’s called The Squeeze, and serves fancy juices (my eyes glazed over after I saw the $8.95 price tag), along with something called “living lattes” and some raw vegan breakfast and lunch items including sandwiches, salads and some sort of hot dog involving kimchi. Click through to see how many food forms cashews can take!

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Whenever a craving for something tasty and vegetarian hits, the usual suspects flow into my brain, namely any number of carts serving great falafel. Sometimes I want more than fried chickpea orbs, and the other day I decided to revisit Pita Express on Ann St. (btw. Nassau & B’way) because I remembered I’d had a phenomenal chicken pita sandwich there last year and had vowed to go back to try the delicious array of Israeli salads and dips behind glass at the counter. The glatt kosher restaurant wasn’t as busy as normal but that may have been because it was Friday heading into a long weekend. I ended up ordering a vegetarian sampler platter and despite telling myself I wouldn’t be able to eat everything and still function after lunch, I did anyway and it was worth it.

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It’s not often I go into a pizza place and everything looks so good that I seriously can’t make up my mind which slices to get. This was the problem I had while at Rosella’s Pizza on William St. (btw. Beekman & Ann) last week. It’s off the beaten path, although I’m sure they get a lot of business from the NY Downtown Hospital across the street and from Pace University students – and from office workers in the know. The only reason I knew about it was because of two recent recommendations for both Rosella’s pizza and pasta from Profiled Lunch’ers. No matter what kind of pizza you like, you’ll find some variety of it here.

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Yesterday was the opening of the rebranded Genji counter inside of Whole Foods Tribeca on Greenwich St. (at Warren) as a Dosateria and Lassi Bar in a first-ever collaboration with Cafe Spice. It turns out the restaurant is more of a split-space now with Japanese food still being made on one side and the rest of the space being used to make Indian dosas, uttapams and Bombay Frankies. You can also get a variety of lassis, or yogurt drinks, some sauces and salads and desserts like gulab jamun from a grab and go case. There were some people standing around to answer questions on ordering (and the ever popular “What’s a dosa?) and I got in the short line to procure some food. My take on what I was served, and why you may want to go vegetarian for lunch here, straight ahead.

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It’s a good thing I don’t live or work near the Taim brick and mortar location in the West Village or I may develop an addiction. However, when news came out that they’re opening a new flagship shop on Mulberry St. (at Spring) in Nolita, I did a little happy dance inside because their delicious falafel would be available after only a short ride on the subway. But that opening was announced what seems like ages ago, and the Taim Web site still carries a message that the shop is opening “soon.” Reports at the beginning of July said the location would open in two weeks, but that came and went. Rather than wait for the Taim Mobile truck to come close to my office (the WFC lot is as close as it gets, and that’s still far), I took matters into my own hands to try their harissa falafel at last weekend’s food truck rally in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. And after tasting this flavor of their falafel, I want that new shop to open even more.

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It’s rare I’m pleasantly surprised by Indian food in the Financial District. I’m by no means snobby about my curries or chicken tikka masala, but how many times have you suffered through some sort of watery concoction from a steam table where the flavors seem to have been dialed down to please a wider variety of palates? After finding out a new truck had popped up on Whitehall St. (btw. Bridge & Pearl) serving Indian food, I decided to go investigate and found out from one of the women that they’re calling themselves Desi Food on Wheels. The truck is mysteriously affiliated with a restaurant and while which one seems to be under lock and key, it doesn’t really matter if the food’s good. Read more »

Those of you who work near City Hall may already be familiar with Blue Spoon Coffee Co. which has had a location on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church) for a few years serving good coffee and sandwiches, salad and soup come lunch time. The second location opened on William St. (at Platt) two weeks ago, and just started serving lunch with the same menu as the first shop. You might want to first go there for the fancy Intelligentsia coffee they’re brewing or for the various breakfast items like Balthazar pastries, bagels and oatmeal, but you also may be interested in the sandwiches which, instead of festering in a refrigerated case, are made to order.

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