Archive for 'PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er'

Every Tuesday we'll profile a Downtown Lunch'er and get his or her recommendations for the best lunches Downtown has to offer. Want to be profiled and give your recs? Just email us at downtown@midtownlunch.com

PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Tam”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Tam who works in the FiDi and is hooked on Korean fried chicken and BBQ ribs from a cart.

Name: Tam Nguyen

Occupation: System engineer

Where you work: Water & John streets

Age: 28

Favorite kinds of food: This is tough. If I pick one kind of favorite food, it wouldn’t be fair for the rest. But if someone pointed a gun at me, I’d say Japanese.

Least favorite foods: Fish. I can’t do fish, unless it’s salmon. Bonus points if it’s smoked and with dill.

Favorite lunches downtown: I’m very happy that BonChon chicken is now back open in the FiDi on John St. (at Cliff). Must get the lunch combo!

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Emi”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Emi who loves Japanese dumplings, but shuns gray meat. And she needs your help finding good sushi.

Name: Emi

Occupation: Business manager

Where you work: Greenwich & N. Moore streets

Age: 31

Favorite kinds of food: Gyoza (Japanese pork dumplings), ramen, french fries, hamachi kama, dolsot bibimbap, boquerones in vinegar, a good almond croissant, Liberte coconut yogurt

Least favorite foods: Tough, over-cooked meat; overly fatty cuts of meat (except when it comes to pork…bring it).

Favorite lunches downtown: Nyonya on Grand St. (btw. Mulberry & Mott) for Hainese chicken (white meat only, otherwise you’ll have to deal with chopped up bones) with chicken broth rice; XO Kitchen on Hester (at Elizabeth) for baked grouper over rice with cheese or preserved duck egg with lean pork congee; Grandaisy on W. Broadway (at 6th Ave.) for citrus almond cake and cherry frangipane tart (they don’t always have it) for an afternoon snack.

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Maria”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Maria who’s a real estate agent and resident of Battery Park City. She’ll point you in the direction of her favorite brick oven pizza and wants to know your restaurant ideas.

Name: Maria Hadjidemetriou

Occupation: Passionate real estate sales agent

Where you work: Mainly Battery Park City

Age: Fabulously 40

Favorite kinds of food: Vietnamese, and amazing brick oven pizza

Least favorite foods: Hot dogs and hamburgers

Favorite lunches downtown: Inatteso Pizzabar Casano on West. St. (at Morris) for brick oven pizza “Parma” which has prosciutto and arugula; Mangez Avec Moi on W. Broadway (btw. Murray & Warren) for tom yum soup; Souvlaki GR truck (normally at Old Slip & Front) for kolokithokeftedes (Greek meatballs) and the pork souvlaki in pita with tzatziki.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Inatteso

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Downtown? GRK on Fulton St. (btw. Nassau & William). I’m a Greek and besides my Mom’s, this place, thanks to you, is on my list. 

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Elise”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Elise who gets her falafel from “a legend” and wants to know where to find good food near her apartment.

Name: Elise Graham

Occupation: Assistant director of admissions

Where you work: Broadway & Exchange

Age: 23

Favorite kinds of food: French food (Balthazar is a staple), Greek food, and BBQ is always a favorite for this Texas girl (Hill Country BBQ is my favorite in the city!)

Least favorite foods: I can’t handle anything spicy, so most Indian food is out of the question.

Favorite lunches downtown: Adrienne’s Pizza Bar on Stone St. (nr. Hanover Sq.) for their addictive prosciutto basil pizza; Luke’s Lobster on S. William St. (nr. Broad) for shrimp rolls; if I’m feeling lazy, I’ll get the falafel over rice from the food cart on Broadway and Beaver (aka the Homemade Cart). The only thing better than the falafel is the man running thecart. The man’s a legend.

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Dan”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Dan who has a soft spot for pho and a big, carefully composed plate of nachos.

Name: Dan Fusaro

Occupation: Software developer for a photography services company

Where you work: 32 Avenue of the Americas -the wide building with many antennas on top where every street near the Holland Tunnel meets.  Most major radio stations in NYC broadcast from here.

Age: Just turned 32

Favorite kinds of food: I like a balance between nice stuff like veal chops and lobster to tripe and stewed meat.  I’m not sure I can commit to any one favorite cuisine, but if was forced to in a “Sophie’s Choice” situation I’d probably say Italian, since it is so diverse.  Also, I can eat a nice “questionable meat”-laden pho for any meal of the day, and have.

Least favorite foods: As a kid I was a picky eater but had a series of small revelations as a teenager and now I can say there isn’t any particular food I would refuse.  That being said, I am generally distrustful of new-school food trucks and feel that the hype all too often overshadows quality and value.

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Alex”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Alex who is loving the new Indian food truck on Whitehall St.

Name: Alex Bogdan

Occupation: Lawyer

Where you work: State St. & Pearl St.

Age: 34

Favorite kinds of food: Italian, Indian, pretty much anything from a truck or cart.

Least favorite foods: Most cheeses, salmon, olives.

Favorite lunches downtown: When I’m trying to eat healthy, Variety Cafe on Broadway (at Rector) is the best of the numerous places downtown where you can get a custom-made salad. Best variety of ingredients and value.  When I’m not, I usually get roast pork with rice and beans from Sophie’s Cuban on New Street or chicken and rice from the halal chicken truck on the corner of Beaver and Whitehall.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Definitely Variety Cafe.  The salad guy apologizes to me before I can order when they’re out of Cajun shrimp.

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PROFILE: Downtown Lunch’er “Tom”

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Tom who works in the nether regions of the FiDi and counts Italian and Mexican among his go-to cuisines.

Name: Tom M.

Occupation: Trader

Where you work: Broad St. right by Stone St.

Age: 37

Favorite kinds of food: Big fan of Mexican and Italian foods, if it’s done correctly…

Least favorite foods: Salad or anything in the salad family.

Favorite lunches downtown: The Frites N Meats truck – all of their burgers are fantastic. The buffalo chicken sandwich from Zigolini’s on Pearl St. (at Coenties Slip) is also fantastic. The pizza and chicken parm from Harry’s Italian Pizza Bar on Gold St. (at Platt) = amazing.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: We mix it up quite a bit, so this is not really pertinent.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Downtown? All of the food trucks in the area. As I stated earlier, I’m a huge fan of Frites N Meats. And I’m a huge fan of the Twitter Tracker!

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