Midtown Lunch

Name: Jody Leggio

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Jen who is seeking all of the vegetarian delights the lower part of the Financial District has to offer.

Name: Jen Kaminsky

Occupation: Project manager

Where you work: The Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB)

Age: 34

Favorite Kinds of Food: Middle Eastern, Indian, Mexican, fresh, local, vegetarian

Least Favorite Foods: Chinese, French, places with limited vegetarian options, mushrooms as meat substitutes.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: The 99% Vegetarian Food Truck at Wall & Front is my definite favorite, but I also like the edamame dumplings from the Rickshaw Dumpling truck, sides from Veronica’s Kitchen cart at Front & Pine, the hongas burrito at Toloache Taqueria, the eggplant sandwich at Fresh Salt on Beekman (btw. Front & South), the eggplant parm sandwich from the pizza truck at Wall and Water (Jiannetto’s?), the “Oreo” cookies at Jack’s Stir Brew on Front (btw. Beekman & Peck), falafel at Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau) or that Kosher hole in the wall on Fulton by Gold St. (Kosher Luncheonette), Pakistan Tea House on Church (at Reade) , Xi’an Famous Foods on E. Broadway (at Forsyth), and well, I wish I had more favorites but the Wall Street area doesn’t offer too much.
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As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Sam who doesn’t have to go far for good pizza but still looking at different options.

Name: Sam Rogers

Occupation: Program associate

Where you work: Lymphoma Research Foundation

Age: 29

Favorite Kinds of Food: French, Asian, Mediterranean, I’m really pretty easy.

Least Favorite Foods: Generic steam tables and salad bars.  Oh and risotto…I know that’s weird, but it’s true.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Sam’s Falafel cart on Cedar (nr. Broadway).  I like Mexicue for pinto bean tacos when it is around.  I feel like a lot of people rip on Rickshaw Dumpling Truck but I dig it and get the duck dumplings when they have them.  I like Pearl St. Diner on Pearl (at Fletcher) for a good grilled cheese and old school diner vibe.  I like the cheese slice at Big Al’s on Thames (btw. Broadway & Trinity).  Urban Lobster Shack on Stone (btw. Broad & Broadway) is tasty if you can spend just over the Midtown Lunch limit.  Tandoor Palace on Fulton (btw. William & Gold) isn’t going to blow your mind but it is consistently pretty good, with a decent amount of spice. I usually get the lamb or goat special.

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Charlene who is a lunch’er by day and dancer/blogger of deals at www.nychar.blogspot.com by night. She, like so many others, works by the Holland Tunnel but still manages to find decent lunches. In fact, she just made me want a pork chop sandwich!

Name: Charlene W.

Occupation: Account exec at an experiential marketing agency during the day, competitive ballroom dancer at night, and NY adventure blogger whenever I see something fun to do!

Where you work: Tribeca

Age: 25 and a half (I recently celebrated my half b-day with a few friends at Ice Fire Land in Flushing = the best hot pot/shaved ice place!).

Favorite Kinds of Food: Hearty, fresh, and colorful – food should look and taste good too!  Since moving to NY from GA, I’ve become more of a soup and salad girl, but I enjoy a variety and always shoot to try as many things as I can (I’m a sharer).

Least Favorite Foods: Anything with peppers!

Favorite Lunches Downtown: I’m right next to the Holland Tunnel which is near the upper boundaries of the downtown area, and I’ve worked in this area on and off for a total of a year and a half or so.  Overall, this area has proven to be more of a lunch challenge, but I’ve recently found some new co-lunchers who for now will remain nameless as the Actor, Musician, and Pizza Lover. We’re slowly but surely discovering the gems in this area such as: Tresanti on Watts (at Thompson), the newly opened Italian restaurant that gave out free personal pizzas last week, and Tauro on Hudson (nr. Dominick), a Spanish-American spot that has good oxtail stew. Of course there are the food trucks that ML knows all the latest on: Taim Mobile (just tried it last week = good falafels), The Sweetery Truck (yes, whoopie pies count as lunch too), Calexico carts (Multiple Locations), Schnitzel & Things.  I often make the 10 minute walk to Chinatown to meet up with my close friend Jen at Nyonya on Grand St. (btw. Mott & Mulberry) as well.  Other places I’ve been to are Café Habana on Prince (at Elizabeth), Grey Dog’s Coffee (Multiple Locations), and Peep on Prince (btw. Sullivan & Thompson), and I hope to try the Hawaiian place Lani Kai on Broome (btw. Thompson & Sullivan) soon – quite a few diverse options.  Read more »

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Jeff who will eat durian, but not couscous and needs your help in finding a lunch spot for going-away parties.

Name: Jeff

Occupation: Independent computer consultant by day, blogger/gourmand by night

Where you work: At an I-Bank. I switch between Pine & William, Broad & Water.

Age: 35

Favorite Kinds of Food: Sashimi, curry, chocolate, ice cream, durian, pandan

Least Favorite Foods: Couscous, stuffed shells, offal

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Veronica’s Kitchen on Front (at Pine) for BBQ beef ribs on  Wed./Fri.; Bennie’s Thai Cafe on Fulton St. (at Gold) for melty pork on Tues.; Barbarini Alimentari on Front St. (nr. Beekman) for anything besides the desserts, really; Banh Mi Saigon Bakery on Grand (at Mott) for the #1, spicy; Torrisi Italian Specialties on Mulberry (at Prince) for the carved turkey; Lan Zhou Handmade Noodles on E. Broadway (btw. Pike & Rutgers) for hand-pulled noodles and dumplings; New Malaysia on Bowery (btw. Bayard & Canal) for the R1 – curry combo on rice.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: No.1 Little House Chinese restaurant on William (btw. Broad & Mill Lane) for going-away lunches. There have been plenty of those recently. It’s the only place in the FiDi that will accommodate that many (15+) people on short notice, unfortunately. Read more »

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Rachel who is having difficulty finding good lunches near her Soho office.

Name: Rachel W.

Occupation: Integrated marketing at a cable network

Where you work: Hudson St./King St.

Age: 24

Favorite Kinds of Food: I’m game for almost anything.  For lunch I can go for a big suburban Italian hero, street meat, sushi, pizza, Mexican, Thai, ramen.

Least Favorite Foods: I’m not a big fan of Greek food or falafel.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Joe’s Pizza on Carmine (at 6th Ave.); Rheon Café on Spring (btw. Sullivan & Thompson) for their duck sandwich; Breakfast & Lunch Cart on the NW corner of Hudson & Charlton for halal; Grand Sichuan (Multiple Locations); Ear Inn on Spring (btw. Greenwich & Washington); Pepe Rosso on Sullivan (btw. Prince & Houston, and Pepe Verde on Hudson (btw. Perry & W. 11th) – Rosso for takeout, Verde for seating; Alidoro on Sullivan (btw. Spring & Prince); Keste on Bleecker (btw. Jones & Cornelia); Tauro Restaurant on Hudson (btw. Broome & Spring); Faicco’s Pork Store on Bleecker (nr. Leroy). Read more »

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have John who is a street cart connoisseur and also likes a good noodle or some kimchi every once in a while.

Name: John Dillworth

Occupation: Project manager for the City of New York

Where you work: Maiden Lane (although we will be moving to Metro Tech in Brooklyn soon)

Age: 51

Favorite Kinds of Food: Street meat , sushi, noodles (udon, pho) Middle Eastern, Soma by Nature’s kimchi

Least Favorite Foods: Burgers & fries (got to watch my cholesterol), deli salad bars,  fast food chains (with all the street options why would anyone want to eat this stuff?)

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Zak’s Halal cart on Broadway (btw. Cedar & Liberty) for chicken over rice with hot sauce and just a bit of white sauce; Pho at Nicky’s Vietnamese on Nassau (btw. Ann & Fulton); Soma by Nature for either the kimchi soup, or any of the bibimbaps – especially the kimchi.  Ramen is good there too.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Zak’s Halal cart, Sam’s Falafel on Cedar (btw. Broadway & Trinity).

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