Midtown Lunch

On the upper stretch of Church St. there are a bunch of higher-end restaurants and watering holes and among them sits Shorties Deli Cafe which from the outside appears to be another generic deli. If you look at the windows closely enough or step inside you’re bound to realize that most people probably don’t order sandwiches or wraps here but instead are walking out with a torta or some tacos, perhaps paired with a Mexican Coke in a bottle.

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As the Bon Chon on John readies an offshoot selling tacos and sandwiches, the former Bon Chon location on Chambers St. that was forced to become “Bon Chicken” after being caught using unapproved sauces has closed its doors. Honestly, it’s surprising it took this long since that mess went down in July of last year, but judging by the photo of the interior , and the fact that the sign’s been taken down, they’ve sold their last inferior piece of Korean fried chicken.

Sometimes one too many lunches of greasy meat + starch leaves me actually craving vegetables or just anything that won’t leave me feeling gross come 1 p.m. I’d always meant to hit up Grandaisy Bakery, of which there are two locations in the downtown area, and that was what I immediately thought of towards the end of last week after I’d eaten this and this during the previous week. I headed to the shop on W. Broadway (at 6th Ave.) to try a sandwich since I already knew their Roman-style pizza was awesome.

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There are the fancy parts of Tribeca, and then there are the parts on both the extreme lower and upper reaches of the neighborhood that are a little dirty and contain some eating and drinking gems. Located on the corner of Lispenard and 6th Ave., Nancy Whiskey Pub is one of those places and while based on the crowd there during the noon hour on a weekday many people are here for alcohol, they also serve a menu where basically everything is less than $10. Or you can splurge and get a large pizza for $12.50.

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You can’t even call Pane Panelle a sandwich shop as there are no seats (other than outside) and you have to step aside to make way for deliveries going into the kitchen. It’s essentially a hallway. That being said, it’s kind of genius for an upper crust restaurant such as Stuzzicheria to open a lower-brow sandwich place by simply blocking off part of its dining room and having a separate door. Put up a couple of signs advertising that you exist and you’re done. There are six sandwiches to choose from here along with a lone “appetizer” of sorts. And those sandwiches come with one killer side. Read more »

It’s been a long time since we’ve checked in with Sea World the non-theme park home of every fried aquatic creature imaginable. When last I ate there is was because they had an all-you-can-eat buffet for the low, low price of $7 but I think most people shunned that and kept on ordering up fried seafood to go. When I walked by I noticed that not only was the buffet gone (!), but in its place they had added a rotisserie for chicken and some other non-fried options. As a consequence, they’re now calling themselves Sea World Rotisserie & Grill & Fried Seafood. I went in to get the amazing combo of rotisserie chicken and lo mein, but was told there was no chicken that day. Since I was there and hungry I forged ahead and ordered up a sandwich of epic proportions.

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The lowest part of Manhattan doesn’t have many lunch spots that I would term “whimsical” but I think I’ve found the closest thing at Cosmopolitan Cafe’s soda fountain on W. Broadway (at Chambers). It’s a tiny space, focused on the soda and ice cream fountain in the back but they also serve amenu entirely under $10 consisting of crepes and a few daily specials like a burger and sandwiches. Look for the smiling ice cream cones on the scaffolding next to the entrance – and don’t get it confused with the pricier cafe around the corner on Chambers. Read more »