Midtown Lunch

Midtown is getting its Asian Chipotle and we have been waiting for our Indian version on Maiden Lane for a while now. Hot Clay Oven has been delayed so many times that I’ve lost count and I thought we might get a taste this week after a September and November opening dates came and went. Well, the owner says that due to the Thanksgiving holiday the opening is pushed back once again and it’s looking like Dec. 8 at the earliest. So I guess we’ll all just have to wait a little longer to taste this Indian fusion food…or you can just go to the actual Chipotle across the street and pretend.

One of the most hotly anticipated food truck launches in recent memory happened yesterday, with Taim Mobile rolling out its un-shiny new wheels. They parked on Hudson St. on the western edge of Soho, away from the heavy foot traffic a couple of blocks away in either direction (probably on purpose), but still drew a long line despite the rainy conditions. My wait time from ordering to food in hand was about 30 minutes, but I blame that on the sheer number of orders because they actually seemed to have a good system going and plenty of people working in the truck. And man, was the wait worth it. 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 Adam who is a transplant from midtown but has made a good dent in downtown dining options. And he needs your help in finding some good drinking spots.

Name: Adam Prato

Occupation: IT manager in finance

Where you work: West Soho

Age: 37

Favorite Kinds of Food: No changes since my Midtown Lunch profile – Spicy food (Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Szechuan), Mediterranan (Turkish, Greek, Moroccan), European (Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Scandinavian, Irish, Eastern European, etc.), North/South American (Barbecue, Steakhouses, Peruvian, Brazilian, Argentinian), etc, etc, etc…

Least Favorite Foods: Japanese, French

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Mooncake Foods on Watts (btw. Thompson & 6th Ave.) – beef shin or steak sandwich is the best bang for the buck from all the places I’ve tried; Alidoro on Sullivan (btw. Prince & Spring) – having grown up in Bensonhurst, this place really brings back memories for a real Italian hero; Grand Deli on Grand St. (btw. Thompson & W. Broadway) – it’s a generic deli, but they do a great job on their rotisserie chicken; Pinche Taqueria (Multiple Locations), Yatagan Kebab House on MacDougal (at Bleecker) – you’ll never eat the “lamb meatloaf” from a cart ever again if you go here for their real lamb doner kebab. Read more »

The only previous experience I’ve had with Swedish food involves the IKEA cafeteria and I’m sure that’s about as close as most people have gotten to that country’s cuisine. As much as I love the dirt-cheap food there, I also know it’s like eating in a hospital cafeteria and no one ever said that food was good. Enter FIKA Swedish Espresso Bar, which started out in midtown but now has its flagship location down on Pearl St. (at Coenties Slip). While technically an espresso bar, they also make their own chocolate and serve both cold sandwiches and hot entrees and soup. I ventured down to see what was good to eat besides the meatballs. Read more »