Midtown Lunch

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food). This week he leaves the comforts of Chinatown, for a great sandwich shop a little farther south…

From a bang-for-your-buck perspective, it’s going to be tough to beat last week’s dirk diggler sized hot dog for a dollar, which remains so far- one of the best deals I’ve seen downtown. Not surprisingly as you move farther downtown from Chinatown, you move a bit higher in price- but for one of the best sandwiches below canal, you’ve gotta bite the bullet and go to Rosario’s.   Read more »

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location).  This week Daniel hits up one of the best deals in the city… the $1 Jumbo Hot Dog on Canal St. in Chinatown.  Coincidentally enough, the same little stand popped up on Ed Levine Eats Wednesday– leaving me to wonder if there is something in the air causing bloggers to crave giant Chinatown weiners… 

The price of food is going up everywhere, but there are still good deals to be had in this city. If you happen to have spent your last $15 on a bootleg Gucci bag, or on a Fung Wah Bus ticket to Boston, you can probably still scrounge together a buck, which in Chinatown will get you one HUGE hotdog. If you’re near the entrance of the Manhattan bridge, you can find this window located at 149 Canal street next to what else… a Pawn Shop.  Read more »

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location). There are no shortage of “make your own salad” bars in Midtown. This week, Daniel shows us the Downtown version, an infinitely cooler “make your own noodle soup” .

Hong Kong Station has 3 locations in Chinatown, showing that people really do love to “Create your own noodles within your own budget” (Their slogan not mine.) These clean, almost cafeteria like noodle shops offer good fresh food, made almost instantly. All you have to do is choose what you want… Read more »

NYCNosh posted a review of Table Tales, a “worthy lunch destination [to add] to the expanding list of eateries in and around the old South Street Seaport”. On Water St. btw. Fulton & Peck, all of the sandwiches- priced between $8 and $9, look pretty delicious, although if I had to choose, I think I would probably go with the buttermilk fried chicken one ($8.50).

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location).  This week, he ventures away from Canal St. to hit up the Pakistan Tea House, (Paki to those in the know) a favorite of many Downtown lunchers that can’t help but remind me of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry convinces the restaurant owner to stop calling his food Indian, in favor of his native Pakistan.  I think I found it extra funny because my best friend from Junior High was Pakistani, and his family owned a restaurant called “House of India”.  Hilarious!

Pakistan Tea house, on Church street (btw. Duane+Reade) is a downtown stalwart. The place has been there over 15 years and the recipes haven’t changed (a good thing), but neither have the tables, chairs, and decor (not so good).  Just like most of the food in Midtown, if you want the best you are going to have to travel to the outer boroughs.  And for Pakistani food, it’s no different (the best in New York can be found in Jackson Heights, Queens).  But for those of us stuck in Downtown for lunch, there isn’t any better, fresher food, from this part of the world, and at these prices, than the Paki Tea House. Read more »

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now. To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the great stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location). Last week was Malaysian (something we are sorely lacking here in Midtown), but today he deals the death blow. Banh Mi.

Jewelry Shopping in the Banh Mi Saigon Bakery

With Midtown Lunch’ers paying an insane 8-9 dollars for a simple sandwich, it’s good to know that there are still Downtown options where a guy can go to quench his bellys thirst for an inexpensive lunchtime feast.  Banh Mi have always been the cheapest lunchtime sandwich option, and while Midtowners are forced to pay almost $8 at Boi To Go (2nd Ave. btw. 42+43rd), we can still do it for $4 or less in Chinatown. And if you’re willing to eat roasted pork with mayo and cilantro inside a fresh baked baguette (and we know you are) there’s no better deal in town. Downtown boasts several Banh Mi spots tucked away in odd places (you want a gold chain with your sate chicken?), and over the past week your downtown correspondent has sampled three of them for your reading pleasure. I’ve listed them in order of “best” to “still really good”, since none really qualify as “worst”.

The complete list, and some Vietnamese sandwich porn, after the jump… Read more »

Making Downtown office workers jealous is something this blog has been doing for awhile now.  To even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the great stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan.  He’s a great photographer (insuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food), and seems to be particularly fond of Chinatown (my dream lunch location).  Last week was Tasty Dumpling, but this week takes it to a different level- since there is no Malaysian food in Midtown at all...

New Malaysia Restaurant can finally live up to it’s name after having a recent interior renovation which spiffs the place up to a shine (literally, you can see your reflection in the table). While the old interior of New Malaysia wasn’t that bad, it has definitely improved the overall feel of the place. But what about the food?  Did they change my favorite recipe for their Roti Canai, which is chopsticks down the best in the city? No, thank god, they haven’t.

But with new decor, comes new prices, and as is the case with many NYC restaurants, the ones at New Malaysia have gone up (although you’d be hard pressed to complain, considering it’s still dirt cheap).  Hidden between two streets, the “Chinatown Arcade” marked entrance sadly has no Donkey Kong but includes several Asian eateries (and probably a Centipede or two). The staff is surly with a smile.

My favorite roti canai and a dessert that looks like clown throw-up, after the jump… Read more »