Midtown Lunch

Decked out in the bright colors of the Spanish flag, this diminutive freight container food stand manages to grab a little attention away from the blaring billboards near 42nd St and Broadway. The signage catches my eye by claiming tortillas as a specialty. We’re talking about the Spanish potato onion omelette, not what’s keeping your Chipotle burrito intact. Only a week ago, I had gorged on an amazing tortilla in the Village from the Spanish chain, 100 Montaditos, which left me craving seconds. Could there possibly be a legitimate version in, of all places, Times Square?

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After the craziness of opening week, I’ve been terrified to return to UrbanSpace. There are plenty of food vendors I have not yet tried, but I can’t handle the crowds (not to mention the overpriced food).

Yet over the weekend I found myself hungry for a bite nearby and thought I’d check it out again. I can tell you weekends (or perhaps before or after the weekday lunch rush) is the time to visit this food court. I had time to walk around, snap some photos, and order some food rather quickly.

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For those of you who just love Thanksgiving so much you want to keep eating it – or those who aren’t indulging in the ginormous feast scheduled to take place on dinner tables across America tomorrow – Pret is offering a holiday sandwich that should scratch that itch.

Comprised of “roasted turkey breast (antibiotic-free), a pork sausage, pancetta and apricot stuffing, tangy cranberry sauce, crispy onions, and fresh spinach nestled in 9-grain bread” (yes that was copied directly from the press release), just $8.49 will have you flashing back to those family fights and uncomfortable silences in no time.

Drunk uncle screaming about politics not included. Well, you can take your sandwich around the corner and find someone doing a good imitation, I’m sure.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Pret a Manger, Multiple Locations

Walking into Sons of Thunder, I sensed a bit of Shake Shack style. The brand new, slightly out-of-bounds burger joint seems poised to expand with a beach shack vibe. But unlike Shake Shack, the burgers are not quite ready to go (they’re waiting on their gas) and the day I visited, there was nobody inside the place.

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I love my city. I love how Midtown Lunch has made people WANT to work in Midtown Manhattan for the lunches alone for almost 10 years now. But let’s face it – sometimes other cities do lunch better.

And while Zach has talked about what we need from the Bay Area, Clay told us what’s up with South American lunches, and even Jamie told us what New Orleans has that Philly’s missing – this beats all of those handily with one arm tied behind its back. Blindfolded.

Yat Lok in Hong Kong serves this roast goose over rice so good that I’m tearing up a little remembering lunch on my birthday there. Look at that meat – rich, dark, nearly boneless, just amazing.

What takes this to unreachable perfection in the eyes of you, my dear Midtown Lunch’ers?

They charged me $52 HKD for that plate, which translates to roughly $6.50. The goose leg is more highly-prized (and totally delicious, way fattier – it’s on the table too but not in the picture) and goes for $108 HKD, so this beauty? dirt cheap.

Oh, roast goose… why aren’t you here with me now?

Yat Lok
34-38 Stanley Street
Central, Hong Kong

I am far from a Korean food expert. I just know that I like it and I’ve dabbled with the usual bibimbap, galbi, mandoo, and soondubu jigae. But recently we got a tip from a reader about a new vendor on the top floor of Food Gallery 32 in the old Angry Chicken space serving Korean stews. I had assumed what I would have found would have been similar to what I have tried before on 32nd Street. I was in for a surprise.

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I don’t remember the last time I saw Domo Taco in my part of town, but look! I walked past it on Thursday of last week at 53rd and Park. Looks like they’ve shaken their menu up a bit too! Anyone been recently?

Check Twitter for announcements and location info

You may have noticed that the jingle bells are ringing in Midtown and the crowds have descended around Rockefeller Center. That also means the Bryant Park Holiday Market is back with a smattering of food options. In addition to regular annual vendors like La Sonrisa, TopArepa, and Enfes, there are a few new food options this year.

Strangely, there are now at least three kiosks that cater specifically to vegans. There’s Marty’s V Burger, specializing in brown rice burgers; roasted veggies from The Vedge, and the returning Vegushi doing vegan sushi (which can be pretty delicious)

Other new vendors include Super Mac + Cheez, Saj Mahal, and Mr. Puffin. The complete list of vendors can be found here. They will be open (along with Bryant Park’s usual kiosks, Coffeed, Wafels & Dinges, and Breads) through January 3.

Sadly, another food truck bites the dust. Mexico Blvd who have been a regular Friday visitor to Midtown West announced on Twitter yesterday that they will be shutting down their mobile operation after four years in business. The reasoning given on their website is as expected: impossible permitting system and difficult parking laws among others.

This is the second hugely successful food truck to close this year after The Cinnamon Snail bid adieu back in February. And these are just the publicized closings. I can only imagine how many food carts in less explored neighborhoods close every day due to the difficulties of obtaining a legal permit. Street Vendor Project continues to campaign for lifitng the caps, in order to allow more fair opportunities for small mobile food businesses.

Today will be Mexico Blvd’s last day on the streets. They’ll be parked on 46th and 6th and if you’ve never tried their al pastor tacos with crispy cheese, then today’s the day!

My commute forces me to walk through the craziness of Broadway Bites. Sure, I could walk around the tents along Sixth Avenue, but sometimes I like to look to see if there’s anything worthwhile. Recently, I noticed a newer stall among the usual overpriced tacos and fancy macarons.

I had never seen Hai Street Kitchen before. Turns out this is a company based in Philly (where the rolls are cheaper) and this is their first venture with Urban Space. Since the lines weren’t too long and there was something to eat at $10 or under, I decided to bite.

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