Last week, Brian reported that Sweet Chili, the new food truck run by Lisa Fernandes, finalist of Top Chef Season 4 (Chicago), was parking at the loading dock of 777 3rd Avenue (at the corner of 48th and 3rd) every Monday. Since I’m pretty much at the loading dock of 777 3rd Avenue all the time now for the Mamu Thai Noodle Truck and the Old Traditional Polish Cuisine Truck, I knew the loading dock wouldn’t let me down with Sweet Chili!
For a well-known cupcake chain looking to start serving lunch (not that a cupcake or two for lunch doesn’t sound sweet), a good way to bolster your lunchtime bonafides is to have a celebrity chef write your menu. That’s exactly what Crumbs did last week when it rolled out a lunch menu full of sandwiches, wraps, and salads devised by the acclaimed chef, David Burke. Slapping a chef’s name on something doesn’t guarantee it’ll be good however (see Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar), so I stopped by Crumbs to see how Crumbs’/Burke’s sandwiches stack up.
Last November, we reported that Oms/b (on 45th Street between Lex and 3rd) had been replaced by a new Café Zaiya location. Now, that same location has changed again to become BentOn Café. After sleuthing around on the Internet, I found that the Café Zaiya and BentOn Café companies merged back in 2012, but I guess someone decided that the BentOn brand was better for this particular location?
Fans of burgers with holes in the center, get excited. Gimmicky burger joint 4Food (Madison Ave. btw 40+41st) is advertising a free burger deal for a limited time. Okay, the burger isn’t entirely free – you have to buy a side and drink to get your freebie. Even for the hamburger purist, that’s still a pretty good deal.
4Food, 286 Madison Ave (btw 40+41st St)
Photo courtesy of Serious Eats New York
I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, because I know how much Midtown Lunch readers love Qdoba, but apparently the burrito chain has pulled out of Manhattan entirely. From their Facebook page: “We’re sorry to announce that all of our Qdoba Manhattan locations will close on Thursday, 6/27 at 3 p.m. We’ll still be serving up your favorites at Qdoba locations in Staten Island, Queens and Northern New Jersey. It has been great serving you, and we hope we can share delicious meals with you again in the future. Thank you for your patronage at these restaurants. If you have any questions, please contact Social@Qdoba.com.”
According to The Real Deal, Qdoba had seven locations in Manhattan, four of which were in midtown. Oh well.
Earlier this week, ‘wichcraft launched their summer menu, bringing back some of last year’s goodies, while still introducing new combinations. The flank steak ($9.87) and the zucchini and mozzarella ($7.35) sandwiches were great last summer, but I was interested in checking out something new from ‘wichcraft.
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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.
Based on my casual and passing observations (and if you know the chronology better than me please post in the comments), the restaurant on the corner of 6th Avenue and 27th Street previously seemed to be just a coffee shop with coffee, pastries and sandwiches. Then, it was a coffee shop with a sign out front advertising Korean Food. Now, it is a Korean sports bar with fried chicken and coffee. Because coffee and Korean fried chicken go together??
Tickets Are Still Available for The Vendy Awards: Here's a reminder: If you haven't done so yet, now is the time to purhcase your tickets to the Vendy Awards on September 7. Tickets are still available, but no doubt that will change very soon. Nominations will be announced in the near future, but you can bet on lots of amazing street food from all over the city. Get your tickets here.
Posted at 8:30 am, June 28th, 2013 | 0 Comments
I think it’s safe to say summer has officially begun, and there are few better ways to beat the summer heat than ice cream. Lunchers in Midtown East now have one more option for that frozen treat: 5th Avenue Chocolatiere (which is ironically located on 3rd Ave. btw 43rd+44th) is serving ice cream and gelato. A small will cost only $1.75 and a large just $3.00, so you won’t have to break the bank for a cold afternoon dessert.
Early adopters, let us know how it is…
