Every Tuesday I turn the site over to a Midtown Lunch’er for their recommendations of places to eat Lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Nancy, a self described hater of “healthy” foods who not surprisingly, loves the street meat…
Name: Nancy
Age: 31
Occupation: Print Designer
Where in Midtown do you Work?: 52nd btw. Madison & 5th
Favorite Kind of Food: It’s a tie between anything Asian and pizza. Asian definitely includes ghetto wok Chinese like Yips. I’m Chinese and I think I’m not supposed to admit that, but I’m brave so it’s okay.
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything “fresh”, “light”, or “healthy”, euphemistic terms used only to describe those under-dressed salads usually consumed on Mondays that trick my mind into thinking my body didn’t gorge on delicious fried or cheese-covered nastiness over the weekend.
Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I guess my guilty pleasure is Rafiqi’s, the halal lunch cart. My co-workers and I go to the one on Park and 52nd. It’s a gut bomb but totally worth it. Oh, but if one of us has a hangover, it’s Prime Burger all the way- with fries well done.
The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Digby’s (@ 52nd b/w 5+6th). After about an hour of tossing around possible lunch options, we typically resign ourselves to Digby’s. We end up walking out of there several times a week with our $9 lunches feeling like total Midtown chumps.
Place you discovered thanks to MidtownLunch: FIKA Swedish Bar. (Is it still around? Haven’t been in awhile). It’s pricey but good, especially if you’re looking to mix up your lunch routine a bit. I would recommend their coffee to those who spend time and good money in a Starbucks line. It is damn good. I’m all about their Swedish meatball sandwich with beet salad and dill dressing. (Ed. Note: It is definitely still there, Swedish Meatball sandwich and all. I’ve actually been meaning to get back there too, and try their smoked salmon wrap. Looks delicious!)
Dream job location for lunch purposes only, and why?: Chinatown/Soho, preferably directly across the street from Vietnam Banh Mi So #1 on Broome. Their Vietnamese sandwiches are an ingenious combination of textures and flavors. I could seriously eat a couple for each meal of the day, every day. I usually break into one of them while I’m walking through Soho and people have stopped me mid-bite to ask me where to get one. That’s how seductive they look. I’ve tried a lot of banh mi sandwiches around town and I love them all, but I stick with Bahn Mi So #1. Oh, banh mi. I love you.
Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers?: Does anyone know where to find decent falafel anywhere in Midtown? My co-workers were recently disappointed by Bread & Olive. The sad looks on their faces as they chewed their first bites was heartbreaking.
Yeah, I’ve heard a lot of Bread & Olive complaints lately… but I haven’t given up on it yet- although the falafel is my least favorite thing they serve. There are so many great falafel places in Midtown, you shouldn’t have any trouble. I’ll revisit my favorites, plus how you can be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, after the jump… Read more »
Posted by Zach at 6:41 am, March 27th, 2007 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
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