Archive for October 2007

The Voice Ignores Uncool Midtown Once Again…

It’s not a big surprise that Midtown food goes largely unnoticed by The Voice.  They are named after the OG hipster hood, and Midtown is the least cool part of New York City (if you choose to totally ignore the Upper East Side, which I do).  Their Best of NYC 2007 issue, which hit the stands yesterday, highlights a pretty large list of eats around the city, forgoing the boring “Best blah blah blah” entries, in favor of a much more eclectic listing method in which they pretend it’s the last night on earth and list the supposed last meal of various celebrities (alive and dead).  Some of the entries are pretty funny, but a few choices call into question whether or not they chose places because the food is good, or so they could exploit the place for a joke. 

Even if you expand the Midtown Lunch boundaries, we only got five recs- including one for Troy, a pretty mediocre Middle Eastern cheap eats place on 9th Ave., that I’m pretty convinced they used just so they could say it was Brad Pitt’s last meal.

We did, however, get what I thought was the funniest, and best overall entry.  Check it out after the jump… Read more »

First Look: Five Guys Burgers Midtown

It’s official.  The Five Guys on 55th btw. 5+6th has been completed and is planning on opening a week from tomorrow.  Here’s your first look at the interior… (you can see the giant bags of peanuts stacked up in the back, which they give out free for your meal.)

Mark in on your calendars… Thursday, October 25th.  I’ll be the fat guy in the corner, taking a picture of his double cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms & onions (and bag of fries of course).

Cubicle Code: Treats from Vacationing Co-Workers…

There are a lot of rules that govern foodstuffs in the workplace.  Birthdays must be celebrated with free cake, leftover meeting food must be put in the community kitchen, etc.  Another essential, but often forgotten, rule is when you go on vacation to far off lands, you must return with treats.   When I came back from the UK, my gift to the office came in the form of Cadbury Roses (a delicious sampler pack of amazing bite size chocolates, usually enjoyed around holiday time). 

This week, one of my bosses Cheryl returned from Argentina with a box of Alfajores…

Two little cakes/cookies, sealed together with dulce de leche.  Often they are covered with powdered sugar, but these (thankfully) were covered in chocolate.  Holy mackerel.  A photo of the innards, after the jump… Read more »

Midtown Links (Mid-week Edition)

PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Amanda”

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Amanda, a UK expert for work, and a sandwich expert for fun.  (And yes, she is standing next to Austin Powers.)

Name: Amanda

Age:
31

Occupation:
Writer/Content Editor for http://www.visitbritain.com/us  (Um… where were you two weeks ago when I was in England??? -zach)

Where in Midtown do you Work?:
45th & 5th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food:
Sandwiches, I am always on the lookout for the ultimate sandwich.

Least Favorite Kind of Food:
Boring Italian or bland Mexican food.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown:
A little bit outside of the boundaries maybe but tacos enchiladas at Tehuitzingo Deli on 10th Ave and 46th Street. Still haven’t found a taco that compares in NYC!  (I am a little confused by this one.  Tehuitzingo Deli has the best tacos in NYC, and is on 10th Ave. btw. 47+48th (not 46th).  And doesn’t have enchiladas.  Tulcingo del Valle has some amazing enchiladas and is on 10th Ave. btw. 46+47th.  Either way, both places are great!  -zach)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Dishes is right across the street from our office. Mmm, $12 salads. The pastries are just so good!

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: There are many… I am now the Treats Truck’s #1 fan, as well as a frequenter of the after 2PM Naples 45 slice special. I also patronize many carts, such as the Kwik Meal and the Hallo Berlin cart.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I wouldn’t want to live there, but for lunch? Los Angeles. I have to give them props for mindblowingly good and cheap vegetarian Indian tucked away in unassuming strip malls, Diddy Reese ice cream sandwiches, numerous restaurants specializing in Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), and the tacos!!! Angelenos really have everything except great pizza and bagels.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? I was biking past a Peruvian place this morning and I realized I don’t know much about Peruvian cuisine outside of ceviche. Does anyone have any favorite Peruvian places or is it not one of the city’s strong suits?

Another Lunch’er posed this same question a little over a month ago, and there just aren’t any Peruvian places in Midtown.  Which sucks, because I could really go for some Lomo Saltado (Peruvian dish of beef sauteed with tomatoes, onions and french fries).  What we do have, however- is some delicious ceviche!  My favorite, after the jump… Read more »

The Pranzo Pizza Truck Attempts to Replace Jiannetto’s as Best Grandma Slice

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the new Pranzo Pizza Truck that recently popped up on 55th & Park is a really complementary outfit.  My guess is the Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck doesn’t see it that way.  It’s one thing to build your own truck and serve pizza out of it.  It’s another thing to copy another truck’s entire concept, down to the design of the menu.

On the other hand, you have to admit- it’s pretty ballsy to start a pizza truck 4 blocks away from New York City’s most famous pizza truck.  It must be good, right?  Not entirely trusting their own “Best Grandma Pie” proclamation painted on the front and back of the truck, I decided to try it for myself.  As skeptical as I was, you know I can’t resist food out of a truck!

The pizza pie porn, and +/- after the jump… Read more »

Midtown Links (Let Your Cookies Hang Out Edition)

Belly Laughs: Girl or Food?

Ever wonder what an enormously fat nerd will do when posed with the option of a lapdance or food? This amazing video solves the mystery. (Giving up a bag of McDonalds isn’t much of a choice. Pink’s Hot Dogs? That’s another story…)

Zagat Names Burger Joint Best Midtown Lunch

The 2008 Zagat guide arrived in stores this week, and once again the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien Hotel has received the highest score of any Midtown Lunch that appears in the guide (a 24).  Ess a Bagel, who I wrote about this week, was a close runner up with a 23.  If you expand the Midtown Lunch boundaries a little bit, the Azuri Cafe (on 51st btw. 9+10th), is actually the big winner, receiving a deserving 25 (up from 24 last year) for what I consider to be the best Falafel in the city.  Not much has changed since from what I wrote about the 2007 guide but there are a few things worth mentioning.

Best Korean, whose scores went up and down, and the most ridiculous Midtown Lunch quote in the book- after the jump… Read more »

At Lunch Now: Summer is officially over


As if the cruddy weather hasn’t been enough of a reminder, it’s now
official. After a summer-long hiatus, the “Hot Soup” carts are back.
Bring on the cold.