Archive for February 2009

Midtown Links (The “When Commenters Make Baby Suggestions I Listen” Edition)

BON_CHON_6s
Lunch at BonChon w/ The Kid (full report coming next week). Photo by Daniel Krieger

Midtown Happy Hour: $1 Tacos Make Wharf Bar the Perfect ‘I Just Got Laid Off’ Spot

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

Wharf Bar

There I was, just this past week, feeling the bitter sting of another round of layoffs at my job. Most of my friends were bearing the weight of additional duties on top of suffering pay cuts (Here! Take on some more work for less money and BTW we’ve stopped our retirement contributions). The song ‘nobody knows you when you’re down and out’ rang in my ears. Yes my friends, we’ve gone from bottle service to boxed wine and if this keeps up I’ll be reviewing Franzia ‘chillable red’ from my stoop next month.

So what’s a gal to do when her purse is light and the market is low? It turns out a safe bet is Wharf bar (on 587 Third Avenue) to indulge in $3.50 beers and $1 tacos. Thank God for recession specials and Lord knows we need them!

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Sign of the Times? El Tequilazo Has Under $10 Lunch Special

tequilazo

El Tequilazo (on 46th btw. 5+6th) has always been a bit too expensive, and… “bright”… for my tastes (well, the sign anyway) but I passed by yesterday and noticed their sandwich board is advertising lunch specials that are well within the Midtown Lunch price range.  I’m pretty sure they never had anything for this cheap before, so I’m guessing this is some sort of recession special?  Anybody tried this Colombian/Mexican place before?  I’m a little wary, but kind of curious if it’s worth it at the cheaper price.

El Tequilazo, 43 W 46th Street (btw. 5+6th),  212-768-0770

Con-Ed is at Five Guys Right Now: via GChat with Lunch'er Jesse: "They said it is possible that they will be open either tomorrow or Monday at the latest. Definitely not today." Oh well... Monday it is then.

Naples 45 Introduces a Polpetini to the Sandwich Challenge:

Posted in the comments, and confirmed by the restaurant: Naples 45 (on 45th btw. Mad+Park) is now serving a "Polpetini: Neapolitan meatballs, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese and basil.  The price at the take out counter is $8.95, and on the sit down menu it’s $9.95." Hmmm.  $9 for what sounds like a standard meatball sub? This better be a damn good sandwich, or we may have our first Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge loser. Early adopters, please report back.

Flip Bringing More La Frieda Burgers to Midtown on Monday

TONY is reporting that Flip, the new burger place in Bloomingdales (on 3rd or Lex btw. 59+60th), is set to open on Monday (2/23). It will feature “three different Pat LaFrieda beef blends—hearty (short rib), sweet (brisket) and refined (Wagyu)—With toppings like a fried egg, chili, Canadian bacon, and multiple cheeses.” My heart hopes that these burgers will be under $10, but my brain says there is no way.  And here I was thinking that the black label at City Burger was the last over $10 burger I’d be splurging on (what can I say? I’m a sucker for the fried egg topped burger.) [via Eater]

Five Guys May Reopen Tomorrow; Menchanko Tei 1-2 Weeks Away

Thanks to Lunch’er Harry who sent along this photo of the window of Five Guys on 55th btw. 5+6th, which along with Menchanko Tei was closed three weeks ago by a fire in the building above.

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“I walked by Five Guys today and I noticed it was clean, with the lights on, and a huge stack of potato sacks. Then I saw this sign. It says that they will be open by the end of the week and that they’re waiting for Con Ed to turn the gas on. Considering today is Thursday, maybe it will be tomorrow.”

I called Menchanko Tei, and they said it will still be another week or two before they reopen. This is actually a reversal from what we heard in the immediate days following the fire. Five Guys said they would be closed 4 to 6 weeks (it’s been 3), and Menchanko Tei said they hoped to be open the very next week.

If you work near there, let us know if it’s back open by commenting, emailing, or twittering… as soon as it’s confirmed open, we’ll post it. (After all… friday is a big hamburger day for Midtown Lunchers.)

Midtown is a Pretty Good Place for Free Samples

The blogger behind Abroad’r View is attempting to go a whole week living off of free food. Right now she seems confined to free samples in Chelsea and Union Square, but if she came up to Midtown she could use this post, generously compiled by Lunch’er Jeremy to navigate through the free samples of Midtown. There is no more farmer’s market in Rock Center, but I’m pretty sure the rest is still applicable. She could also get a whole free brownie at Certe (on 55th btw. 5+6th) if she has a business card.  [via Eater]

Vendy Award Winning Biryani Cart Unveils New Specials & “Sandwich Land” Cart

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On Tuesday, Midtown Lunchers got a sneak peak of the Biryani Cart’s brand new “Sandwich Land” cart.  Parked just to the East of the original Biryni Cart (on the SW corner of 46th and 6th), the new cart features a whole line up of burgers, subs, and pita sandwiches- plus a few standard chicken and lamb over rice options. Because of the bad weather, the sandwich cart won’t be out the rest of the week… but will make its grand “re-opening” return on Monday. (And yes, they do have an entry for the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.)

A full look at the new cart’s menu, plus new specials available today at the original Biryani Cart, are both after the jump…

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Rickshaw Dumpling Responds to the Haters

Following yesterdays post about Rickshaw Dumpling Bar possibly opening a Midtown location (and the subsequent complaints that followed), part owner Kenny Lao responded in the comments:

“Hey Guys:

It’s Kenny, Anita’s partner from Rickshaw. Zach, thank you for all of the shout outs regarding the truck. This is my first response to comments on a blog, but I thought I would put in my two cents. I hope I don’t get too ripped up!

Yes, the rent was very high as Anita said on 8th Street and while rents in midtown are pricey, the combination of (1.) our goal of doing a smaller store, (2.) the softening of the real estate market and (3.) a high density of people that support our truck in midtown makes us really want to put in a brick and mortar store up there.

Regarding the truck: we would love to be in midtown all week long, and indeed being on 52nd and Lex on Tuesdays and 45th and 6th on Fridays is very busy (thanks for showing the dumpling love!) but with only one truck (so far!) we like cruising around the city and going to spots that people suggest we should try (email us new spots!) and potentially also using the truck to figure out where we can put new shops.”

And what about the whole Chinatown comparison?

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