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 Jenn, a magazine minion who claims that Midtown Lunch may be responsible for her current state of employement…
Name: Jenn
Age: 22
Occupation: Magazine Publishing Minion
Where in Midtown do you Work?: 43rd & 6th Ave.
Favorite Kind of Food: The foods I inhale the most often fall into or across the following gastronomic categories: Spicy, Asian, Deep-fried, MEAT+BREAD, Molten Cheese, Foods That Can Be Eaten While Walking, Anything Topped With a Fried Egg, and Stinky Lunches That Cubicle Neighbors Secretly Complain About (sorry!). More specifically: cheeseburgers, hot dogs with everything on them (two Gray’s, one to eat on the spot, one for the walk home), cheesesteaks wit onions, carnitas tortas, prosciutto-mozzarella heroes, fried pork dumplings, sweetbreads, bi bim bap, okonomiyaki, lox with extra capers, rice balls, paratha rolls, sardines and rice, soon dobu, pa jun, breakfast burritos, mushroom pizza (with the canned slice mushrooms), potato/corn chips, charcuterie, ma po tofu, bento boxes, strong curries, sushi and ahi poke, banh mi, little onion rings, Difara’s, fideua, crab cake sandwiches, stinky cheese, fried oysters, shawarma kebabs with extra hot sauce, English breakfasts and Chinese food from my parents’ restaurant and my grandma. Also can’t forget condiments because with just a slather or a drizzle can make all the difference– favorites include: Sriracha, Dijon mustard, Chiu Chow chili oil, cocktail sauce, and garlic mayo.
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Garden salads and raw celery
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: $5 bento boxes (especially the salted mackerel), inari, green tea beard papas and rice balls from Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) I’m a slave to my mid-afternoon rice ball break addiction. Tuna Avocado over rice at Chiyoda (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) when I’m feeling un-poor, paratha rolls and chicken biriyani from the Biriyani Cart (on 46th & 6th), ma po tofu or roast pork over rice at Hing Won (on 48th btw. 5+6th), oyako don from Yagura (also on 41st btw. Mad+5th), veg combo from Minar (on 46th btw. 6+7th), Cubans and chicken sandwiches from Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th), mini cheeseburgers with a pint of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout from Stout NYC on 33rd btw. 6+7th (more of a Happy Hour Meal). The day I had a mentaiko rice ball and miso soup from Washoku (on 37th btw. Mad+5th) for $2 was a very, very good day.
“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Pret, Hale & Hearty, Red Flame on 44th btw. 5+6th (A company favorite for impromptu lunch meetings, the Red Flame Wrap with chicken, cheese, and honey dijon is way better than expected).
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After seeing Robyn Lee’s amazing looking write up of the “sabich” from Taim on Serious Eats New York, I am now on a quest to find one of these sandwiches in Midtown. Described as a pita “stuffed with thick rounds of fried egglant that melt like butter, along with a sliced hard boiled egg, hummus, Israeli salad (diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley in a lemon mint dressing), marinated cabbage, tahini, and amba (pickled mango sauce).” Oh my lord. I know Olympic Pita has a mango sauce, but there is nothing called a “sabich” on their menu. Has anybody had one of these in Midtown before? Must… have… now. [Photo courtesy of Robyn Lee]
This question was posted in the comments the other day about the 
Part of the reason I’m just fat, as opposed to morbidly obese, is that I cook dinner at home on most nights. And most of my cooking knowledge has come from my wife (she trained me early and well), Jamie Oliver, and Mario Batali. Years ago, when I was unemployed, I used to watch Molto Mario all the time… and I pretty much learned most of what I know about cooking Italian food from that show:
Anito Lo has told Grub St. that 
