Midtown Lunch

I guess the “hospitality special” is now over, because the Kashmir Buffet has raised their price from $7.99 to $9.99. At $8 this weird, borderline scary, all you can eat Pakistani buffet was a strange treat. The kind of thing I would recommend everybody try just once (just to prove how much of a Midtown Lunch’ing badass you really are.) At $10, it’s much less attractive- especially with the far less scary Spice Fusion buffet just 10 blocks north (on 8th Ave. btw. 47+48th). You’re still a badass if you go.

Related:
Adventure Lunchers Should Flock to Kashmir Buffet

Grilled Chicken and artichoke sandwich from Financier. Photo courtesy of Blondie and Brownie

• A great look at the new Financier Patisserie on 1st Avenue [Blondie and Brownie]
• Another reason to hate Cafe Metro: KFed eats there [Buzz Foto via Cityfile]
• Wheel…….. Of…….. Lunch! [Slashfood]
• Checking out the food at the new El Rey Del Sabor cart on 43rd [Thirsty Foodie]
• It’s not in Midtown, but this is what you should be doing after work today [Hapa Kitchen Luau + Pig Roast]

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.

Naples 45 has long been on the ML radar because of their $2.50 (previously $1.50) take out slices after 2pm until closing. In fact, I think Zach was still working for ‘the man’ back when he wrote about them. How’s that for a flashback! Well, I’m a woman of slender means so when commenters mentioned that they offer free pizza during happy hour I headed over to check out the deal.

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It seems that every time I advise the new crop of trucks to find… how should I put it… less threatening corners of Midtown to park in, a common theme pops up among those who disagree: Natural Selection.  Survival of the fittest baby!  Let the carts all park where they want, and fight it out for ultimate supremacy.  The good ones will thrive, the bad ones will die. It’s the capitalist way.  Hell, it’s the American way.  And quite frankly, we all would gladly trade 20 dirty water dog carts for 1 schnitzel truck.

There’s only one problem.  Allowing that argument to play itself out in the streets of Midtown might actually undermine the survival of all carts (the good and the bad.)

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If you liked the pork tenderloin sandwich from the just out of bounds Manchester Pub (on 2nd Ave. btw. 48+49th St.) as much as I did, you’ll be interested to know that they just added a bunch of new stuff to their menu.  New items include fish tacos, pork belly sliders (!), slab bacon with chocolate fondue (double!!), and fried chicken and waffles (for $8!!!).  A few of the sandwiches are outside the ML price range, but you still get $1 off any sandwich during lunchtime.  Sadly, the pork tenderloin sandwich is gone, but they’ve more than made up for it with this new stuff.

Related:
Manchester Pub’s Sandwich Entry is Worth Going a Little Out of Bounds For

The voting for Cer Te’s crazy sandwich competition ends tomorrow, so this is pretty much your last chance to affect the outcome. Right now the Colonel’s Heart Attack has a decent sized lead (despite some lunch’ers complaining that it could have been better.)  If you’d prefer a different sandwich to be offered for the entire month of September, today is your last chance to vote.

The nominees for best dessert vendor were just announced for the 2009 Vendy Awards. The Wafels and Dinges Truck and the Dessert Truck were both nominated for a second year in a row, although the Dessert Truck won’t be able to participate because of everything on their plate.  The Cupcake Stop Truck and the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck were nominated for the first time.  The Treats Truck wasn’t eligible because they won last year.

The three nominees will all serve their sweets at the event, which this year is taking place at the Queens Museum of Art on September 26th.  They will join the 5 savory nominees, announced last week.  If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?!?  It is definitely going to sell out.  All proceeds benefit the Street Vendor Project, and the tickets are tax deductible.

Related:
2009 Vendy Award Finalists Announced!