Midtown Lunch

How upset were we to discover the Eggs Travaganza cart back in July (thanks to Serious Eats: New York), only to find out that they closed before lunchtime?  After all, there ain’t no shame in eating egg sandwiches or pancakes and bacon for lunch- right?  Yesterday, I stopped by just before Noon hoping to snag an early lunch- and find out if they had heard our cry for longer hours.

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• This guy will pay somebody $20 to take him to the NYT cafeteria [Midtown Eating]
• There’s a Midtown Lunch’er happy hour get together today at Rudy’s [Connections]
• Flatiron generic deli lashes out at the street carts [Miscellaneous]
• Where can I get a good kosher hot dog from a cart? [Midtown Eating]
• A list of great places to eat in Rego Park [Eating Outside Midtown]

Normally I keep my head down and walk as fast I can through Times Square. And yet somehow I managed to spot this scene on my way to lunch at the NYC Cravings Truck yesterday. First thought: jailbait. Second thought: it’s funny how Meal O’bama is coerced into changing their name to Kwik Meal IV, but this is just fine and dandy. Third thought: if this guy went to law school, but couldn’t get a job as a lawyer, he’d be on Fox News for coming up with this brilliant business idea.

Related:
Meal O’Bama Pressured Into Changing Name to Kwick Meal IV
Kwik Meal Kin Opens New Cart, Touches off Feud Over 45th & 5th

Ok, so a while back I made of RedBerry- this new froyo place for opening inside a Subway/Papa John’s one block away from Red Mango. Well, I take it all back. Now we’re working with something I can get behind… buy one get one free!  Feels like the perfect day to snag a friend, and head over to 8th Ave. btw. 46+47th.

Related:
Ok, Seriously? NOW This Froyo Thing is Getting Ridiculous

Last Monday, the NYC Cravings Taiwanese fried chicken truck offered an “off the menu” special via Twitter: “Secret menu item: porken, combo of chicken & pork, for $7. tell your friends only. Tweet will self destruct in 30 mins.” Sure enough they deleted the tweet 30 minutes later… but that doesn’t mean the special is gone forever.  Like any great off the menu special, they’ll continue to honor the deal- as long as you know to ask for it.

I stopped by the truck yesterday (which was parked in Midtown for special make up day) to try it out for myself.

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Midtown’s Kosher scene has seen a flurry of activity this week, as reported by the website Kosher-NY.  Eli’s Deli, in the Citigroup Building Food Court will close at the end of the week, the Mendy’s in the Rock Center concourse has officially moved to their new digs on street level (on 48th btw. 5+6th) and may have some Grand Opening specials, and Mr. Broadway (on B’way btw. 37+38th) was closed by the DOH on Tuesday. They hope to reopen tomorrow.  Also, in Downtown Lunch news… Little Lad’s (the vegetarian place Daniel reviewed this past Friday) will no longer be under Kosher supervision after this week.

Related:
Mendy’s Beats Out Soup Nazi in Battle of the Seinfeld Spin Offs

For me, the fun of Cafe Zaiya has always been to wander around aimlessly marveling at their wonders.  The selection can be overwhelming sometimes, and the crowds unforgiving, but there are still few places I enjoy more than this fast food Japanese wonderland on 41st btw. Mad+5th.  But if you’re one of those regulars who knows exactly what you want, but hates pushing through crowds to get it, you’ll be excited for this news. Cafe Zaiya has just added an online ordering system to their website. It looks like the system only works from 10am to 2pm, and as of right now you can only order sandwiches, bento boxes, and rice balls (I’m assuming baked goods, sushi, salads, and everything else will be added soon.)

I’ll probably stick with suffering through the crowds, and fighting to snag whatever fresh bento boxes they just brought out.  It’s part of the charm of the place.

Related:
A Food Porn Guide to Navigating Your Way Through Cafe Zaiya
Cafe Zaiya: Original Post (8/16/2006)