Midtown Lunch

So, if Japanese curry isn’t your thing and a Cinco de Mayo pizza sounds too weird there are still plenty of straight up Mexican options in Midtown to partake in today.  Eating Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo is kind of cliched, but we’re not above using it as an excuse to chow down at one of our favorite taco spots for lunch.  Here’s a list of our favorites…

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In all my years of midtown lunching I can probably count the times that I’ve had lunch at Rock Center’s Cucina & Co on one hand. I’ve gone to their sit down restaurant a couple of times for business lunches and I’ve had lunch time take out once or twice, but frankly in my experience they sell pretty generic and pricey sandwiches and salads. That said, I have been intrigued by their early “Chef’s Table” lunch special that they offer every day from 11:30 until 12:30.

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Lunch’er Harry sent along this email and photo the other day… “Today I walked by the old Free Foods spot [on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd] in the same shopping center as Chipotle and Pump.  They have the windows mostly covered with something that says “Coming Soon www.edibowl.us“.  The website doesn’t say much, but I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.” Why yes.  Yes we do. Self proclaimed “Global Comfort Food in a Modern Environment” is just boring neo-food-chain speak, but one of the posts on their twitter account is kind of interesting: “EDIBOWL is a quick food chain delivers “Global” comfort food to neighbor. Simply say “momofuku” meets “chipotle”!” Hmmm… I wonder if they realize that Momofuku meats Chipotle has already been done.  It was called Ssam Bar (when it first opened), and it wasn’t long before they scrapped the Korean burritos in favor of the 3 star restaurant it is today.  Still, we are intrigued…  website says they’ll be open in June.

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In what has become a bizarre Cinco de Mayo ritual, Go Go Curry (on 38th btw. 7+8th) will celebrate their anniversary tomorrow (they opened on 5/5… you know… because they love the number 55) by offering medium size plates of katsu curry for $5 and free 5 toppings coupons.  Limit three orders per person, and it’s not available for delivery.  And if that’s not enough for you, they’ll hold another preliminary qualifier for their Go Go Curry Eating Championship from 6-8pm.  This could be a perfect way to lay down a nice foundation for some heavy drinking tomorrow night.

Every Tuesday we 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 Chris, a Schnitzel Truck loving software developer who is probably eating the new schnitzel down while you’re read this…

Name: Chris

Age: 34

Occupation: Software Developer

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 48th & Madison

Favorite Kind of Food: To generalize, I suppose Japanese food is kind of the pinnacle of food-taken-to-perfection that blows my mind, but man, I’ll eat anything. My short, shameful addiction is buffalo chicken. Tassie’s Buffalo Strips at the Outback, of all places — I’m sure the sauce consists mainly of hydrogenated petrochemicals, but I don’t care. It’s a religious experience. And nice chunky bleu cheese. Anyway, forget you read that and pretend I said something about free range bacon with a salad of organically raised ramps and dandelion marmalade from Wind Rainbow Farms in upstate NY. I don’t want to get kicked out of the foodie club.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t generally care for olives. But I do like a good tapenade. Damnit, now I really want a muffaletta. Oh, and I’ve never tried coffee or alcohol. Not because I’m a Mormon or something, I just think it’s fun to maintain a small, pointless eccentricity.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Schnitzel Truck (pork or veal). Katsuhama: I love me a good katsudon. Tri-Tip Grill (in Rock Center) has got my attention, because it used to be a once-a-year treat to go to Buckhorn when I’m in California. Kati Rolls from the Biryani Cart. At the risk of being excommunicated, I like to get the Santa Fe salad with fried chicken and tex-mex dressing from Chop’t. It’s a man’s salad.

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Grilled cheese with tomato holds a nostalgic place in my lunchtime heart–it was my tried and true high school cafeteria lunch option and the only good thing that our cafeteria made with the exception of fried dough pizza (yes, in my school district fried dough pizza somehow got the pass as a “nutritious meal”). When I first read about the Eggs Travaganza Cart’s new lunch time offerings, my attention went straight to the Grilled Cheese with Chorizo, Tomato and Bacon. Hello, lunch!
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