Midtown Lunch

I have a secret obsession with Le Pain Quotidien, which is only secret because I feel somewhat ashamed about rooting for pricey (but oh so good) chocolate croissants and iced coffee.  But in my defense, some of their sandwiches are Midtown Lunch approved.  We first mentioned LPQ’s stealthy Starbucks-like takeover of Midtown in November and, judging by the “Coming Soon” sign that just went up on the corner of E 44th & 3rd Ave. (and their recent takeover of Central Park), it looks like they’re not stopping just yet.

Related:
Bryant Park Le Pain Quotidien Sandwich Size Puts ‘wichcraft to Shame

There’s good news and bad news about El Camioncito Truck, on 31st Street and 7th Ave.  The good news is you can now follow them on Twitter– they signed up for an account last week.  The bad news is, they used it on Friday to let everyone know that they’ll be taking the next week and a half off for “renovations”.  You can follow their Twitter account for updates, or you can just check the ML Twitter Tracker– they were just added to the list.

Related:
El Camioncito Truck Slings Tacos in Midtown South

Got some sad news from Midtown north on Friday… the Menchanko Tei on 55th btw. 5+6th has been closed by the DOH.  We don’t know for sure why they were closed, or when they will reopen- but they did have an inspection about a month ago and the results aren’t pretty. If you don’t want to read the specifics, and we don’t really blame you if you don’t, we’ll just tell you that they got a 61 (28 and below is passing.)   Then again, roaches didn’t stop us from going to the 45th street location, so this probably won’t keep us away from the 55th Street location.

Korobuta Ramen at Menchanko Tei. Photo courtesy of Tasty Eating.

• Naya Express is awesome [Chubby Chinese Girl]
• The chicken scampi at Magdy’s is just street meat [NYSF]
• Hyo Dong Gak is the goto spot for jjajjungmyun [Feisty Foodie]
• Pick a Pita’s hummus is a force to be reckoned with [Taxi Gourmet]
• The Menchako Tei on 55th is also good for dinner [Tasty Eating]
• The XPL cart on 3rd Ave. is just as good as the one on Park [NYSF]
• Subway churros are perfect after a mexican wrap from Eggstravaganza [NYSF]
• Tri Tip Grill makes a great steak sandwich [Burger Conquest]
• The shrimp and fried fish from Kim’s is better than the bulgogi [NYSF]
• Margon makes a great Cuban sandwich [SENY]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every Friday afternoon 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.

I found myself at Mr. Biggs this week desperately seeking the identity of the filthy no-good bastard that drank my pitcher of beer. Then turning to my friend I realized, to quote Walt Kelly, “We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us!” As the next pitcher of Sam Adams was poured I continued a strange and occasionally incomprehensible conversation with a gray haired Cuban gentleman who apparently bartends in St. Martin. He told me all about his new job making a documentary on Marijuana production in Sacramento and punctuated each new fact by pointing to what he said was his Harvard ring. He also enlightened me on the lack of DUI regulations on the island while my date talked sports with the guy next to him… So the evening progressed and to the relief of my long suffering liver, appetizers were included, thus I’ve survived to tell the tale.

Read more »

Yesterday the New York Post reported that the Street Vendor Project was rolling out a program that would enable its vendors to accept credit cards. The pilot program, which launches today, is in the very beginning stages- so you probably won’t be able to charge that chicken and rice platter anytime soon but if it is successful it will be offered to all the Street Vendor Project members down the line (right now, a Soho hot dog vendor is the only food vendor in Manhattan accepting plastic.)  In Los Angeles practically all the new generation trucks accept credit cards, and it’s pretty awesome for the customers and the vendors. On the other hand, the lines at some carts are long enough- and the last thing the Biriyani Cart or Famous Halal Guys need is to be slowed down by a credit card machine!

It sounds like they see it that way too.  PIX filed a report, and ended up interviewing the Famous Halal Guys cart on 52nd and 6th.  Check it out after the jump…

Read more »

The blog Law & Food took it upon themselves to try every burger in Midtown East recently and came to these tough to argue with (?) conclusions:  Black Shack (on Lex btw. 37+38th) is meh, Sarge’s (on 3rd btw. 36+37th) is better for deli food, Five Guys (on 3rd btw. 43+44th) does its job but isn’t as good as Blarney Stone (on 3rd btw. 45+46th).  And the winner is… Rare Bar & Grill (on 38th and Lex), even though admittedly it’s a splurge, and Blarney would be their choice for a day to day burger.  Noticeably absent is the burger at P.J. Clarke’s (on 55th and 3rd), but according to AHT (our Mayor of all things hamburger) it’s not that good anymore.

Related:
2009 Readers’ Poll: Best Fast Food Hamburger