Archive for August 2010

Free Drink/Dessert Alert: I think technically you're supposed to follow them on Twitter to get this, but we won't tell anybody if you don't... use this coupon to get a free drink or dessert with any pasta purchase from Hello Pasta (on Lex btw. 54+55th.)

Win a Free Lunch Preview of New Burger Concept “4Food”

1124091758It’s been almost 9 months since we first discovered 4Food, the crazy new burger concept opening soon on 40th and Madison Ave..  They launched their website back in November of 2009 promising to offer a fully customizable, healthier fast food burger by cutting a hole in the patty and filling it with various “scoops” (think mushrooms and onions, or spinach and toasted pine nuts.)  With 8 different patties (beef, pork, fish, veggie, etc), 5 different buns, over 15 scoops, 7 cheeses, 6 other toppings, a ton of condiments, and the promise of seasonal specials, the permutations are endless… and as if the food itself isn’t crazy enough, there will be free wi-fi, the ability to order from an iPad, computerized ordering kiosks (for those who are iPad-less), social networking tie ins, and a giant menu board that will show Twitter info, Four Square check-ins and menu fun.  You’ll also be able to create your own burger, and then “advertise” it to friends using… you guessed it… social networking!

Horrible or horribly amazing?  Either way, we’re pretty excited to see how this madness turns out- and we’re guessing if you read this site, you feel the same way.  So, with that in mind, 4Food has agreed to let some of you get a special sneak preview.  The grand opening has been pushed back to September 7th, but they’ve agreed to allow 35 Midtown Lunch readers (and a guest) come in for a special preview lunch at the end of the month.  All you have to do to enter to win is comment on this post with the burger creation you’d want to try on your first visit. The best sounding burger (to us) will get to attend the preview, and their burger will be added to the 4Food menu as the “Midtown Lunch” special.  The rest of the winners will be chosen randomly and notified next week.  Good luck!  The contest closes on Monday, August 15th at Noon.

Check out the opening day menu of 4Food after the jump…

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No Taco Bell Cantina Tacos for Midtown: Before you get super excited over Serious Eats' (surprisingly) great review of Taco Bell's new Cantina Tacos, you should probably know that none of the 3 Midtown locations of Taco Bell are serving them (8th Ave., 3rd Ave. and Penn Station all said they didn't have them when we called today.)

Sampling the Joyride Truck’s Fro-yo

Joyride Truck

A couple weeks ago, Luncher Robert put us on the alert that Joyride the new coffee and fro-yo truck was making the rounds in midtown. Being a lover of both coffee and fro-yo I had to check it out. Their menu after the jump.
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Pop Tarts World Is Now Open?: Today's New York Times has a ton more info on that Pop Tarts craziness opening tomorrow on 42nd btw 6th+B'way.  Apparently it will have a cafe serving pop tarts sushi ("three kinds of Pop-Tarts minced and then wrapped in a fruit roll-up") and sandwiches ("marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries".) Wow. Just... wow.  [via Eater] UPDATE IN THE COMMENTS: Apparently it's already open...

Sapporo’s Tonkatsu is a Surprise Stand Out

Sapporo 49th St btw. 6th and 7th Aves

After a month of renovations, Sapporo (on 49th btw. 5+6th) came back with a vengeance last month, and was even crowned Midtown’s best ramen by the Village Voice. I tend to avoid the ravenous packs at places that have just made some arbitrary “Best of New York” list, but the call of crispy fried noodles with special seafood ANKAKE sauce was strong, so, last week, I stopped to answer it. Check out the dishes after the jump.

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Eddie’s Midtown Mondays; $5 Crisp: A ton of stuff on the ML Twitter Tracker this morning... Eddie's Pizza will be on 38th and 5th on Mondays from now on, get any sandwich at Crisp today for $5 with this coupon, Street Sweets is on 46th, Joyride is on 52nd, Barros Luco has new baked empanadas, and Frites N Meats has a broken axle and will be off for most of the week.

Bann Next Door Will Start Selling Korean Tacos Today

Bann Next Door Korean Tacos

In addition to Bann Next Door’s solid line-up of under $10 lunch specials, it appears that they’re set to start selling Korean style tacos this week (on 50th btw. 8+9th). The tacos are priced at $9, and diners will get a choice of proteins including garlic chicken, beef bulgogi, or spicy pork daeji bulgogi, which come with corn tortillas, “asian” salsa, spicy guacamole, and chips. Looks like Blockheads will have extra competition for taco seeking Midtown lunchers. Early adopters, let us know how they are in the comments.

Related:
Bann Next Door’s Lunch Specials Worth Every Penny

ING Cafe Takes Their Discount Lattes North

ING cafe old location

Sad news for central midtown coffee addicts/cheapos… the ING Cafe has moved their 49th street location to 3rd Ave. at 58th Street (Central midtown’s loss, is northeastern midtown’s gain I guess!)  I’ll miss having the ING’s discount lattes and free internets nearby, but it does give me another excuse to make a trip to try out Mia Dona’s new gelato sandwich. (As if I needed an excuse…)

Midtown Links (The “Szechuan Tofu w/ Asian Celery?!” Edition)


Photo courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything