Midtown Lunch

There have been some conflicting reports in the comments about Nanoosh’s free lunch giveaway today. Some have said that they were told the event is invite-only. I walked by to check it out and was flagged over by a guy working the door. As far as I saw, he was inviting anyone walking by to come in and try some out. When I left, the guy at the door said they’d be serving until 3pm.

The line was long, but went by fairly quickly, considering. Check out some scenery and food shots after the jump.

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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 Will “The Champ” Millender… the winner of Baja Fresh’s Cinco de Mayo burrito eating contest, and a likely qualifier in Go Go Curry’s eating championship. Customer service dude by day, competitive eater by…uh… night? And clearly a favorite to make the Profiled Midtown Lunch’er hall of fame!

Name: Will “The Champ” Millender

Age: 29

Occupation: Customer Service/Competitive Eater

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 45th St. and Madison Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Favorite Kind of Food: I have a lot of favorites. Unfortunately they tend to be unhealthy. Go figure. I’d say my favorite food item is Onion Rings. However, for a meal, Pizza is probably my favorite thing. And since I live in a heavily Italian populated neighborhood in Brooklyn (Bay Ridge). I’m a bit spoiled.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t dig Shrimp and Lobster. I’m not a big fan of the fact that they fall in the same species class as the cockroach. Just can’t seem to get the image out of my head. For some reason, I’m able to make an exception for crab once in awhile though.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I enjoy the heck out of the salads at Dishes (on 45th btw. Mad+5th). I can’t tell you why, but their salads, as simple as it sounds, just taste better than anywhere else. Maybe they use magic. They also make a mean Coconut Fried Chicken, but it’s way expensive if you want more than one or two pieces. I like the Meatloaf Sandwich from ‘wichcraft with their cream sandwich cookies for a dessert. Fast food wise, I like that there is a Ranch One nearby (on 46th btw. 5+6th). I haven’t ordered from there as much because I was dissatisfied with my first order, but I’m going to have to give it another go soon. Lastly and most surprisingly, the Duane Reade on 5th and 44th has sandwiches that are made by their Delish brand which are quite tasty if you’re in a rush.

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Word is that yesterday afternoon, Nanoosh– the new Mediterranean counter on Madison btw 33+34th- was giving away free lunches to hype up its big opening day tomorrow (Weds).  We’re hearing word from a fairly reputable source that they’ll be back at it this afternoon from noon to 3pm. Not sure exactly what they’re giving away (samples?  complete lunch?) but I got there around 2:30pm yesterday and it was all over, so for hardcore freeloaders we suggest going early.

Not interested in waiting on line for the possibility of free food? If you don’t mind spending a couple bucks, so long as it goes to a good cause, Nanoosh will also be open from 5:30 to 8:30pm tonight serving a main, a side and a (non-alcoholic) drink for $10 to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Related:
Nanoosh Hummus Bar Expanding South

I’ve watched over the last couple of weeks as signs of life have glimmered in the long vacant space on 35th btw. 5+6th  that used to house Rainbow Deli and Chinese food. What’s coming has been a mystery, that is until yesterday when this sign went up.  Grill sounds kind of fancy, right?  Grill means over $10, right?  I hope not.

Looking at the construction inside, it could go either way, but doesn’t give too many more clues. When I peeked in, I asked one of the workers about an opening day. He wouldn’t commit to anything, but thought it might be in about two weeks.

If you’re into trying to divine that sort of thing from a construction site, we’ve got an inside the plywood shot after the jump.

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After Rolf Babiel passed away back in October, the Hallo Berlin cart returned to 54th and 5th briefly before disappearing again.  So last month, on my way to try East Japanese’s $5 box lunch, I stopped into Hallo Berlin Express (on 9th Ave. btw. 50+51st) to ask about the missing cart. Sadly, the staff said the cart was no more and they were pretty vague about whether they’ll ever bring it back. We were pretty much ready to say goodbye forever, until we spotted this on the Hallo Berlin website! “Juicy Food Stand, Re-Opening Fall 2010.” Still nobody at the restaurant seems to know what the deal is, and we can’t seem to get in touch with the owner. But just seeing this posted on their website gives us hope…

We’d be lying if we said we weren’t a tiny bit worried for our boss’ health. Last week on Midtown Lunch: Los Angeles Zach agreed to eat at any and every strip mall cheap Chinese food place between Downtown L.A. and Santa Monica. If you thought Yips (or that weird Chinese food steam table in the back of Sushi Osaka) is bad, you should see some of the spots on the West Coast. Godspeed sir…