Midtown Lunch

Remember how last month we told you the Green Taste Truck was converted into another branch of the Flatiron based Desi Truck? Lunch’er “Devina” tried the truck out yesterday and sent over this report…

Usually I get a measly half hour lunch break, but today…today was a great day and I got real lucky…my boss had to leave early and I could take as long as I wanted. I took my time walking to kati roll (on 39th + 6th) to get my fix of the Indian burrito. On the way there I spotted a big green truck parked on 40th & 6th serving up plates of rice and chicken with a rich red sauce on top. Being a foodhound, I was mesmerized and had to find out more! Could this be the answer to my prayers for better options for this part of midtown…indeed Lord Shiva had listened and granted me with this boon in the shape of a big green Indian truck!

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Remember the good old days, when Prince was the only 99 Cent pizza on the East side?  Then 99¢ Fresh Pizza opened on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd and that was the end of them.  Then in December, 99¢ Fresh Pizza received some pizza competition of their own when a former employee decided to set up shop on Lexington btw 45th and 46th.  Well, if you thought that was the end of it, you don’t know much about 99 cent pizza!  Yesterday I noticed a new green awning on Lexington near 46th where a juice place used to be… and the green awning reads:  99¢ Fresh Pizza. Who’s ready for a pizza war?  Because this is going to be some Iron Chef-like Throwdown shizz going on here, and I will be in the sweet middle, eating very cheap pizza. (But in all seriousness… how many of these places can the east side support?  Or do you think they’re just trying to out-do 9th Avenue?)

Clearly this is the season for new food in the Flatiron. It seems like every week we’re seeing a new place open its doors. The other day it was Eataly and it sounds like FoodParc is opening next week. This week it’s Hill Country Chicken, the fried chicken spinoff of the Texas barbecue spot that I really wish was priced in ML range. Naturally, the first couple days have been swamped, so as a service to you guys, I braved the crowds so you wouldn’t have to. See what it’s all about after the jump.
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The Vendy Award Rookie of the Year finalists were announced yesterday afternoon by the New York Times, and it’s a decent looking bunch.  A Pou’s Taste, the Taiwanese dumpling cart that popped up Downtown last month, will compete against the Souvlaki Truck (which still hasn’t come to Midtown for lunch yet!), Cinnamon Snail (the Vegan truck from Jersey), Midtown fave Mexicue, and the 99% Vegetarian Cart– which started its career last year in Midtown before moving Downtown back in May. Congrats to them all…

Related:
Vendy Award Dessert Finalists Announced
BREAKING: 2010 Vendy Awards Finalists Have Been Announced!

• We’re all starting to get antsy for the Souvlaki Truck! [Midtown Eating]
• Yes, El Rey del Sabor still has a cart on 43rd & 6th [Midtown Eating]
• Little Morocco is now serving some sort of off the menu potato thing!? [Midtown Eating]
• A 2nd September ML happy hour is in the works [Midtown Connections]

Windfall Grill (on 39th btw. 5+6th) isn’t a Midtown Lunch, but I couldn’t help but notice this on my way to Szechuan Gourmet the other day…  they got a B rating from the Department of Health. But you wouldn’t know it looking at the place from the front!  From the front, you got nada. From the east side? boom! They got a B! Way to utilize your side facing window.  You know I’d still eat at a B grade establishment, provided the food was good- so, whatever. It’s just funny to see restaurants getting awesome (or awful, depending on how you look at it) in hiding their DOH letters from the public. But guess what Windfall Grill? You’re a B! a B!!!!! Own it.  We don’t think of less of you. (Not for that, anyway.)

Related:
DOH Letter Grades Have Begun to Appear

As your eagle eyed happy hour reporter, I’m always on the lookout for boozy lunch specials. After all, times are tough and your boss isn’t looking, right? Murphy’s Pub on 977 2nd Ave (btw. 51/52nd) has a burger, wrap or sandwich with a pint of Bud or Yuengling for the ML price range of $10. Can’t wait to check it out! Anyone tried this deal yet? Let us know in the comments!

There have been some heated debates around here about where to find the perfect banh mi in Midtown. After we mentioned Yushi was pushing the Vietnamese sandwich on Wednesdays, they quickly sold out in subsequent weeks. Then there was the epic “Banh-Mi-Palooza” organized by Lunch’er Christine and a gang of other awesome ML readers. So, naturally, we were gonna freak the eff out when we heard that Kolette’s Kitchen (a new place on Lex btw. 55+56th) was offering kosher (!?) banh mi complete with porkless (natch) pate. Banh mi without its signature meat ingredient? See how it did on judgment day…

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