Midtown Lunch

In Midtown, we’re used to the sight of fast food joints, generic “design your own salad” bars, and gimmicky interpretations of pizza. But when Hello Pasta (Lex btw. 54+55th) and Nooi (Lex btw. 40+41st), two expansion-hungry fast food pasta chains, opened within walking distance and a week of each other, it caught our attention. As skeptical as we are about fast food pasta, a Midtown Lunch Ultimate Taste Test Pasta Showdown to the death clearly was in order. Who’s pasta is worth its salt? Which sauce to get and which ones should they pour down the drain? Or do we declare a double TKO, and send both of these chains back to where they came from. The answer is after the jump…

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Thanks to Lunch’er “Chris” for passing along this one last week. Tomorrow (Tuesday 7/20) Pizza by Cer Te (on 56th btw. Park+Lex) will be selling 2 slices of pizza for $2 starting at noon. Offer good in store only.

Related:
Our First Taste of Pizza by Cer Te

We’re being beat by the heat here in Midtown, so imagine our joy on Friday when Lunch’er Asaf told us about a new ice cream pop cart Lily Lolly which just started parking on 34th and Broadway last week – opposite of Macy’s massive red sign. We stopped by a couple of hours ago to see if the ice offerings were worth the $3.50 price (especially with $1 soft serve available this afternoon.) Happy to report: YES THEY ARE.

Check out Lily Lolly’s ice pop flavors after the jump.

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Last week, on my way to the Shake Shack to try out the new concrete menu, I passed by Bryant Park and saw an ice cream truck I’d never noticed before. Turned out it was the famed Time Warner $1 ice cream truck back again for the Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. The truck is appearing around the city throughout the summer selling Mister Softee style vanilla and chocolate cones and cups with or without sprinkles for the suggested donation of $1 and donating the funds to local museums. They’ll be in Bryant Park every Monday night through August 16th from approximately 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.  And what do you know… today is Monday!

Even though the Comme Ci, Comme Ca Truck isn’t out today we couldn’t help but post this… it’s just too good, and we couldn’t wait to tell you about it.  Hopefully they’ll be back soon!

Last week Lunch’er “David” tipped us off to Comme Ci Comme Ça (Like This Like That, in French), a brand new Mediterranean truck on the street meat scene now parking on 54th St at Lexington.  At the helm is Chef Samir, who was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, and has created an authentic menu inspired by the dishes he grew up on (from their merguez sandwich to their chicken cous cous). All you have to do is look at the caricature of Chef Samir on the truck to know what you’re in for. He’s holding a chicken on his left, while hungrily eyeing up a scrumptious lamb on his right- and along with sous-chef Zac, they’ve been doing brisk business since they started in early July. Needless to say, this Midtown Luncher couldn’t wait to try it!

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It’s been awhile since we mentioned Piada, that weird Italian quesadilla spot in the basement of the Citicorp building on 53rd and Lex.  If you’re a fan (or you’ve always been curious to try it) Groupon has a special today that gets you $12 worth of food for just $6. Also available today in the daily deal email world… Flatiron lunchers can get $10 worth of food from that burger joint Fresh N Fast (the In N Out rip off on 23rd and Park) for just $5.  Enjoy!

Last week Lunch’er Mike tipped us off about Charley’s, a new cheesesteak place opening up on 33rd btw. 6+7th (right near the Little Italy Pizza, the place that Clay reported about this past winter.) Before you get excited though, I went over to the place on Friday and sadly it turns out to be some terrible looking chain that’s actually been around for awhile- downstairs in Penn Station. Unsurprisingly the reviews on Yelp are not very encouraging. (Not that we trust Yelp… but 1 1/2 stars is about as bad as it gets.)  Has anybody actually eaten at this place?