Midtown Lunch

Yesterday I found myself giving Midtown some weekend love in the form of showing a tourist family member around. (I know, it sucks.  But it had to be done.)  I decided my sweet reward would be a little concrete action from the newly open Shake Shack (on 8th Ave. and 44th) I’ve been hearing about (lines be damned!) And guess what? No line. None, whatsoever. Maybe all the tourists were down in Madison Square Park? Or maybe they’re just scared of 8th Avenue? Regardless, if you’re dying for one of the new concretes,  (or feel the need to pick up a little onesie for a cute baby) clearly the weekend is the time to do it… although I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time before the tourists get hip to the new location and descend en masse. Can’t bring yourself to venture into Midtown during the weekend? At least prepare yourself for the lunchtime wait with our handy guide to the Shack Shack line.

As seen on Top Chef. Photo courtesy of Phude-NYC

• Angelo Sosa is friendlier at Xie Xie than he is on TV [Phude-NYC]
• Cinnabon will soon serve lunch!?! [NRN via Grub Street]
• The sushi at Kodama (on W 45th) is not fresh [Tasty Eating]
• Check out this video of the madness on free Chick Fil A day [Feast NY]
• The pernil sandwich at Margon is also good [SENY]
• Don’t like the Shake Shack’s new concretes? Make your own! [LWFD]
• The new $1 pizza truck we told you about this week?  It used to be a Vinny Vincenz truck [Grub Street]
• Beware of the zombie Subway [Law & Food]

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.

It’s an open argument as to whether there are more Irish bars in midtown then Duane Reades. I noticed another in this clover cluster this week: Jameson’s Pub (on 2nd ave btw. 51st/52nd). Upon seeing that name, my eyes gleamed, my lips smiled, and my liver quivered. Jameson evokes candy colored memories of Irish whiskey and many other caramel tinted elixirs. So like a Pavlovian pup I heeded the sirens call and went in. Damn you marketing gods!

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My 11:45 am trip to Shake Shack (on 44th and 8th Ave.) on Monday morning was smooth sailing (great for me!), but that relatively short line on the first real day of Midtown Lunch service wasn’t a very good indication of what the mob scene has now become. As the week has gone on reports have poured in between Noon and 2pm from the new Shack- and, no surprise, it can get pretty bad.  It’s only a matter of time before they Disneyland the sidewalk up with a rope line and “Your Wait Time From Here…” signs.  In the meantime, as a service to Midtown Lunch’ers, we have created a thorough guide to determining how long the wait is going to be.

So before you throw your arms up in disbelief and head to Schnipper’s, gauge how long the wait will really be after the jump…

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Photo courtesy of @discskyer

Sad new from Lunch’er Alvin yesterday: “Piece of Chicken doors closed and kitchen gutted.” Even though Piece of Chicken was slightly out of bounds (and there are plenty of other fried chicken options around 8th Ave.), we always loved its pricing model and considered it an honorary Midtown Lunch. We have no clue what happened, but it will be missed.

Today’s Flatiron Lunch is going to be a little different than usual. There’s been a lot of news on the food scene in the area lately and I wanted to catch us all up on the new and upcoming food options.

Upcoming Thai food, Barbecue, Classic Brooklyn Pizza, free desserts and more after the jump.

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FloFab reported it weeks ago, and we just got confirmation that the original location of Soup Kitchen International (the spot on 55th just west of 8th Ave popularized by Seinfeld as the “Soup Nazi”) will reopen on Tuesday at Noon… and according to their website, they’ll be giving away free t-shirts on opening day. The Soup Man’s people offered us a VIP pass to skip the line for free soup (and the T-Shirt as well) but you know we don’t like to do that kind of thing… however, we’ll gladly let them give it to you! Want to win the pass and the shirt? Leave a comment with either your favorite S.K.I. soup (or whichever soup sounds the best to you). We’ll randomly select a winner today at 5pm, so they have time to mail you the prize before Tuesday.

Want to see the opening day soup menu? It’s after the jump…

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• I’m in the mood for a calzone, got a rec? [Midtown Eating]
• Cer Te is now serving a refreshing gazpacho [Midtown Eating]
• RW Recs: Aquavit = Good. Patroon = Meh [Midtown Eating]
• The red mashers at Tri Tip Grill are also awesome [Midtown Eating]