Archive for May 2011

Where To Get Cold Brewed Coffee In Midtown: Last week Eater published a guide to cold brewed coffee in NYC, and we noted that the closest venue to Midtown was Stumptown in the Ace Hotel (on 29th Street.)  Not so says Lunch'er Chris in the comments... you can also get cold brewed coffee at Culture Espresso Bar (on 38th btw. 5+6th) and Lucid Cafe (on 38th & 6th). Anywhere else? Put it in the comments.

PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Laura”

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 Laura, a music marketer who would be way fatter if she lived in the south.

Name: Laura

Age: 25

Occupation: Project Management Associate at an independent public relations, marketing, and consulting firm specializing in classical music and the performing arts.

Where in Midtown do you Work?: West 56th and 7th avenue. We are surrounded by deliciousness!

Favorite Kind of Food: I pretty much love all food, with just a few exceptions. I am a huge fan of spicy food, so szechuan is a passion of mine. I also thoroughly enjoy any type of burger (beef, turkey, veggie) and appreciate a really hot and crispy well-done french fry. A good slice of pizza and Indian, Mexican, and Korean foods are pretty terrific as well! Lastly, there is nothing better than a banana with a side of crunchy peanut butter (preferably Jif).

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Any type of protein salad (egg, chicken, tuna, turkey, ham). Everything about the salads: the look, smell, concept, and texture just freak me out.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Where do I start?!

Szechuan Gourmet 56 (between 8th and Broadway): Besides being super fast, the cooks at Szechuan Gourmet really know how to deliver the heat! Sauteed prawns with chili minced pork and asparagus and the Chef’s Ma pao tofu with chili minced pork are my two favorite lunch options! One dish that does not make it onto the lunch specials list is the wok-tossed crispy lamb fillets with roasted chili cumin. It is beyond amazing and sometimes me and my colleague and partner in lunch, Max, splurge and order it.

D&S Marketplace aka The Man Deli (56th between 5th and 6th): We call this place The Man Deli, as it is always filled with men and the man to woman ratio is probably 9 to 1. The guys at the counter are very nice and there is a lot of thought that goes into their sandwiches. They have sandwich specials, but I tend to make my own.

Carnegie John’s (on 56th & 7th): Located right outside Carnegie Hall, John does not disappoint. When I am trying to be healthy, I get the grilled chicken platter. Instead of rice, I ask for extra salad and sauteed onions and peppers. So delish and super cheap – $5.00 for a feast!

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Last Chance to Score Limited Edition ML T-Shirt (And $100 From Seamless Web)

You only have 11 days left to buy your tickets to the Midtown Lunch 5th Birthday Party, but only one day left to score the limited edition ML T-Shirt. The shirt is only $12.50, but you will only be able to order it for one more day (and it’s only available with the purchase of a ticket to our Birthday Party.) Speaking of our birthday party, as a friendly reminder, everybody who has purchased a ticket before the end of the day today (5/31) will be entered into a drawing for $100 worth of food from Seamless Web. It’s just one of the many prizes we’ll be giving away to people who buy tickets to the party. Want to see everything you could win? There’s a list posted on the event page along with a newly added FAQ. And did we also mention that Food Gallery 32 has been added to the party (featuring food from Bian Dang and Boon Sik Zap)? And that not only will Ma Peche be there, but we found out over the weekend that Chef Tien Ho will be making a special banh mi just for the event!  And all proceeds benefit the Street Vendor Project. Get all the details here, and then buy your tickets before they’re gone>>

Shamas Deli Boasts Best Sandwiches in NYC


I first became aware of Shamas Deli (on 38th btw. Broadway+7th) when I noticed their many signs boldly proclaiming that they had the best sandwiches in NYC. It was laughable to me that this tiny little deli could event claim to have the best sandwiches in all of the 5 boroughs. For one thing, the sheer variety and number of sandwiches available in NYC makes any such blanket distinction pretty much arbitrary. And even if we did agree that a winner could be crowned, I’d bet just about anything it wouldn’t be this place. But I kind of liked their hubris, and tourist-baiting (although I absolutely do not approve of bodegas that claim to have the best coffee in NYC; that’s just stupid). So, I decided to give Shamas Deli a chance, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
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Treat Yourself This Weekend: to a pair of tickets to the Midtown Lunch 5th Birthday Party. Not only does your ticket get you a ton of great food and drink, but it benefits the Street Vendor Project. And if you buy your tickets before the end of this weekend you're entered to win $100 Gift Card to SeamlessWeb (plus a ton of other great presents at the event... which is only two weeks away!)

Lunch Links (The “I Hope You’re Not Still at Work” Edition)

  • Go Go Curry’s Eating Championship Finals are tomorrow (Saturday) [Go Go Curry]
  • Another person who thinks that Social Eatz’s burger is really good [Skinny Pig]
  • There is a super spicy halal cart on 32nd and Park [Me So Hungry]
  • Akdeniz can get pricey for lunch, but it’s delicious [Tasty Eating]
  • Stumptown is the only place remotely close to Midtown where you can get cold brewed ice coffee [Eater]

You Should Spend the Rest of the Day at BeerParc

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week 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. Mamacita is taking this week off, so Clay has stepped up to the plate.

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As you may have noticed by now, I’m an unapologetic booster of eating and drinking outdoors. That’s probably because I’m from Brooklyn, where backyards, gardens, patios and any patch of land big enough to fit two tables outside is enjoyed from the moment the mercury breaks 60 degrees. So, clearly, I was excited about BeerParc, the new beer garden in the back of FoodParc in the Eventi Hotel.

Given the soggy weather, its opening enjoyed much less fanfare than they’d hoped, I’m sure, but that doesn’t mean that some of us weren’t there right away to check it out. See what it’s all about after the jump.
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Baby Buck Sliders are Back Today: On the ML Twitter Tracker today: Rickshaw is on 45th & 6th, Kimchi Truck is on 46th & Lex, Korilla is hoping for 37th & B'way, Big D's Grub Truck is on 53rd & Lex, Bian Dang is on 50 btw. 6+7th, Schnitzel & Things is on 52nd & Lex, Wafels & Dinges is on 49th & 3rd, Luke's Lobster is on 40th & 6th, Treats Truck is on 45th & 6th, Mexicue is on 55th & Lex, Crisp is on 46th, and Tri Tip Grill will have their baby buck sliders again today.

Flatiron Lunch News: Mad Sq. Eats, Eataly, & Mexicue

Every Friday our man UltraClay goes south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

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I’m sure we all have our minds on the weekend at this point, so today’s post is just about some news and updates about goings on in the Flatiron Lunch area. In advance of Memorial Day Weekend, the theme of this week’s post is beer, barbecue and more outdoor eating. Check it out after the jump.

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Scouting Out Some New Trucks at Zagat’s Frenzy

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Summer may not start until this weekend, but on Monday I rang in the season early by performing a New Yorker’s seasonal ritual: standing in line with a couple hundred people at a food festival. It’s something I tend to avoid no matter what time of year, but despite that I made my way to West Chelsea to the Zagat Food Truck Frenzy in order to get a taste of some of the food trucks that don’t often make it to Midtown South or Flatiron. What I found was a number of tasty tacos and a bunch of trucks I want to try out some more.

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