Archive for December 2011

Don’t Forget To Vote: We're taking the week off, but if you have to work here's something you can do to kill the time.  Vote in the 2011 Readers' Poll!  Here are all the categories: Biggest Midtown DisappointmentBest Flatiron LunchBest Thai Food, Best Korean Fast FoodBest Kati RollBest SweetsBest Lobster RollBest Chinese Fast FoodBest PizzaBest FalafelBest Street MeatBest CoffeeBest RamenBest Hamburger, Best Happy Hour Bar Bites.

Lunch Links (The “We’re Out of Here, See You Next Year!” Edition)


The patty melt from Burger Heaven. Photo courtesy of SENY

  • 3 Great Burger Joints Near Rock Center [AHT]
  • Jacques Torres and the Plaza Food Hall are great places to do holiday shopping [Eater]
  • Kashmir Restaurant is now dollar burger!?! [Fork in the Road]
  • KTown restaurants complain that the DOH doesn’t understand kimchi [WSJ]
  • More details on the Plaza Food Hall expansion [Blackbook]
  • This might be the worst Top 10 lunches in Midtown list we’ve ever seen… [Business Insider]
  • Our fearless leader posts a photo of every lunch he ate in 2011 [Midtown Lunch: LA]

Best Happy Hour Bar Bites: 2011 Readers’ Poll

It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Mamacita’s quest to quench her thirst is only matched by her desire to dig into some cheap pub grub. Every week she puts her liver on the line in the name of our Midtown Happy Hour column. Beers are gulped, shots are downed, cute bartenders are ogled, and most importantly food is eaten, all to help you discover the best places to hit up after work here in Midtown. Without further ado, here are the nominees for best happy hour bar bites in Midtown:

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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Biggest Midtown Disappointments: 2011 Readers’ Poll

It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

As the year comes to a close here on Midtown we wanted to pay tribute to all of our favorite places that closed down during 2011. This year, based on a suggestion in the comments, we’ve decided to expand the category to include all the biggest disappointments of the year. Which one made you the saddest?

Pay tribute and vote after the jump…

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Obao’s Beef Salad Is My Kind of Salad

Obao, Midtown East’s branch of Michael Huynh’s Bao empire, has had its share of both cheerleaders and detractors on this site. With the majority of the menu items clocking in at $10 and over, the restaurant is firmly in “high-end to splurge” territory for Midtown Lunch’ers. However, there was an item that caught my eye one day recently when I was looking for a lighter, healthy-ish lunch: Obao’s Beef Salad.

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Best Flatiron Lunch: 2011 Readers’ Poll

It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Since Flatiron Lunch started, almost two years ago, the options in the neighborhood have exploded. From various Italian options at last year’s winner, Eataly, to Mexican, Barbecue, Filipino and more, there hasn’t been a better time to lunch in the area. That’s especially true if you’re a fan of dougnuts. So, what’s the best?  Here are the nominees for the best Flatiron Lunch…

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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Flex Donuts New Cruller is This Year’s Best Use of Bacon

Maple Bourbon Bacon

After my first trip to the second incarnation of Flex Donuts Pop-Up at Zócalo in Grand Central Terminal, I heard of another flavor being offered that was not. to. be. missed. Maple Bourbon Bacon. Not a true holey doughnut, Chef Zac Young is serving this up in cruller form. Of course I got one along with one of another flavor, caramel apple, for research purposes. I’m going to flat out say that this was the best bacon product I’ve tasted all year.

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Best Midtown Thai Food: 2011 Readers’ Poll

It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Most of the best Thai food in Midtown is a bit of bounds… but when great khao soi or papaya salad is involved, we’re willing to go those extra few blocks.  And for those who aren’t?  There are still a few decent options to be had.  Here are the nominees for best Thai food in Midtown…

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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Tri Trip Grand Central To Open January 10th

tri tip sign

Get ready meat-loving midtown east lunch’rs! Signage went up this week at the long promised Tri Tip Grand Central. The planned opening is on January 10th, but the owner says they are hoping to do some soft opening stuff the week/weekend before. We’ll keep you posted with any details as they come in…

Best Midtown Korean Fast Food: 2011 Readers’ Poll

It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Midtown has never been deprived of great Korean options.  32nd street is a nice walk or quick subway ride away from most.  And there was always that random deli serving a decent enough bibimbap in the back.  But this year things seemed to get a little crazy with Korean food trucks and carts popping up left and right.  And Food Gallery 32 gave us the monster Korean food court we’ve always wanted.  But are any of these enough to topple Woorijip, the reigning champ in this category 4 years running?  Here are the nominees for best Korean fast food in Midtown:

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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