Midtown Lunch

It’s a new month, which means a new Sandwich of the Month from Certe (on 55th btw. 5+6th). This month’s sandwich is the Duck Duck Jus: Duck confit, white bean duck liver puree, steamed swiss chard, and duck cracklings on a duck stock dipped baguette. I have to say, I had high hopes going into this duck extravaganza because a) I like all of these things and b) Cer Te’s other duck sandwich was just plain amazing.

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Of all the food TV personalities, we wouldn’t exactly say Rachael Ray screams Midtown Lunch (can you imagine us saying yum-o about anything?)  But her SxSw shows are pretty badass and we do love cheap food from a truck… so this news is actually kind of exciting.  Tomorrow (Thursday, November 3rd) RR will roll out her “Two Buck Truck” onto Vanderbilt btw. 42+43rd. On the menu will be chopped brisket sliders and touchdown chili for only $2. And that’s not $2 each, that’s $2 for BOTH. How can you beat that deal? The truck will serve 500 people starting at 1pm, but they recommend you get there a little earlier if you can. All proceeds go to charity, limit one serving per person. Oh, and we’ve been told Rachael Ray herself will be making an appearance (if such a thing excites you.)

• Little Morocco will be gone for the next two weeks [Midtown Eating]
• Feed Your Hole isn’t that bad, and their hot sauce is LEGIT [Midtown Eating]
• Anybody have any Jersey City lunch recs? [Eating in Other Areas of NYC]
• Looking for good indoor plazas in Midtown East [Midtown Eating]
• A new Pret is opening on 45th btw. 5+6th [Midtown Eating]

I can’t say that I’ll miss it but what used to be Boi Restaurant then switched to Foodie (44th btw 2+3rd Ave) is gone. I never got around to try it but I remember my coworkers saying they enjoyed the dumplings. It’s always sad to see a place shutter, but with a name like that are we really that surprised?  Let’s just hope something good will replace it.

But wait… there’s more.

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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 we’re excited to welcome our old friend Kim Ima from the Treats Truck to the pages of ML. Her cookbook “The Treats Truck Baking Book” comes out today, so we thought it would be fun to ask her where she eats for lunch and give away a few copies at the end of the post.

Name: Kim

Age: Hard to tell! I think I am in my 40s, but I feel like a combo of 12 yrs old and 75 yrs old (part kid running a lemonade stand, part grandma baking for all the neighbors)

Occupation: Owner/baker/driver of The Treats Truck

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Well, two Midtown spots were my mainstay for over four years, but now… I move around a bit more than that! All over Manhattan and bits of Brooklyn and the other boroughs for special events.

Favorite Kind of Food: Any and all, both savory and sweet, as long as it’s fresh and made with care and is delicious! Although I must admit a very special place in my heart for Mexican food as my goto comfort food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Pre-packaged sandwiches and overly processed food.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I have a lot of favorite carts and trucks, plus a few sit-down restaurants, but the street food and the vendors have my heart! I love all my fellow truckers and carts, so it feels like picking favorites to list any, so here are a few but know that the love runs deep for all of them! El Rel Del Sabor Mexican Cart on 43rd & 6th (anything), Jamaican Dutchy truck (the mini meal stew chicken with rice and peas), Moshe’s Falafel (either a snack of falafel and pickles or a full falafel sandwich with lots of hot sauce, tahini and pickles), Le Gamin Truck (savory crepe with goat cheese and whatever they recommend that day), Wafels and Dinges (a mini wafelini with a dinges), Frites N Meats (cheeseburger and fries!), Eddie’s Pizza Truck (straight up cheese pizza) and Mexicue (burnt end chili slider and a chicken taco). For sit down, Cafe Edison on 47th btw. B’way+8th (again, goto comfort food like the matzo ball or bean soups or a dinner of some sort, like my grandma’s, and I love the comforting atmosphere of a diner. Diners are second only to home kitchens of my friends and family), Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) at the Parker Meridien Hotel (go with one or two friends for a cheeseburger and a beer. The atmosphere is cosy and fun but you need to go when it isn’t too crowded or then it can feel rushed), and most ramen joints (I wish I had a fave and hope to find one someday). I have a new category for you, which I will include here! Wish list of new future favorite Lunch(es) in Midtown: Favorite ramen joint, favorite Korean cart, favorite Korean sit down (I always just go to 32nd and randomly walk in), favorite salad, favorite Japanese sit down.

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Followers of The Bistro Truck on twitter may have noted with concern the recent tweets saying that yesterday was its last day on the road for a while. Yesterday afternoon, a notice when out from their PR folks saying that chef Yassir was heading to Morocco to “gather inspiration” and that “big plans” and “exciting news and updates” would be coming when he returned.  Zagat Buzz apparently received the email and speculates about a potential brick and mortar launch. We can’t say either way, but have no idea how we’re going to manage 2-3 months without that delicious mixed grill platter.

The forums have been abuzz about Gobuki, since they opened three weeks ago on 52nd street at 6th avenue. According to the woman running the show, the cart has a new owner, and it replaces a cart that used to serve Korean noodles (which earned a Midtown Lunch sticker that is still on display in the picture above!). Some thought they replaced Bapcha, but I can confirm that both their carts are still on 49th street, safe and sound (unless it was, in fact, a satellite location).

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Peace out Halloween, it’s time to think about turkey and stuffing! The croissant that inspired “Grease is nature’s lip gloss” is back at MomoMilkBar (56th btw 5th+6th) today! If you’re nursing a post-Halloween hangover, turkey, cranberry sauce, and gravy are waiting for you. Chocolate chocolate cookies and Chocolate Chip Cake are also returning to the menu!

Related:
MomoMilkBar Selling a Thanksgiving Dinner Stuffed Croissant!

With cold weather upon us (hello, Snowtober!), most of the Softees are snug in their depots until April. But Coolhaus is still on their streets and they’re packing hot chocolate in addition to special fall ice cream flavors including Bourbon Pecan Pie, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, & Sweet Potato with Marshmallow and pumpkin pie cookies. Besides their signature hot chocolate they will be debuting hot chocolates inspired by ice cream flavors including Dirty Mint Hot Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Chipotle Hot Chocolate and Nutella Hot Chocolate. Follow Coolhaus on Twitter @CoolhausNY or via the ML Twitter Tracker. Early adopters let us know your thoughts in the comments!