I’m never scared about eating from a food cart. We’ve touted their cleanliness and deliciousness for years, but when I found out that El Rey del Sabor would be serving actual grasshoppers (chapulines) from their three carts this week, I knew I would have to face my first insect lunch. And my heart slowly made its way to my throat.
Posted by brianhoffman at 9:30 am, October 26th, 2011 under El Rey Del Sabor.
So bummed to read yesterday on Eater that Tien Ho has left as chef of Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th). We’ve always been huge fans of his, and not just because he brought Momofuku to Midtown, installed a Midtown Lunch menu, and made sandwiches for our 5th Birthday Party. (Wait… that’s actually exactly why we love him!) Anyway, Tien will be sorely missed but he let us know that his replacement, Paul Carmichael, is awesome and will do the restaurant proud. I think I speak for everyone when I say, as long he doesn’t do away with the Midtown Lunch menu, we’ll all get along just fine!
Posted by The ML Team at 3:30 pm, October 25th, 2011 under In the Forums.
In case you haven’t noticed, preparations are under way for the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park which open this Wednesday Thursday. I was prepared to snark about it not even being Halloween yet, but then I saw the ladies setting up the Turkish pastry booth that I so enjoyed last year. Grinch be gone. Can’t wait for some spinach gözleme! The shops are opened Monday–Friday: 11am–8pm (as well as 10am–9pm on Saturday and 10am–6pm on Sunday). The official website doesn’t have much info yet. We’ll keep you posted on the other food options once the place is up and running.
Posted by Brownie at 1:30 pm, October 25th, 2011 under Bryant Park.
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 Andrew Steinthal, a Midtown Lunch’er I can completely relate to. Not only is he a publicist at Warner Bros. Records, but Andrew is also co founder of Immaculate Infatuation- one of my favorite NYC restaurant blogs. And they just released a great new iphone app to help you find recommended dinner spots all over New York City. Of course we’re more interested in hearing where he eats lunch!
Name: Andrew
Age: 31
Occupation: Publicist at Warner Bros. Records and Co-Founder of Immaculate Infatuation
Where in Midtown do you Work?: 6th Ave between 51st & 52nd St.
Favorite Kind of Food: Lobster rolls, burgers, oysters, sushi, steak, seafood, salad, pizza, ramen. I like it all.
Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t like cheese. I know, that’s not normal. I also hate mushrooms and am scared of Indian food.
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Burger Joint (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for burger and fries. Bouchon Bakery (on 48th btw. 5+6th) for hearts of romaine salad with chicken. Kodama Sushi (on 45th btw. 8+9th) for spicy crunch tuna roll/Eel Cucumber roll (they deliver). Ma Peche (on 56th btw. 5+6th) for rice noodles. Bella Napoli (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for their buffalo chicken pizza slice. Blue Dog Cafe (on 56th btw. 6+7th) for their Laguna Beach smoothie. Prime Burger (on 51st btw. Mad+5th) for their turkey club. Hale & Hearty for their chicken & corn chowder.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:45 am, October 25th, 2011 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
Who Wants Afternoon Treats?: On the ML Twitter Tracker today... Coolhaus is on 44th & Lex and you can get $1 off by whispering "Trick or Treat", Bob & Jo are on 46th btw. 5+6th, Crisp on Wheels is on 49th btw. 6+7th, Comme Ci Comme Ca is on 36th & B'way, Wafels & Dinges is on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd w/ bacon liege waffles, Schnitzel & Things is on Park btw. 51+52nd, and the Treats Truck will be on 60th and B'way this afternoon at 4pm.
Posted at 11:15 am, October 25th, 2011 | 2 Comments
Part of what we do at Midtown Lunch is try the stuff you don’t want to and let you know if it’s worth your time. Enter the non-meat sandwiches at the Salume kiosk in Times Square. While checking whether Snack Box had opened (it had not), I passed by Salume this afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world anyone would order off the vegetarian menu at a store that clearly prides itself on its authentic sliced and cured Italian meats.
So, I ordered two.
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 9:45 am, October 25th, 2011 under Italian, Salume Kiosk, Sandwiches.
Anybody who’s been to the Kwik Meal cart lately has most likely noticed the photo of owner Muhammed Rahman with celebrity chef Bobby Flay taken from the Throwdown episode where Bobby beat Taim with Kwik Meal’s falafel recipe. And anybody who reads this site on a regular basis knows about the family feud between Muhammed and his brother, who operates the neighboring Fahima Halal Cart. Over the last few years, Fahima has done everything to lure customers away from Kwik Meal- including serving practically the same food. But their latest shenanigans might be the most ridiculous stunt of all…
Posted by brianhoffman at 8:30 am, October 25th, 2011 under Fahima Halal Food.
Get $15 of Indian Food for $2: Today, KGB Deals is offering $15 of worth of food at Kiran Indian Restaurant on 55th btw. Lex+3rd for just $2. We've never been, and eating at a place willing to sell that much food for $2 is kind of scary, but what's the worst that can happen? Bad lunch, and you've wasted $2. Cheapskates, engage!
Posted at 3:30 pm, October 24th, 2011 | 2 Comments
Sunday was the Grub Street Food Festival at the Hester Street Fair. As expected, the food was extremely diverse and, all-around, pretty incredible. But, with over 100 vendors, no human — not even myself — could possibly taste one of everything. Of course, I did my best, and while there were some Midtown Lunch favorites like the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Mexicue, the real stars seemed to hail from out-of-bounds spots like the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.
Here are three vendors that we should all hope will make their way to Midtown ASAP! Please?
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 2:30 pm, October 24th, 2011 under Event.
