PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Evan”
Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Since Flatiron only gets one day a week in the sun (Fridays), every once in a while we head south a throw a bone to the lunchers that toil away south of 32nd Street. This week it’s Evan, a restaurant PR person with a surprisingly un-PR’ish list of favorite lunchtime restaurants.
Name: Evan
Age: 24
Occupation: Restaurant and Hospitality Public Relations
Where in Midtown do you work? Bullfrog & Baum; we’re in Flatiron on 23rd Street.
Favorite Kind of Food: Every genre has its own kind of amazing going for it, but I’m partial to Thai, Vietnamese, Southern Italian, and Indian.
Least Favorite Kind of Food: anything with okra – do not want.
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Kofoo for quick, cheap, delicious beef bibimbap; Pongsri (on 23rd btw. 6+7th) for solid Thai curries and spicy, bright meat salads; Eataly for tomato focaccia and the calamari salad with olives, capers, and crunchy celery; Iron Sushi (on 3rd btw. 30+31st) for chirashi; Maffei’s (on 22nd & 6th) for a solid Grandma slice or plain cheese New York style (also love the meatballs and garlicky broccoli), Tbsp (on 20th btw. 5+6th) for the vegetable sandwich on focaccia; Taim Mobile for the vegetarian platter or the Sabbich.
“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Kofoo (on 8th btw. 26+27th). It’s convenient, inexpensive, and all about flavorful, no-nonsense Korean food. The nice lady at the register knows my usual, too (beef bibimbap, extra kimchee).
Places you have discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Blue Dog (on 25th btw. 6+7th)! Solid sandwiches.
If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Chinatown! I used to live in that neighborhood and could absolutely eat Peking duck and roast pork, gnarly curries, noodle soups, and dumplings all day, every day.
Anything you’d like to ask the midtown lunch readers? Ramen and tacos between flatiron and 32nd… Where do you get ’em?
Got an answer for Evan? Put it in the comments. Want to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate)? Email editor@midtownlunch.com.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:30 am, November 27th, 2012 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
20 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
I worked in Midtown East for four years, and am now at 25th and Park Ave South. Nice to see the thoughts of a Flatiron Luncher as I familiarize myself with the new terrain. First of all, Flatiron beats Midtown by a mile when it comes to lunch. It’s just true. The people are cooler, the food is tastier, the streets are kinder. Midtown is all grey, Flatiron is all tye-dye.
So, as far as tacos, no idea, but this really good Mexican place a couple of blocks from my office makes a mean burrito and I’m sure their tacos are spot-on, as well. Choza Taquería on Madison between 27th and 28th. Check it out. And hit me up when you go, I’ll down that freakin’ burrito any day.