Midtown Lunch

Andrea reported a few weeks ago about a brand new cart that started appearing downtown before the hurricane. I’ve noticed on their Twitter feed that Toast Monster has now been hanging out in Midtown on 50th and 6th Avenue. At first I thought they might be specializing in Taiwanese milk toast, but a look at their small menu reveals different versions of toasted sandwiches. From sweet french toast sammiches to more savory options like Mac & Cheese with Sloppy Joe and Steak, Potatoes, and Gravy, I think this sounds potentially delicious! Anybody been by yet to check it out? No word yet on where they’re parked today, but you can check their Twitter feed to keep track.

Just in case that incessant Korean pop song wasn’t already eternally stuck in your brain, a new cart appeared recently to ensure that Gangnam Style never goes out of style. Thanks to an email from Luncher Tom, we learned about a new Korean cart serving bulgogi and BBQ chicken and pork platters on Madison and 35th Street 33rd Street? Not sure how extensive their menu is yet or if the workers will be doing the infamous dance while they serve the food. Has anybody tried it out yet?

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (We’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

The ceviche tasting flight at La Mar in Lima.

Blondie wants to eat all the brick chicken at Potlikker in Williamsburg, Brownie reverse engineered the recipe for Red Lobster cheesy biscuits, Brian counts the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery as one of his favorite desserts in town, Rachel had sushi for dinner and I am looking forward to a ceviche brunch in Peru this weekend.

Elsewhere in the ML universe… Jamie found a place that makes kathi rolls in Philadelphia, Andrea had a massive pork cemita from Tacos El Idolo and Zach ate at 10 Korean restaurants in Los Angeles in 15 days.

Just a week before Hurricane Sandy hit, I was having one of those days where I was in the mood for something decadent. I just needed lobster. I knew Red Hook Lobster Pound was at the New York Public Library that day. And although I knew full well a lobster roll was over the Midtown Lunch price range… I did it anyway, and it was awesome. On a regular old lunch break in Bryant Park, I was instantly transported to Maine… but the lobster roll was actually better than what I’ve tried there! I became an instant fan. I had no idea that a few weeks later I would be writing a post to help get this truck back up on its feet.

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I don’t know of many spots in Midtown that offer grits at lunchtime, so Daisy’s Grits at the Bryant Park Holiday Shops may have the market cornered this winter with their many options of sweet, savory and cheesy grits. The menu is surprisingly vast and even surprising, and if you’re anything like me, you’re going to have a hard time making up your mind between cheese grits, Colombian chorizo, shrimp-n-grits, Cantonese spinach … I told you, the list is unexpected.
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We thought that our live blog of the very first lunch service at Guy’s American Bar & Grill (on 44th btw. 7+8th) was pretty great… but it pales in comparison to the treatment it received today as the New York Times’ weekly restaurant review. Pete Wells asks 50 (I counted) rhetorical questions of Guy Fieri in one of the most amazing and memorable reviews I’ve ever read. I couldn’t possibly do it justice by saying any more, so I simply encourage to read the masterpiece and share your favorite lines in the comments. Here are mine…

• Did panic grip your soul as you stared into the whirling hypno wheel of the menu, where adjectives and nouns spin in a crazy vortex?
• How did nachos, one of the hardest dishes in the American canon to mess up, turn out so deeply unlovable?
• And when we hear the words Donkey Sauce, which part of the donkey are we supposed to think about?
• Why did the toasted marshmallow taste like fish?
• Oh, and we never got our Vegas fries; would you mind telling the kitchen that we don’t need them?

Pizza by Certe (on 56th btw. Park+Lex) tweeted this morning that the Thanksgiving pizza that Anna enjoyed around this time last year is back. When it comes to conventional Thanksgiving table ingredients, this pie has it all: Turkey meatballs, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy, butternut squash fondue and cranberries, although according to Anna, last year it didn’t actually conjure up traditional Thanksgiving images in her mind when she ate it. Still, worth a trip over there to check it out!

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 Dylan, an Advertising guy who is itching to show his loyalty to some Midtown Lunch spots.

Name: Dylan

Age: 23

Occupation: Advertising

Where in Midtown do you work? 52nd and Broadway

Favorite Kind of Food: American – Burgers, steak, and pub food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Not a huge seafood fan

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Anything off the grill at Crown Deli (on B’way btw. 52+53rd), most of Cafe Duke (on 51st btw. 6+7th)

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Steak and Shake (on B’way btw. 53+54th). It’s just too close, and too cheap.

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As if yesterday’s Times Sq. Bagel news wasn’t enough… we recently got a tip from a Midtown Luncher that an additional location of Japanese bakery Cafe Zaiya has replaced Oms/b on 45th St. (btw. 3rd & Lex). Oms/b, which was highlighted by Midtown Lunch in 2006 and several times thereafter, specialized in omusubi, or Japanese rice balls. Cafe Zaiya also serves omusubi, in addition to many baked goods.

When I stopped by yesterday, the restaurant’s awning still said Oms/b, but a sign near the door had been covered in what appeared to be foil, with a Cafe Zaiya decal next to it. Although we are saddened to see a Midtown Lunch favorite close, it’ll be interesting to see how Cafe Zaiya #2 (or technically, #3 if you include the one in the bookstore on 6th Ave.) adapts to its locale. Clearly the restaurant owners aren’t afraid of competition; much like their original location on 41st btw. 5th and Madison, Japanese restaurants abound on the block (think Menchanko Tei, Riki, and Chef’s Secret). The space is much smaller than the original location with little seating and less space for food — however, many of the same items covered in an extensive food porn guide back in 2009 were on display. Staff were giving away small samples of one of the items covered in that post, the Spicy Tuna Bun.

After 12 years in Times Square, Times Square Hot Bagel will soon close its doors. Citing high rent, the bagel shop on 44th street, just west of Broadway will shutter in two weeks. I’m in a mild state of shock over the news … I work across the street and can’t tell you how many times this little bagel shop has come to my rescue with an egg-and-cheese-on-a-toasted-everything the morning after late nights in the office. Just today, the tiny storefront was jam-packed with New Yorkers and tourists alike looking for breakfast. Thanks to Lunch’er Wendy for the tip.

Times Square Hot Bagels, 200 W 44th St (btw. 7+8th), 212-997-7300