Midtown Lunch

Now that we’re starting to return to normal eating here in Midtown, I finally made it to the Bryant Park Holiday Shops last week, which had closed for a time due to Sandy but are back open once again. On my initial walk around the park, I was surprised to find that Crepe Cafe, which I would assume to be a pretty self-explanatory booth, also offered a menu of Asian noodles. So, I changed my eating plans (I had been anticipating a lovely savory crepe) and decided to check out the potentially bizarre. Actually, it ended up being a very healthy portion of food in the end, and a fairly decent bowl of noodles on a cold day.
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Moroccan food truck Comme Ci Comme Ça has a special place in my heart because it was the first food truck I visited after I started working in midtown and became a Midtown Luncher. When it opened back in 2010, everyone was excited. Chef Samir and his crew consistently received Midtown Lunch write-ups after being nominated for a Vendy Award in 2011, and later that year won Street Meat Palooza 4.

Last week in the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker, I noticed Comme Ci Comme Ça was coming to Midtown before a run in Staten Island to give Hurricane Sandy aid, and that they are introducing a new loyalty card. I had been hoping to remind readers about the truck for quite some time, so this was a good opportunity.

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As I continue to hear news that many of our neighbors are still displaced by the hurricane, I thought it would be appropriate to try out a hotel bar for happy hour this week. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with hotel bars. They’re the type of place I love to go when I’m traveling for work or in an otherwise isolated airport hotel. It is a bar, after all, and sometimes they give you specials if you’re actually staying there. But rarely have I gone out of my way to enter a hotel bar in the city in which I live. I’ve always had the perception that the food is bad, the drinks are overpriced, and the service is not aimed to attract regulars. I was proven wrong a few weeks ago, when I had a great experience at Vander Bar, so I was hopeful that Silverleaf Tavern in the 70 Park Avenue Hotel (38th btw. Park & Madison) wouldn’t disappoint. I had heard from a friend they offered a decent happy hour food menu from 5:00 – 7:00. Indeed, according to their website, they have a nice selection of happy hour options: $2-$4 bar bites, $4 bottles, $5 house wines, and $5 wells, and $6 martinis.

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The annual Thanksgiving Croissant, featuring turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing baked inside a croissant, is back at Momofuku Milk Bar (on 56th btw. 5+6th) starting this week.  Very exciting news indeed… but you’ve got to get their early.  They were sold out by the time I stopped by at 12:30pm today.

There was a lot of excitement and controversy over the Trusty Truck when we announced they were parking in the heart of Midtown a few weeks back. The excitement was evident when I showed up in the midst of the lunch rush and discovered that they had run out of food. The owner was very apologetic and even offered free samples to those customers that had been waiting in line. The controversy took place in the comments when an overwhelming number of new commenters praised the food while other commenters made accusations of shills.

Well, the truck itself has stuck to the edges of Midtown and has only re-entered the belly of the beast (47th and Vanderbilt) this week. I found them on 40th and Sixth Avenue a few weeks back with a manageable line and a pretty focused staff. I ordered one of their infamous durgers, which is described as a hamburger in the shape of a hot dog. Along with a side of sweet potato fries, I spent $10 and was out of there in about 10 minutes.

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In lieu of our regular Flatiron review, we wanted to encourage you to do your part to help our neighborhood eating establishments who all took a hit during Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Fellow Lunch’ers,

We hope your lives are starting to return to normal. With so many in the tri-state area still without power and heat, it is hard to feel normal putting in 9-5. I can tell you I have been feeling the pull of wanting to volunteer all last week and this week. I spent a couple hours last Sunday with 20 other volunteers helping to demo a restaurant that took on about 8 feet of water by South Street Seaport. At the risk of sounding preachy, it made me feel like I helped even if it was just a couple hours, and throwing out a restaurant-sized fridge worth of spoiled food made my fridge and freezer clean out seem minor (and it was). I can also tell you week old scallops without refrigeration can stink up a city block instantly. If you want to help, Occupy Sandy continues to post needs and volunteer opportunities.

For something we can all do a little closer to home to help – EAT OUT! What did you say? We all already do that? Well, keep doing it!

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Since food trucks are still out doing the important work of helping Hurricane Sandy victims, Midtown Lunchers have more limited choices than usual. But it’s a great thing! I love that the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City has embraced our food trucks, and it seems this effort is benefitting everyone involved. Plus, I’m getting a chance to hit up one of my favorite classic carts: El Rey Del Sabor.

El Rey Del Sabor is a Midtown Lunch sweetheart, and it has recently been voted one of the fifteen top places for Mexican food in NYC by Eater’s readers. I’ve been attempting to go through the menu slowly but surely, trying their tamales, pastelillos, and… now their tortas. There are many culinary examples of tortas that vary from country to country, but in Mexico, they are a meat-filled sandwich on a white, crusty roll. Zach put them on his Midtown wish list way back in 2007, and since then they have popped up at Certe and Mexico Blvd. Mamacita also gave a good rec to a torta of the pork variety in a write up about El Rey Del Sabor not long ago. I was really looking forward to giving them a shot.

Well, readers, in a nutshell: I fought the torta, and the torta won. Twice.

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OUR NOVEMBER SANDWICH – “GIVING THANKS” STARTS 2DAY! TURKEY MEATLOAF, CRANBERRY KETCHUP, STRING BEAN CASSEROLE – NEED WE SAY MORE??

— Certé NYC (@Certe) November 7, 2012

Certe‘s November sandwich hits today, and not surprisingly, it’s Thanksgiving themed. They also tweeted a photo of the giving thanks sandwich, which includes turkey meatloaf, cranberry ketchup and string bean casserole. It kind of reminds me of Milkbar’s Thanksgiving croissant (which is now on their menu, btw), in that it’s Thanksgiving leftovers in a nice little package. I wonder if Certe’s version will also become one of our favorite turkey dishes in Midtown?

I love pumpkin, and I get really excited during this time of year when seasonal pumpkin dishes start popping up on menus. Yet, if there is one thing I can’t stand, it is the pumpkin spice latte. It makes me nuts when Starbucks declares that they have the seasonal drink in stores (which was months ago, by the way — waaaaay too early for my pumpkin cravings), and people get so excited. Every couple of years I think to myself, “Self, you should give that drink another shot — it can’t be that bad if everyone and their mother is excited.” And then, half a second after the first sip, I think to myself, “Self, it can’t possibly taste this way on purpose, can it?!” It is coffee for people who hate coffee and clearly don’t understand the nuances of the pumpkin.

Now that that is off my chest, let’s talk about some of the wonderful pumpkin dishes Midtown is currently offering, for when you get that pumpkin craving.

Pumpkin Muffin from Le Pain Quotidien

If you’re looking for pumpkin for breakfast, Le Pain Quotidien does a very nice pumpkin muffin ($2.85). I am especially a fan of the pumpkin seeds on top — they add a textural contrast and sweetness to balance the spices inside the muffin.

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