Midtown Lunch

Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

I know I talk about my love of Curry Hill too much, but really, it’s the best (in Flatiron Lunch at the least!) I recently went with a few potential spots in mind for lunch, but willing to make a game time decision. In the process, I stumbled upon Singapura – A gem of a restaurant that adds a new dimension to Curry Hill. Specifically, a Hakka Chinese/Malaysian/Thai dimension.

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Thanks to Lunch’er Derrick for passing along this piece of good news! I think it’s safe to say most people just care about the bakery and the bento anyway, right?

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Cafe Zaiya on 41st Closed Due to Building Fire

Since they launched back in 2009, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck hasn’t spent much time in Midtown, and in this week’s episode of the Food is the New Rock podcast (featuring our own Zach Brooks) they explain why: it was the Mister Softee mafia that kept them away.  They also talk about the time they were shaken down by elite Yelpers, and even the Midtown Lunch commenters get mentioned! (Zach and the guys kind of agreed, you guys are evil.)  Download or stream the episode for free on iTunes>>

Photo courtesy of Donny Tsang

Along with many Midtown Lunchers, I’ve been walking past Nino’s 46, formerly Nino’s Trattoria, waiting for signs of it opening for many months. Finally it has undergone a soft opening, but to our dismay the menu had become far more expensive. Lunchers, I’m here to report: our fears that Nino’s Trattoria reincarnation Nino’s 46 is no longer a Midtown Lunch are pretty much confirmed. My coworker and I dropped by this week anyway to give it a shot.

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As we slowly go through the food options at this year’s Bryant Park Holiday Shops, we need to stop everything and discuss something. Doughnuts. Specifically, the ones from Dough. On the 40th Street side, in a kiosk between the Southwest Porch and the ‘wichcraft ice cream/hot chocolate kiosk, lies the best little booth filled with fresh doughnut goodness. Midtowners, this is win to the nth degree.

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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. 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).

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