Midtown Lunch

When Fusion 9th went Fukushima after a very short period of time (not like we’re gonna miss their meh-at-best food) it was a near given that a restaurant would come into the space. Nobody really expected such a quick-draw on part of Larb Ubol/Isan Authentic Thai, though – there was maybe about two months tops of vacancy on this 9th Ave frontage. It’s unironic cliche on Midtown Lunch that 9th has tons of Thai places, some that are even good, and some that had the ol’ eyebrow raised. When they opened not a week after our newspost, it was time to match their quickdraw with a quick review. Doubly so because this spot is the creation of Ratchanee Sumpatboon, formerly of Zabb Elee. Does Larb Ubol Thai the knot or is it amongst the dustbin of pad thai history?
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As you round the corner on 60th Street at Park Avenue, just on the brink of Midtown East, wafts of barbecue grilled meat greet you. If you follow that smell, you end up half way down the block where a wood and charcoal burning grill sits on the front patio of Amali Restaurant, surrounded by a wooden lattice with an adorable take out counter to order from. With quite possibly the only wood and charcoal burning grill out on the street in Midtown Manhattan, Amali has rolled out Amali Street Food for lunch this summer, and they’re serving up some pretty awesome sandwiches with the new outdoor grill!

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That sure didn’t take long, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer place. Kati House (on 36th btw. 8+9th), which opened last month and seems to have become my boss’ favorite food spot, apparently got a visit from the NYPD last week. Said boss was by them and found the sign, and those bright pieces of paper are closure orders and NYPD notices galore. The bright orange one says it all: ABC Violation. Looks like they got hit with the 9th Ave serve-the-underage-itis! We’ll keep everyone posted, but it looks like it’s back to Kati Roll Company for those who want ’em.

Pie Face seems to cropping up in Midtown like hungry dingoes around a nursery. We’ve seen a bunch of them come up over the last year or so, and now that their newest location on 9th and 36th is open it’s high time we gave them a look beyond breakfast food and giant morasses of mashed peas, potatoes, and gravy over a meat pie (can you GET any more British Commonwealth chow than this?). On their first weekday open, running 24-7-365, can they carry a tune when it comes time to Pie Face the music?
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Doner kebab fans, rejoice! After being hit by a DoH closure that has lasted for over a month, Lezzette (on 34th btw. 8+9th) has been finally cleared to re-open. Traffic from this awesome gyro and/or Mediterranean salad joint was decent, but clearly there are a few readers and commenters waiting for the word. The word is “gyros,” ladies and gents!  You’re all clear to return…

Lezzette, 369 West 34th (btw. 8th and 9th)

When DiSo’s Italian Sandwich Society‘s bright red truck started parking in Midtown in June, the lines were long and the temperatures outside were HOT. On the first day of business in Midtown, Lunch’ers were commenting that the sandwiches were delicious, but wait times were up to 45 minutes with the truck running out of bread by 1:45. Since then, we’ve gone back a couple of times for a closer look…

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Ba mee from Larb Ubol in Hell’s Kitchen. Photo courtesy of EIT

• Zabb Elee’s chef is now cooking in Hell’s Kitchen at Larb Ubol [EIT]
• This kid says Clarke’s Standard is the only burger in Midtown worth eating [AHT]
• The wait at Ippudo on Tuesday at Noon was 20 minutes [Ramen & Friends]
• Where to eat near Penn Station [SENY]
• Hyo Dong Gak is celebrating their 10 year anniversary with $7 jjanjangmyeon [Pabo Page]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent posts about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

A few Saturdays ago, I ran into some friends I consider to be pretty awesome catching a cab in my neighborhood. They were on their way to Midtown to have brunch at Lillie’s in Times Square, which they described as “beautiful” and “pretty cool”. Although Chris was unhappy with their hidden online prices, and Sarah was somewhat disappointed with the food quality in the Union Square location, I wanted to find out if their happy hour was anything to rave about.

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Simply Sliders, the closet-sized kitchen on 43rd St. (btw. 3rd+Lex), has expanded its menu of belly bombers, and since I was a big fan of their original offerings, I had to try them out. The results were good.

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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 ran into a Chinese friend and her brother, who is a chef (well, really they are Los Angelenos with Chinese heritage), and they said something about Chinese dinner. Since she lives near 25th Street and 6 Avenue, I was hopeful she would give me a tip for an awesome Chinese restaurant nearby, but when I emailed her to get the details, I was so disappointed to learn the Chinese dinner had come from Chinatown. Not fair. But not surprising.

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