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.

While browsing the comments section of a very old FL post, I noticed a reader recommended the pasta bar in the back of Bravo Pizza. It was not an easy feat to walk by stuffed pizzas, Chicago and NY style pizzas, Grandma slices. But I was on a mission.

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Over the past few days, those of you who popped into Schmackary’s (45th btw 8th+9th) for an afternoon cookie or coffee may have noticed a familiar face behind the counter or possibly even a short song and dance. Literally. Because all this week Broadway stars and yes, even some Tony nominees/winners have been slinging sweets for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Half of the sales and all of the tips this week will be donated to the charity, which “awards annual grants to more than 450 Aids and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund including the HIV/AIDS initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.” We’ve got the rundown of who’s serving today, tomorrow and Saturday afternoon (seriously, today’s 3-5pm lady is one of biggest names around!)

The first three days have been filled with Tony winners including three 2014 nominees yesterday alone (sorry, Brian J. Smith, Lena Hall and Audra McDonald fans!), but here’s the schedule so you don’t miss any more.

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A show of hands please, from everyone who suffers from menu FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Who among us hasn’t hesitated when ordering, perhaps calling a last second audible, petulantly flip flopping between dishes. What could be worse than sulking over a bánh mì while secretly coveting your dining companion’s bowl of phở (or vice versa)? Co Ba, a welcome addition to the sparse Vietnamese restaurant population in Hells Kitchen, provides the perfect solution for this by serving a soup and sandwich combo ($12) that gives lunchers the best of both worlds.
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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.

Not that this is a fair battle, but a friend’s wedding recently took me to Portugal, and, while most of my meals were related to the wedding, I did manage to find a few that I would like to import to New York (or you should at least check out if you travel to Lisbon.) One day while sightseeing in Lisbon, we were lucky enough to come across an outdoor festival of all things Portuguese in Rossio Square. I could have bought shots of Ginjinha (traditional cherry liqueur) in chocolate shot cups, but instead, I was immediately drawn to the tent with raclette. Who doesn’t like the sight of raclette? While waiting for my food, I noticed the name Sabbores Dos Azores, so I will someday figure out how raclette is a thing in Switzerland and small islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

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The date for the 10th annual Vendy Awards have been announced and now is the time to purchase tickets and nominate your favorite food vendor. This year the event will be on Saturday, September 13 and will return to Governor’s Island, which is always a beautiful setting to enjoy the best street food in the city.

Nominees are chosen by the public’s write-ins so now is your chance to make sure your favorite street meat cart (or gourmet fusion taco truck) gets nominated. Vote for your favorite at the website here.

General Admission, VIP, and Early Bird tickets are available for purchase by clicking here. The tickets always sell out and while the price is a bit more than a typical Midtown Lunch, there is always more than enough food to go around and all the proceeds go to the Street Vendor Project, who continually fight for the rights of NYC’s street vendors.

Of all of the notable culinary contributions that Hawaii has gifted the world, I would argue that none is more perplexingly low brow yet delicious than loco moco. Like many dishes from the Hawaiian culinary repertoire this garbage plate marries elements of east and west – a hamburger patty over white rice, drenched with brown gravy and gilded with a fried egg over easy. It’s a blue collar sort of dish, rich as hell, and in the right hands, a thing of beauty.

Enter Big D’s Khao cart which launched a few months back (typically located at 50th and 6th). Instead of Korean inspired tacos and grinders, the Khao cart has tightly focused on rice bowls (khao translates to ‘rice’ in Thai and Lao) accented with Vietnamese and Thai flavors. But there’s also a very successful riff on loco moco on the menu, called the Loco Grande ($9).

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Broadway Bites is returning to Greeley Square (33rd & Broadway), and the list of food vendors has been finalized. This event, which brings big name Chefs and artisinal producers together into one tidy ensemble, will be open daily from June 3-August 1 between the hours of 11am-9pm.

The confirmed vendors include: Brooklyn Taco, Gelato Ti Amo, La Newyorkina, Melt Bakery, Palenque, Graffiti / Me & You, CAЯNAVAL, Hong Kong Street Cart, Onigiri by Tampopo and Breads Bakery, Roberta’s, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Bar Suzette, La Sonrisa Empanadas, Macaron Parlour, Mayhem & Stout, Mighty Balls, Chutney, Asiadog, Nunu Chocolates, Bangkok Bar, Stuffed Artisan Cannolis, Arancini Bros, Charlito’s Cocina, Mimi & Coco NY, Seoul Lee Korean BBQ, Mexicue, Mrs. Dorsey’s Kitchen, Jicama: California Street Food, Mason Jar NYC, Two Tablespoons and mmm enfes.

“Chipotle meets Apple Store” concept, 4Food quietly shuttered about a month ago. In its place, a similarly well intentioned (but potentially misguided) concept called Local Thyme is close to opening. Based on this job posting, the new restaurant seems to be focusing on organic, non-GMO, local ingredients, and will feature sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and the like. You can follow their progress on twitter @LocalThyme

I would venture to guess that the average Midtownluncher hasn’t lamented over the lack of French style rotisserie chicken in Midtown. On the other hand, before the uptowning of Xi’an Famous Foods, there were plenty of us that yearned for a taste of those bracingly spicy lamb noodles during our lunch breaks. And do you recall how glum the Midtown pizza scene was until Don Antonio brought us a proper Neapolitan pie? Curiously, an unspoken demand for French style rotisserie chicken has been met with the opening of Provence as well as Hells Kitchen newcomer, Poulette.

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