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 was not going to subject you all to another upscale cheese shop with expensive sandwiches since we already have Beechers (here and here) and Bedford Cheese Shop. But I decided to keep an eye on Stinky Bklyn to see if they might offer a compelling reason for a visit (beyond the pimento cheese, which I picked up for Memorial Day on the Jersey Shore. It was such a hit – I recommend you buy it for any and all situations!) Also, I got some amusement when I walked by a few months ago and the Men’s Warehouse decal was still there with a new sign advertising Stinky Bklyn Coming Soon!

A recent visit to their website indicated a range of delicious sounding sandwiches at reasonable prices for quality ingredients. The mention of pretzel rolls got me excited. I had to go.

But when I got there, the menu told a slightly different story. Gone was the $4 grilled cheddar on 8 Grain Bread. And online the sandwiches ranged from $6-$8 where in store they were all $8-$9. The store clerk informed that the website is for the Brooklyn location (even though the area I was looking was clearly the Chelsea store.) She did mention that they were thinking about adding a basic grilled cheese, so perhaps if enough of us ask, they will add to the menu permanently.

On their recommendation, I ordered #3 with smoked turkey, aged jack, mayo, spicy tomato jam and arugula on a soft roll for $9. Apparently, it is a very popular sandwich in the store when it appears on the menu, which I can totally understand. While I can’t totally rave about this sandwich (I think I was disappointed before even trying it due to the menu situation), it was a quality sandwich. Definitely filling and tasty.

For only $1 more, you can add a bag a chips which according to the menu is normally McClure’s chips. But since they seemed to be out, I was able to pick between plain The Billy Goat Chip Company and the Spicy chips. The spicy chips were so good, I have been craving them ever since.

Also, consider yourself warned that you may leave with way more than a sandwich. Between case of Dough (Doh!) doughnuts on the counter surrounded by tempting sweet options and the pimento cheese, your lunch run to Stinky might turn into an unnecessary grocery trip.

THE + (What people who like this place will say)

• Love the rotating menu of sandwiches.
• Sandwiches are made-to-order.
• Pimento Cheese.

THE – (What people who don’t like this place will say)

• False advertising with the menu prices.
• If only each sandwich was priced like in Brooklyn, this would be my go-to sandwich spot.
• Too many tempting other items in there.

Stinky Bklyn, 107 W 20 St btwn 6th and 7th Aves, (212) 243-2873 (CURD)