Midtown Lunch

Crepe lovers rejoice! Although Columbus Circle has a plethora of casual french eateries (mostly above ML budget), no crepe maker has set up shop til now. Mini chain Vive La Crepe added another spot across from Carnegie Hall about a month ago. Just walking by, I inhaled that wonderful whiff of sugar and butter, but I had already bought some bread at Maison Kayser, so I’d have to wait til another meal to try them out. The crêpes range from $6.50 to $10, with plenty of savory options available. The crêpes looked nice and thin, browned perfectly.

I only wonder if they’ll stuff each crepe with enough filling to constitute a meal, not just a snack. Give it a try and let us know!

Vive La Crepe, 912 7th Ave. (b/w 57th and 58th St.)

Got a sweet tooth and don’t need anything savory for lunch? You’re in luck because the Korean dessert chain, Delimanjoo, is staking out territory in Ktown as a street cart. Freshly made cake waffles shaped as fish or corn, stuffed with different fillings are their specialties. I’ve only seen them in Chinatown and Flushing Mall, which have plenty of similar options, but they’re a welcomed addition to Midtown.

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Oh, hello. A new poster-plastered storefront spotted in the heart of Garment District! There’s already a Nanoosh all the way on Madison, but not on the west side. Then again, not sure if the hood really needs yet another hummus-centric menu. The Hummus and Pita Company (on 8th btw. 39+40th) is currently my favorite, though there’s plenty of other mediocre choices. No opening date just yet, but if we’re lucky enough, they’ll do another free giveaway? If you’ve been to their other locations, let us know how you feel about a new branch in Midtown West.

Nanoosh, 469 7th Ave. (b/w 35th and 36th St.)

Last week, I had a bit of a panic attack. I noticed Biryani Cart had not been out four times over the month that I had walked by 46th and 6th Avenue. I got really worried when an imposter cart had taken their place. This is one of many carts that have been circling the area with creative names like “Biryani Car” and “Biryani Card”. We might have another Famous Halal Guy situation on our hands.

But as commenters had reported, there indeed was nothing to fear.

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Zagat is compiling data for their 2016 guide and you only have one more week to have your voice heard and score a free copy. Know Midtown and the rest of NYC like the back of your hand? Zagat is looking for local experts to rate and review New York City Restaurants. Not only could your comments be quoted in an official Zagat review, but everybody who does it will get the 2016 New York City Restaurant guide PLUS 8 weeks of access to the NYTimes.com for free. You need to complete the survey by May 5th 2015. So what are you waiting for?!

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I wasn’t in Midtown for the heyday of Teriyaki Boy, but I’ve heard good things, especially about their $3.99 lunch special. That offer may be gone, as are most of their locations, but I have been to the new Teriyaki Boy on 45th and 2nd, my friends, and it is good.

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As noted by ML comment-er D, the 41st and Broadway Cafe Duke has shuttered and has been gutted inside. While Cafe Duke was never truly a great ML lunch, I thought that it was better than most options in the area, especially if I needed a quick and convenient soondubu fix. Less notably, the Baja Fresh across the street has also called it quits. Thankfully, you can now get Korean food a few blocks away at Liberty Cafe.

I stumbled across yet another “Greek blue” truck in midtown – this one on 47th between Park and Lex – and snapped a few photos for y’all (I was committed to eating kielbasa to celebrate dyngus day). Pictures of the menu after the jump…

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A former employee from Wafels & Dinges is starting his own gourmet coffee cart near Rockefeller Center. Jared Domingos has worked for the waffle company for five years and is now starting his own business. He mentioned the idea to me many years ago at one of the events for the Street Vendor Project (where he is an active member). And I am very excited to see it finally get off the ground.

The cart will be called Esprezzatura Coffee and Tea and will feature Lavazza premium espresso and 100% Arabica Rainforest Alliance certified coffee on the go. In addition to providing quality espressos and lattes, Jared is also starting a pay-it-forward program where a customer can buy an extra cup of coffee that will be served to someone in the future. For those that need to brush up on their random acts of kindness.

He’s launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise the final expenses needed to get the cart on the streets in September. Check out the video and make a donation to bring quality coffee to the streets, just in time for National Coffee Day.

If you’ve been far enough back in the Trini Paki cart line recently, you’ve noticed that Bluestone Lane is now open in the old STK Out kiosk. The Australian coffee outfit has already reached the coffee masses with their three other locations in the city, most notably one in Midtown East and in the Financial District.

The focus here, of course, is their flat whites and other Australian-influenced coffee drinks. But they also have pastries, wraps, and salads. And an entire menu dedicated to their avocado smash and all the available add-on’s.

Andrea raved about the smash when they opened a few years ago downtown and I also found myself forgoing meat in favor of the hearty, bright vegetarian toast when I was in the Financial District.

So I thought I’d give it a try here too. The price has been raised by 50 cents (of course) to $7 and if you want any add-ons, like prosciutto or feta, expect your bill to increase exponentially. I kept it simple and just ordered the traditional smash.

It’s going to be tough not to compare it to the one I used to enjoy downtown. And frankly, I don’t think it’s quite as good. That one was bold and acidic with a nice amount of sea salt. This one was bland and was missing a brightness. It also didn’t seem to be covered as much with avocado as I had remembered.

That being said, the avocado is fresh and the red pepper flakes are plentiful. It had a slight kick. The toast is also nice and thick, but I’m not paying $7 for toast. Am I?

Still, for vegetarians, this is a tasty option (although not as tasty as the one they used to serve downtown) and it would make a decent snack. If you pick up some pastries or chips or something, you might even be able to make it a light lunch. Or you could just get in line at Trini Paki Boys outisde and call it a day.

Bluestone Lane, 1114 Avenue of the Americas (at 43rd St.) 212-764-0044