Midtown Lunch

photo courtesy of Awesome in New York

Have you guys heard of Between the Bread? They serve ‘catering food’ (and also offer catering for office parties/lunches/etc.) at individual prices from a small storefront that is basically a cafeteria counter. The menu rotates regularly – I was there on Friday and entrees were a choice of room-temp options displayed for me – herbed salmon, cajun salmon, shrimp teriyaki, chicken paillard, another chicken dish, and then a hot dish which was “honey mustard glazed chicken with basmati rice” that day. There were also sandwiches in the glass display case, a few soups that seem to change daily, and a lot of side options for your entree.

Unfortunately, the pricing of the entrees range from $11.95 for the meats to $13.95 for seafood, putting them well above the ML $10 ‘limit’.

UNTIL NOW.

How I got a seafood entree AND an extra side, all for $10 flat, after the jump…

… simple. I love Amazon Local and this deal gives you $20 to spend at Between the Bread, while you pay a straight $10. That is NOT an affiliate link, though I almost wish it were because I know half of you will be running off to buy it as soon as you see what I got.

I’d never been to Between the Bread previously, though my office has had catering from them and I liked it just fine. I didn’t really know what to expect so I walked in around 1:40 on a Friday afternoon, when it was empty, and browsed everything. The guy behind the counter was super helpful and nice, told me to take my time but to ask him anything I wanted, and left me alone while I peered at everything.

After a lot of thought, I chose the herbed salmon. He put that in the large clamshell you see in the photo, a light layer of mixed greens, and then asked me what two sides I wanted. Sugar snap peas with bell peppers, and a corn mixture – I LOVE VEGETABLES, and everything looked super fresh and tasty – he filled my container TO THE BRIM. There were other options like quinoa with black beans and corn, cous cous, barley or brown rice (also with things mixed in, but I didn’t look at that one too closely), penne with some sort of cheese, roasted broccoli, broccoli salad with tomatoes, brussels sprouts, a lot of fresh looking vegetables mixed with grains or carbs, or just vegetables. One or two of the big bowls was nearly empty, so there may have also been a potato option – I’m sure that this also rotates frequently. When asked how much just a side would be, he said $4.90 – I’m not sure if this is pre or post tax.

Seriously, can you see how much food there is? I explained that I had an Amazon Local deal and showed him my phone, so he said that would get me my salmon entree plus a side (since I’d been asking about side prices; I’m sure I could have had a half sandwich instead if I wanted, which was listed at $5 as well). I decided I wanted brussels sprouts or roasted broccoli, but both bowls were nearly depleted, so I asked if I could mix them. He didn’t hesitate to agree and stuffed a small clamshell full of those for me.

Overflowing with food! This is surely too much even for the biggest eaters amongst you!

But how did it taste? The brussels were a little overcooked (too soft), the broccoli was great. The corn mixture was zippy with a little lemon, yum! and the sugar snap peas were perfectly lightly cooked to retain tons of snap. I LOVED the sugar snap peas.

That salmon though… I was a little anxious about it being overcooked or dry or not good, sitting as it was. But remember – this is not a dish served hot. Everything is room temp, and that works to their advantage here. The salmon was tender, fully opaque but still moist, and cooked just to absolute perfection. It wasn’t particularly salty, but instead just let the flavor of the salmon itself shine. I was really impressed, quite honestly! I ate half of that and maybe 1/3 of my veggies before I gave up and was super full for the rest of the day.

At check out, I just showed him my phone and he wrote down the voucher number and that was it. No muss, no fuss!! Delicious, pretty healthy (and if you want it to be – like I did – vegetable-forward)… perfect!

Give them a try.

Between the Bread, 145 W 55th St (close to 6 1/2 Avenue). 212-765-1840