Midtown Lunch

You nominated the finalists, argued in comments, and voted for your favorites. And now… it’s time for the results. Here are the winners of the 2011 Midtown Lunch Reader’s Poll, complete with Editor’s Pick for each category chosen by our correspondents.

Best Hamburger: Shake Shack

It was no real surprise that Shake Shack reigned supreme in the Poll for Best Hamburger. If you haven’t tried this quality charred burger in Midtown this year, you’ve probably tried it just about anywhere else as the Danny Meyer empire continues to grow across the country (and the world). And while the Shack prepares to dominate the planet, the two previous winners, Burger Joint and Five Guys trailed head to head just behind. I’d be happy with a burger from any of the nominees, but my preference is for the modest simplicity of Burger Joint‘s classic patty. Brian H’s Pick: Burger Joint [View Results]

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Mamacita’s quest to quench her thirst is only matched by her desire to dig into some cheap pub grub. Every week she puts her liver on the line in the name of our Midtown Happy Hour column. Beers are gulped, shots are downed, cute bartenders are ogled, and most importantly food is eaten, all to help you discover the best places to hit up after work here in Midtown. Without further ado, here are the nominees for best happy hour bar bites in Midtown:

• Blarney Stone (burger)
• Van Diemens (burger and beer special)
• Gyu Kaku (cheap Yakuniku, bibimbap)
• Third Floor Cafe (ayce Korean fried chicken and katsu)
• Rodeo Bar (free nachos and chicken)
• Beacon (bar pizza and burger deal)
• McCormick & Schmick’s ($2-5 happy hour bar menu)
• Rudy’s (free hot dogs)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

As the year comes to a close here on Midtown we wanted to pay tribute to all of our favorite places that closed down during 2011. This year, based on a suggestion in the comments, we’ve decided to expand the category to include all the biggest disappointments of the year. Which one made you the saddest?

• Barros Luco closes up shop
• Cafe Niagra’s Sri Lankan food didn’t get enough business to last
• Food Truck crackdown
• Nooi and Hello Pasta locations go out of business
• Korilla’s alleged cheating on the Great Food Truck Race
• Kwik Meal’s price hike
• Pick a Pita closes down
• Teriyaki Boy shutters

Pay tribute and vote after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Since Flatiron Lunch started, almost two years ago, the options in the neighborhood have exploded. From various Italian options at last year’s winner, Eataly, to Mexican, Barbecue, Filipino and more, there hasn’t been a better time to lunch in the area. That’s especially true if you’re a fan of dougnuts. So, what’s the best?  Here are the nominees for the best Flatiron Lunch…

• Baoguette
• Calexico
• Doughnut Plant (Yes, we’ve been known to eat donuts for lunch)
• Eataly
• Hill Country Chicken
• NYC Mobile Eatery
• Pan de Sal
• RUB
• 6th Ave. Mexican Cart

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Most of the best Thai food in Midtown is a bit of bounds… but when great khao soi or papaya salad is involved, we’re willing to go those extra few blocks.  And for those who aren’t?  There are still a few decent options to be had.  Here are the nominees for best Thai food in Midtown…

• A+ Thai
• Chai Thai
• Pam Real Thai
• Pongsri
• Pure Thai Shophouse
• Qi Thai
• Rain Thai
• Talent Thai
• Topaz Thai
• Wondee Siam

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Midtown has never been deprived of great Korean options.  32nd street is a nice walk or quick subway ride away from most.  And there was always that random deli serving a decent enough bibimbap in the back.  But this year things seemed to get a little crazy with Korean food trucks and carts popping up left and right.  And Food Gallery 32 gave us the monster Korean food court we’ve always wanted.  But are any of these enough to topple Woorijip, the reigning champ in this category 4 years running?  Here are the nominees for best Korean fast food in Midtown:

• Bann Next Door
• Bapcha
• Big D’s Grub Truck
• Bob & Jo Truck
• Cafe Duke
• Food Gallery 32
• Gobuki Cart
• Korilla
• Pro Hot Korean
• Woorijip

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Remember the days when there was just one kati roll option in Midtown, from a place called Kati Roll.  Their move from 46th to 39th was just the opening the now famous Biryani Cart needed, and the rest is history.  Two people’s choice Vendy Awards later, and now more carts seem to be jumping into the Kati Roll game.  So many that there are enough for an entire kati roll category in this year’s readers’ poll.  Here are the nominees for best kati roll in Midtown…

• Desi Food’s Kati Kart
• Biryani Cart
• Kwik Meal
• Kati Roll
• NY Express Biryani

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

A lot’s changed sweets-wise since last year’s polls; Best Cupcake Robicelli’s can no longer be found, and Best Dessert Truck Wafels & Dinges has to constantly watch out for Alpha. But that doesn’t mean we went without an afternoon sugar fix! Flex Donuts brought some delicious doughnuts twice, Donna Bell’s opened on the West Side, Culture Espresso has your back with doughnuts from Dough and homemade chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven at 3pm, Bouchon expanded to Rock Center, and even K-Town’s dessert front improved with Paris Baguette. Here are the nominees for best afternoon sugar rush:

• Bouchon Bakery
• Coolhaus
• Culture Espresso Bar
• Donna Bell’s Bake Shop
• Flex Donuts Pop Up at Zocalo
• Paris Baguette
• Sweetery
• Treats Truck
• Wafels & Dinges

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

If you like lobster rolls than 2011 was a banner year for you. These little nuggets of goodness seemed to pop up everywhere this year, and even though almost of all of them are out of the ML price range we seem to forget about price when lobster stuffed hot dog buns are involved. Of course if you’re going to splurge you want to make sure it’s for the best. So here are the nominees for best lobster roll in Midtown:

• Cer Te‘s Friday special
• Luke’s Lobster Truck
• Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck
• Snack Box
• Urban Lobster Shack

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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It’s time for the 2011 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year we’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

The trifecta of Hing Won, Hop Won and Kar Won has run away with this award since we started doing reader’s poll (and with good reason. If Midtown Lunches ever get a hall of fame, that roast pig will be the first inductee.) But to even the playing field we figured we’d break ’em up this year. If Hing Won is going to take the prize, it’s going to have to do it on its own. And Eastside fans of Hop Won will have a chance to declare their allegiance separately. And now that the secret’s out about Main Noodle House, we could have a bit of a competition on our hands. The nominees for best fast food Chinese in Midtown are:

• Bian Dang
• Hing Won
• Hop Won
• Lunch Box Buffet
• Main Noodle House
• Ming Du
• Oriental Noodle Shop
• Pearl’s
• Shih Lee

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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