Midtown Lunch

Mad. Sq. Eats Returns Sept 21 – Oct 19: Here's a little Flatiron News before we get to the big weekly review...the Marimekko umbrellas have reappeared, which means my stomach is oscillating between extreme joy for more Tostilocos and absolute fear for what I might do to it. New vendors include: Baby Got Back Ribs, Kulinary Kraft, Broken English, and Charlito’s Cocina. The games begin in a week!

Former Jets Star Boomer Esiason Opens Midtown Bar: Overshadowed by his Times Square neighbor Guy Fieri, retired Jets football player Boomer Esiason has opened a bar and restaurant on 44th btw. 7th and 8th (reported last week by Eater NY and Fork in the Road). Boomer Esiason's Stadium Grill will replace the old restaurant at Times Square Bowlmor Lanes that Blondie tried out back in 2011. Features will include an 80 foot bar, nearly 30 TVs, and a real-time sports ticker.

Last Chance To Nominate Your Favorite Street Meat: Street Meat Palooza 5 is almost here, and today is the deadline to nominate your favorite street meat vendor and enter to win a chance to be one of the judges.  You have until 6pm to put your favorite chicken and lamb over rice platter with white sauce and hot sauce in the comments of this post>>

Taim Mobile is Back in Midtown Today!: On the ML Twitter Tracker today... Valducci's is on 52nd & Park, Palenque, Kimchi Truck, and Cinnamon Snail are on 47th & Park, Chinese Mirch is on 55th & 6th,  the Wafels & Dinges Truck is on 49th & 3rd, and their cart is on 40th & Park, Red Hook Lobster Pound is on 46th & 6th along with Crisp on Wheels, Bob & Jo is on Vanderbilt and 46th, Luke's Lobster is on 47th & Madison,  and Taim Mobile is the truck at the NYPL today on 40th & 6th.

Midtown Trucks To Tailgate For the NY Jets: For all you sports fans, here's some exciting news. This season, you'll be able to find some of NYC's finest food trucks set up before each game for your tailgating pleasure. Some trucks have already been lining up for the pregames, but starting with the season opener this Sunday, a rotating crew of 5-8 trucks will be onsite. The trucks will likely include Midtown favorites, including Nuchas, Schnitzel & Things, Wafels & Dinges, Mexicue, Rickshaw Dumplings, Kimchi Taco Truck, and Kelvin Slush who will all be there this weekend. Food Truck City will be featured at each home game, located between the MetLife Gate and the Pepsi Gate on the inner loop roadway, just outside the stadium. Game on indeed!

Dessert Vendy Finalists Announced: Yesterday the Daily News had the full scoop on the Dessert Vendy finalists and there were lots of frozen treat vendors among the mix including ML favs Coolhaus and newbie Monsieur Singh along with Andy's Ices, La Belle Torte Dessert Truck, Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls, and Melt Bakery. Tickets are still available for the event and VIP hour (with some of the ML crew), but tickets do sell out, so if you're on the fence, don't wait too long!

Cer Te Launches September “Hot Pocket”: Cer Te launches their September sandwich today and finally tweeted about the ingredients (with a pic!) this morning. It sounds more like an empanada to me, but they're calling it a lamb hot pocket. Red wine braised lamb, goat cheese potato puree, sauteed kale (really?) and shallots all live inside smoked paprika pasta pocket that will run you $8.95. Sounds like a lot of stuff, but Cer Te usually knows what they're doing ...

Meiko’s Pick For NYC’s Best Burger is in Midtown: This week singer/songwriter Meiko is Zach's guest on the Food is the New Rock podcast, and her pick for the best burger in NYC is right in our backyard: Burger Joint at the Parker Meridien. She also clues us in to the best pizza in Chicago, her favorite poke in Hawaii, and even manages to drop a reference to chocolate covered penises. You can download or stream the episode for free on iTunes>>

Our Thoughts Are With the ESB Victims: You don't need us to tell you the shooting at the Empire State Building hits close to home for all of us who spend our days in Midtown. If you work in Koreatown or North Flatiron or Herald Square or the Garment District, know that we're all thinking about you guys this morning...

Last Day for the Rock Center Farmer’s Market: Oh summer, where have you gone? It seems like yesterday (ok a month ago) that the Rock Center Farmer's Market opened. And though the signage says the market is going until the 31st, the Grow NYC greenmarket site, lists today as being the last day until next year. So if you don't want to gamble, the market is located on the Rockefeller Center Plaza (that's the one above the Rink), 50th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. Get your peaches and plums stat!