Midtown Lunch

More on the Passing of Sam the Halal Guy: DNAinfo has more on Essam "Sam" Ahmed, the halal vendor on 35th who had a heart attack and died setting up his cart a few weeks ago. The article includes some really nice quotes from friends, family and customers.

Phil’s Steaks Truck Coming to Midtown: According to Thrillist a new Philly cheese steak truck, Phil's Steaks, just hit the streets and will be rotating between the financial district, flatiron, and midtown for lunch. According to their Twitter account, they are "New York's 1st authentic philly cheesesteak truck," and they'll be parking in the Flatiron today. If anyone has tried them yet, let us know how it was in the comments!

Tri Tip Grill Grand Central Soft Opens Today: Just a friendly little reminder for Tri Tip Grill fans in Midtown East. The new location in the Grand Central Terminal food court is having their soft opening today. That probably means a limited menu, but they promised there will be tri tip.

Get 50% off Norma’s: Have you always wanted to brunch it up at Norma's in the Parker Meridien Hotel, but didn't have the cash?  Well this should help a little.  This Google Offer will get you $40 worth of food at Norma's for just $20. It might not be enough for a lobster and caviar frittata, but you'll be able to afford some pancakes or duck hash (although not by much.)

Try Out Mexicue’s New Burrito Bullet – For FREE!!!: We know that the Flatiron is a bit out of bounds for most of you, but free food is free food!  The brick and mortar location of Mexicue (on 7th btw. 29+30th) is rolling out a new menu item today called burrito bullets (think mini-burritos with any of their regular taco or slider fillings inside.) They'll normally come two to an order for $8.75, which may or may not be worth it, but today they're free! Sadly, they're only available at the store location for now.

There’s a Good Number of Trucks in Midtown Today: Rickshaw is on 50th & 6th w/ Szechuan chx dumplings, Papa Perrone is on 55th btw. Mad+5th, Crisp on Wheels is on 46th & 6th, Mexicue is on 57th & 6th, Red Hook Lobster Truck is on 46th btw. 5+6th, Kimchi Truck is on 46th & Lex, Bob & Jo and Coolhaus are on 46th & Vanderbilt, Big D's Grub is on 53rd & Lex, and Comme Ci Comme Ca is on 36th & B'way. As always check the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.

Get Free Breakfast At City Sandwich This Morning: Once again City Sandwich (on 9th Ave. btw. 45+46th) is giving away free food in conjunction with their LevelUp program. This time, it's breakfast (up to $10 value) from now until 10am. All you have to do is pay with the LevelUp app, and the free breakfast is yours...

50% Off Heng 2 Thai Bistro: Although it is out of bounds, this Google Offer from Heng 2 Thai Bistro (on 10th btw 51st+52nd) is pretty sweet. $7.50 gets you $15 worth of Thai food at Heng 2 Thai Bistro. With all lunch specials within the Midtown Lunch budget, that's a great deal. But, read the fine print, this deal can only be used for dine-in and in one visit.

Get a Crisp Signature Sandwich for Just $6: Crisp tweeted that a holiday deal they were running will continue this week. You can either print out the email linked to in their tweet and show it to the cashier, which gets you any signature sandwich for $6, or BuyItOnMe users may scan the QR code to activate a $5 a signature sandwich coupon. This offer is for restaurant locations only, not Crisp On Wheels.

Don’t Forget To Vote: We're taking the week off, but if you have to work here's something you can do to kill the time.  Vote in the 2011 Readers' Poll!  Here are all the categories: Biggest Midtown Disappointment, Best Flatiron Lunch, Best Thai Food, Best Korean Fast Food, Best Kati Roll, Best Sweets, Best Lobster Roll, Best Chinese Fast Food, Best Pizza, Best Falafel, Best Street Meat, Best Coffee, Best Ramen, Best Hamburger, Best Happy Hour Bar Bites.