Midtown Lunch

You may have noticed that the jingle bells are ringing in Midtown and the crowds have descended around Rockefeller Center. That also means the Bryant Park Holiday Market is back with a smattering of food options. In addition to regular annual vendors like La Sonrisa, TopArepa, and Enfes, there are a few new food options this year.

Strangely, there are now at least three kiosks that cater specifically to vegans. There’s Marty’s V Burger, specializing in brown rice burgers; roasted veggies from The Vedge, and the returning Vegushi doing vegan sushi (which can be pretty delicious)

Other new vendors include Super Mac + Cheez, Saj Mahal, and Mr. Puffin. The complete list of vendors can be found here. They will be open (along with Bryant Park’s usual kiosks, Coffeed, Wafels & Dinges, and Breads) through January 3.

We’ve been anticipating the first offshoot of rightfully popular Breads Bakery for some weeks now, but I had only seen carpentry happening at the kiosk site on the northwest corner of Bryant Park. No need to hold your breath any longer, because as of last Wednesday, they’re open for business AND looks like we’re getting a reprieve for today from the deluge!

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Super exciting news – three new kiosks will be opening up in Bryant Park, in the old Starbucks/’wichcraft spaces – Le Pain Quotidien opens today, April 13, and Wafels & Dinges is scheduled to open second, sometime between April 15 and 30th.

I know, that’s great and all but the most exciting is Breads Bakery will have its first midtown outpost! No word yet on exact opening date for that kiosk, but I will update you as I find out more information.

I noticed a sign for a new location of the uninspired Academia Barilla on Sixth Avenue between 40th and 41st Street. For those near Bryant Park who crave a cheap, pasta meal that you could make it home, this could be good news. The pasta maker will open their second Midtown location in the coming months.

As one lunch option opens, another one shutters. Eater reported that the Bryant Park ‘wichcraft kiosk has closed for good in 2015. No word yet on what will replace it. But, of course, there are still locations of the sandwich chain in Rockefeller Center, 46th Street near 5th, and on Park and 47th.

Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again. The Bryant Park Holiday Market starts again today, earlier than it ever has before. The identical kiosks have been set up and some familiar food vendors, like Mmm…Enfes, Strudels & Pies by Hans, and TopArepa, will be selling dishes alongside all the merchandise stalls with their brilliant gift ideas. There are also some new, exciting additions added to the line-up, like This Pie is Nuts (with crusts made entirely from nuts), The Lucky Sailor (Belgian frites), and Sushi Republic. Christmas came early this year. Literally!

Upon hearing of Mexicue’s plans to bring a new location around the corner from my office, it didn’t take long for the excitement to grow. A lunch place that blends together Mexican and BBQ, how could that possibly go wrong? I started browsing their menu, planning my attack, months before it ever opened. I know they have a truck, and a location further downtown, but I wanted my first Mexicue experience to be at this location. So finally, after weeks of checking their social media accounts, and one failed attempt early last week, I finally got to give Mexicue a try.

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As I began to reminisce about Melt Shop from earlier this month, and just before the snow started and the temperature dropped to single digits (obviously), I found myself craving some grilled cheese and tomato soup once again. Sure, I could schlep up to 50th and indulge in their Fried Chicken grilled cheese, but that leaves me no time to get back to my desk and watch YouTube videos for the remainder of my lunch. Is that a trade-off I’m willing to make? Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary. After a quick Google search, I was reminded that ‘wichcraft had opened their Grilled Cheese & Soup stand in Bryant Park – only a block away. Was this going to fulfill both of my stringent lunch requirements – grilled cheese with tomato soup and YouTube videos?

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Well over a year ago, Zeytinz received a comprehensive review that did a great job highlighting their deli sandwiches, bibimbap bar, and a few of their grocery offerings. While these are all things I undoubtedly appreciate, I’ve found a few other items at Zeytinz that I enjoy so much, I figured it was worth another spin. If you couldn’t personally find anything in the previous post that got you up, out of your office chair, and on the way to Zeytinz, then maybe I’ll post something that does – let’s find out.

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Yes, you’ve read that correctly. A new Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming to 40th between 5th and 6th Avenue, right next door to Zeytinz. For those of you keeping track, this new location is almost directly across from the Chipotle on 42nd. If you’ve ever found yourself arriving at the Chipotle on 42nd, only to be greeted to a line stretching out the door, you will soon be able to zip across Bryant Park to the new location where you will probably be greeted with a similarly long line. Nonetheless, it should be open shortly. As you can see from the image, they appear to be making things happen rather quickly.

This past Friday was the first day of the Bryant Park Holiday Market and with it comes some some more lunch options in Midtown West. Old favorites like Mmm… Enfes, Wafels & Dinges, Daisy’s Grits, and TopArepa are back and they’re joined by some exciting new kiosks. Hong Kong Street Cart (which has been at Madison Square Eats for years), Pao de Queijo (which are Brazilian cheese balls), and Sesame Bar (from the owners of SoomSoom) are among the new businesses serving at the market. The stalls will be open through January 5 and I recommend stopping by sooner rather than later because we all know how crowded this gets as the holidays approach.