Archive for 'Cosi'

Cosi on 42nd is Closed: If you work near Bryant Park and have a hankering for flatbread sandwiches we've got some bad news. The Cosi on 42nd btw. 5+6th has closed. No word on what will be taking its place, but the signs direct you to visit one of their other locations. It's been awhile since we event mentioned these guys. Is this a sign that the flatbread sandwich empire is collapsing, or maybe just this location?

Free Squagel Alert: Cosi is now making "squagels" (aka square bagels) from scratch every day in their hearth (who knew!?), and to celebrate they're giving them away for free tomorrow morning (Weds, 1/26) from 8-9am.  Considering that the bread is the best thing about Cosi, this might actually be worth it (as long as we don't have to say "squagel".)  Find the location nearest you here>>

You Can Bargain At Cosi And Starbucks

A New York Post reporter spent an entire day trying to bargain down the price of everything he purchased… and it actually worked at a few places.  At Starbucks they gave him 25% off his coffee, and at Cosi the manager agreed to cut 10% off the price of his sandwich and pizza. Saying “Give me a break… I’m not a tourist” usually gets you a reduction in price at most hot dog stands, but that’s the extent of my bargaining experience during lunch.  Has anybody else tried this before? Post your results in the comments.

Free Sandwich Alert: Multiple sources have emailed me this buy one get one free PDF coupon for Cosi, but strangely it says "No Reproduction or Internet Distribution Allowed".  So, just to be clear, I'm not "distributing" it, but merely posting it to pose the question: How do they expect people to get a PDF if not over the internet?  Please don't download or distribute this coupon.  I am merely posting it for demonstration only.  Got that people?  Demonstration.  (Please don't sue me, Cosi.)

At Lunch Now: Is Cosi Feeling The Effects of this Terrible Economy?

I stopped into the Cosi on 48th btw. 5+6th to *ahem* “research” the free bread bowl and noticed something a little out of the ordinary… no line. On a Friday at 12:40. This place is usually packed. As you can see there are far less free samples in the bread bowl also! Although, I suppose if you have fewer customers, you don’t need to put out as much free bread? I guess they didn’t realize I was coming…

Afterwards, I walked by Moshe’s Falafel and the Biryani Cart and both had lines of 15+ people.

Cosi Not Immune to the DOH: This just hit the inbox from Lunch'er Susan: "I know it's not very Midtown-Lunchy of me, but I went to get a sandwich at the Cosi on 48th and 6th today and it had been shut down by the Health Department."  Not the Hidden Cosi!!!  As long as there is no "evidence of mice" in the free bread bowl, I'm alright with it.

The World is Coming to an End… I ate a salad for lunch yesterday

 

I know… I know.  What is wrong with me?  I’ll apologize up front, because it’s just not right.  I don’t eat salads.  I’m supposed to be killing myself, lunch by lunch, bite of fat after bite of fat, for all of you to see.  Salads ruin that plan.  Despite the timing, I did not eat the salad because of some stupid New Year’s resolution (I don’t believe in those), or because I had a fried pork and plantains sandwich at Tina’s Restaurant on Monday, followed by free Chinese food on Tuesday.

The salad is actually Fresh Direct’s fault.  See, the dirty little secret of Midtown Lunch is- I don’t eat out every day.  In an attempt to convince work that I’m not spending every lunch hour photographing street carts, plus to be a little “healthy”, and save some money (this shit gets expensive), I actually only eat out 3 days a week.  The other two days, I’ll bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to work (cute right?).  Maybe not the healthiest lunch in the universe, but it certainly has less calories than every single lunch I’ve ever eaten for this site.  Well, this week Fresh Direct forgot to deliver our damn peanut butter- leaving me feeling like I should at least attempt to eat healthy (and close to the office).  A salad it is.

I ate the damn thing- so I might as well tell you what I thought of it…. after the jump. Read more »

Cosi introduces “Authentic” Flatbread Pizzas, New York goes “huh?”

I have a soft spot in my heart for Cosi.  The bread is just so damn good, and baked fresh right in the middle of the store.  We can make jokes about chains all we want, but a sandwich on fresh, brick oven baked bread is good.  I don’t care what anybody says.  And if you put free pieces in a bowl at the front of your establishment, I’m going to show up.

Pizza?  Now that’s a different story.  I’m sure when Cosi decided to add Flatbread pizzas to their menu, New York was not the market they had in mind.  Anybody who pays $7+ for a Cosi pizza, when there are great slices on every corner of the city, is just nuts.  That being said, if you love Cosi bread, and the idea of having two pieces of it for lunch, topped with mozzarella cheese, and their (too sweet for me) marinara sauce- you just might be into it.  Me?  If I ever move to Oklahoma, I’ll be all over this.  For now, I think I’ll stick with this or this or even this.

Bits & Pieces: Chx & Waffles is Back, Yum Thai & Jamaican Dutchy Still Closed

 

  • Piece of Chicken on 45th btw. 8+9th, is back open after closing for a week to build a permanent wall between them and what used to be Jezebel.  They also have added Fried Chicken & Waffles ($2) to their menu (replacing the void left by the long closed Ressie May’s)
  • The ‘wichcraft in Rockefeller Center opened this weekend…
  • … but the Zen Burger on Lex. btw. 44+45th did not.
  • And it looks like the Midtown Pop Burger is going to be delayed one more week as well.   
  • Yum Thai on 44th btw. 6+7th is still closed, they have construction permits littering the window, and their phone number is out of service.  It’s not looking good.
  • The Jamaican Dutchy cart on 51st & 7th is having trouble renewing their permit, which expired at the end of the last month.  They are hoping to get it on Thursday, and be back up and running on Friday.

Prediction: Not a single one of these sandwiches will be sold today…


The H1 at Lenny’s.  Fresh oven roasted turkey, with stuffing, cranberry sauce & turkey gravy.

Another sandwich that probably won’t see much action today, after the jump… Read more »