Midtown Lunch

Sticky Wings from Dallas BBQ posted by Seraphim 1970.  Man those look good. (But not enough for me to want to eat at Dallas BBQ in Times Sq.)  I think I can hold out until Sunday…

• Need cookies for your Superbowl Party?  The Treats Truck delivers! [Treats Truck]
• First Cafe Metro opens Metro Marche, now Hale & Hearty is getting in on the action [Eater]
• If you do the conversion, the new Sakae Sushi is expensive! [Kellog]
• Gothamist finds a closed Sakae, ends up at Yakitori East [Gothamist]
• Katsuhama is perfect for a special lunch with co-workers [Umamimart]
• East on 8th Ave. suffers from being next to Yakitori Totto [NYCNosh]
• The Trini Pak Cart doesn’t actually have spaghetti and meatballs [Lunchboxr]
• Ryan Sutton hits up Chop Suey and Soba Totto [Bloomberg]

Sorry Alan. Midtown Lunch is already married. (Awkward!)
Posted to Flickr by annulla via Gothamist

• Need a pork roast?  Grand Central Market is the place to go [Ed Levine Eats]
• The new Alain Ducasse restaurant has opened in the St. Regis [Eater]
• There is a fancy champagne tasting on Friday afternoon at Morrell Wine [Snack]
• To eat at Ho Yip, you don’t have to wait for the 2:15 steam table deal! [Food in Mouth]
• It’s hard to order a sandwich at Pax.  Is it Copen-hay-gen or Copen-hah-gen? [Population Statistic]
• 21 Club Chef says Midtown wouldn’t be into Smoked Eel w/ Chocolate Sauce [Gothamist]

_{The paper has come down at Sakae Sushi, and their PR people are saying they will be open for dinner tonight (although that’s what they told me last week).  It’s looking promising though!  Photo courtesy of UmamiMart}

• Tuscan Square’s last day open will be tomorrow.  R.I.P. fried calamari sandwich. [Zagat]
• Swan did a much better job than me sampling all the free goodies at the Delta Lounge yesterday.  I only pushed over one old lady, so all I got was a truffle deviled egg.  [Lifestyle of a Yuppie]
• Make Beer Kir at home with vinegar from Katagiri, a ML favorite in Midtown East [Gothamist]
• G’skipper does a once over on Koreatown’s 32nd St…[Gridskipper]
• … a day later the NY Times follows suit. [NY Times]
• The only chinese buffet in Midtown raises their price to $7.95 [ML Comments]
• Cigar lovers pay attention… Nat Sherman’s will open a lounge complete with deli snacks in Feb. [NY Mag]
• Ivanka Trump eats lunch at Pop Burger! [NYDN]
• The latest edition of Cafeteria Smackdown pits the NY Times against NewsCorp [Epicurious]

Will we be saying goodbye to the Tuscan Square Fried Calamari Sandwich in a week???

• Due to escalating rents, Tuscan Square may be forced to close at the end of the month [Crain’s]
• A guy was killed outside of Spotlight Live in Times Sq., but the real surprising news was there were celebrities inside Spotlight Live. [Gothamist]
• Go Go Curry gets mentioned along with a few nice restaurants as evidence of a new Garment District food scene [NY Times]
• Is anybody surprised that this blogger found a bug in her BBQ Chicken Sandwich at Spanky’s? [Miss Menu]
• Extremely high levels of Mercury are found in expensive NYC sushi restaurants.  No word on the mercury levels in generic midtown deli sushi [NY Times]

 
The Fried Pork and Plantains Sandwich I had at Tina’s Restaurant on 56th btw. 5+6th. Available at all Sophie’s Cuban locations as well.

• Read about the Fried Pork & Plantains Sandwich on my Serious Sandwiches column [Serious Eats]
• Not surprisingly, the new New Yorker Blog recommends FreeFoods NYC for Midtown Lunch’ing [Goings On]
• Metro Marche in the Port Authority is good (despite being owned by ML Arch Nemesis Cafe Metro) [Village Voice]
• Chipotle lies somewhere in between McDonald’s & Applebees.  Hmmm.   A glowing recommendation!  (Please don’t drag Five Guys into this category…) [NY Times]
• Pampano Taqueria is still pumping out some of the best tacos in NYC [Gotham City Eats]
• Not surprisingly, the Hot Chocolate from the Tamale Lady in from of the Mexican embassy is goooood.  [E.I.T.]
• Heartland Brewery is launching a special Buffalo menu in Feburary to raise awareness about Heart Disease.  Maybe that’s why they charge so much for their pathetically small portion of onion rings!  To discourage you from eating unhealthy food.  [Citysearch]
• Bice Restaurant Group is opening a place in the lobby of the NY Times Building [Eater]
• There is an entire blog dedictated to finding Khao Soi in New York City!!!  Nothing in Midtown, but 9th Ave. has some choice spots [Khao Soi Blog]

_{With the sign gone, is it safe to put this one to bed?
R.I.P. Yum Thai (44th btw. 6+7th)}

• The Blimpie with Latin Food on 6th Ave. has closed [Midtown Lunch Comments]
• Yvo checks out the newest member of the Totto family, Soba Totto [Fesity Foodie]
• Ryan Sutton calls Pop Burger a wildly overpriced “Breastaurant” [Bloomberg]
• Midtown is clearly ground zero for new Hotel restaurants [Gridskipper]
• Jimmy Fallon eats at Mandoo Bar, and Parker Posey was at the 2nd Ave. Deli [NY Mag]

_{The inside of Zen Burger today a little after 2pm
Now open on Lex btw. 45+46th}

• I can’t believe I missed the Grand Opening of Zen Burger… [Eater]
• … but the faithful Midtown Lunch commenters provided valuable updates [Midtown Lunch]
• Naniwa on 46th btw. Madison & 5th was shuttered by the DOH [Eater]
• Kathy eats her way through Cafe Zaiya [A Passion for Food]
• Food in Mouth hits up the new “Ying Du” (aka 38th St. Bakery & Restaurant) [Food in Mouth]
• Go Go Curry is expanding out of Midtown, and into the East Village [Gothamist]
• Midtown Lunch’er Lawrence (aka Superman) delves into the Chicken Parm and more at Tuscany Catering [NYC Food Guy]

_{The New Cafe Zaiya Cafe on the 2nd Floor
of the Kinokuniya Bookstore on 6th Ave. btw. 40+41st}

• FloFab blows the lid off the new Cafe Zaiya Cafe on 6th Ave. [NY Times]
• Sakae Sushi with the conveyor belts will be opening in January [Strong Buzz]
• Midtown Lunch favorites Margon, Han Bat, Tehuitzingo & Cafe Zaiya named best of 2007 [Cheap Ass Food]
• Midtown Lunch in the hometown paper.  My mom couldn’t be prouder… [Miami Herald]

_{A piece of Jamaican Black Cake
from the Jamaican Dutchy}

• The New York Times does a big article on Jamaican Black Cake, mentions the Jamaican Dutchy Cart! [NYT]
• Zac Pellacio from Fatty Crab is coming to Times Square [NY Mag]
• Friend of Midtown Lunch, Kathy hits up Hop Won for some Chow Fun, and Magdy’s Philly Cheese Steak Cart for a lamb hero [A Passion for Food]
• Upscale Greek favorite Dona will return to Midtown in a more casual form [Restaurant Girl]
• Food Candy writes about out of bounds lunch place, Vasconcellos- Midtown Lunch commenter Mamacita’s favorite place [Food Candy]
• Hearst destroys Time Life in Round 2 of the Cafeteria battle royale [Epicurious]

_{A 2nd Blimpie w/ Spanish Food! (35th btw. 7+8th)
Posted by Joshwand to the ML Flickr Photo Group}

• Get a sneak peak at the 2nd Ave. Deli (Opening on Monday the 17th) [Gothamist]
• ‘wichcraft to start serving beer in certain locations.  No mention of the tourist filled Rock Center outpost, the one location where a lunchtime beer might be the only thing that would make lunch there bearable. [NY Mag]
• Profiled Midtown Lunch’er Lawrence (aka Superman) has a terrible sandwich at The Backstage Deli on 49th [NYCFoodGuy]
• Popular Midtown b’fast spot Norma’s in the Parker Meridien has unveiled a new menu [Eater]
• Buy a $100 gift certificate to Dos Caminos (for someone at work maybe?), and get $25 towards lunch for yourself [BR Guest]
• A list of fancy dining deals in Midtown.  There’s nothing along the lines of the  $10 Del Frisco’s steak tips, but some good suggestions in the $25 prix fixe range. [Food & Wine]
• Tintol, the tapas bar on 46th, is now the Clubhouse Cafe [Eater]
• Mike Huckabee won’t eat at TGI Fridays, but will eat at Olive Garden.  Buddy!  They both suck…   Mike Huckabee’s first choice of food in NYC is TGI Fridays.  2nd Choice, Olive Garden.  Buddy!  They both suck… [2008Central]