Midtown Lunch

Back in March, I reported seeing a new Asian food cart in Midtown. Since I tweeted them back then, they tweet me nearly weekly to tell me of their whereabouts but it’s taken me this long to give them a try… (and now a few weeks more to write about it…) and they’ve been nominated for a Vendy, which is this Saturday and you should get tickets if you haven’t already. Fellow contributor Brian made a video on them as well!

As for me, what I ate and what I thought, after the jump…

Read more »

I wasn’t in Midtown for the heyday of Teriyaki Boy, but I’ve heard good things, especially about their $3.99 lunch special. That offer may be gone, as are most of their locations, but I have been to the new Teriyaki Boy on 45th and 2nd, my friends, and it is good.

Read more »

In need of a warm culinary hug from all the bipolar weather recently? Impatient to see some blossoms and leaves on the trees already? HanaMichi comforts the senses on all those fronts. And with too many lunch specials on 32nd Street in the $15+ range, Hanamichi’s menu is a sight for sore eyes with several options within ML budget.

Read more »

Photo courtesy of Serious Eats

For those that have tried and failed to dine at the ultra hot Manhattan outpost of Korean BBQ specialist, Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, you now have a chance to score a table at lunch. The restaurant will now be open starting at 11:30am on the weekdays, and will remain open all day and late into the night. This is great news for those that have been quoted several hour wait times at dinner – I dined here last weekend and waited two hours, which was well worth it in my opinion. But such crowds are to be expected after the breathless coverage, glowing praise, and a level of hype that is typically reserved for a new Torrisi or Momofuku outpost.

The menu won’t waver from dinner, which means that few dishes will be in the ML $10 price threshold save for the $7.99 lunch box and soups and stews that start at $10.99. However, the main reason that you’re here is likely for the BBQ, which features nose-to-tail cuts of beef and pork, including a jaw-dropping dish of marinated pork collar.

At Baekjeong, good things come to those who wait. For those that don’t have the luxury of time, now there is lunch.

Kang Ho Dong Baekjong, 1 E. 32nd (at 5th Ave.) 212-966-9839

Ever since Baja Fresh suddenly shuttered on Lexington btw. 45th + 46th streets, there has been something of a void in quick Mexican food options, although there is Oaxaca to the north, and Tacos Grand Central to the south (and Chipotle, which I don’t count). Lo and behold, we have a location of Dos Toros coming to Midtown East! It’s the Cali-style Mexican food mini-chain that five years ago Zach said was worth taking a subway ride to the Union Square shop for. Well, now you’ll only have to endure a short walk, or order for delivery to partake in one of their carnitas burritos.

Dos Toros, 465 Lexington Ave. (btw. 45+46th)

If someone were to ask me where to find good tacos in Midtown East by Grand Central, I would likely give a halfhearted suggestion for the Oaxaca on 47th + Lex, or one of the many food trucks that parks on that block between Lex and Park, but then the well would run dry. That was why I had low expectations when we got a tip that a new Mexican spot called Tacos Grand Central had taken the place of Crisp Express in the small space on 43rd btw. Lex + 3rd. Would we finally have a go-to place for tacos and burritos?

Read more »

Can yet another Halal offering near Penn Station survive all the competition? If you order carefully, Garden Kebab House just might turn you into a regular. Many items are beyond the ML budget, but the smaller platters and sandwiches still fit the bill and the stomach. Well, almost.

Read more »

Inconspicuously sandwiched between perennially busy Korean favorites Cho Dang Gol and Hanbat, you’ll find MEW Izakaya. Some of you are thinking, how authentic can a Japanese restaurant possibly be on this particularly Korean block of 35th St? Or why come here when there’s so many other asian options in the area? Well, their menu, atmosphere, and price have since won me over and made MEW one of my favorite spots when I have time to enjoy a sit down lunch.

Read more »

In case you missed it, GRK opened its second location in NYC a few days ago, on Lex btw. 44th & 45th streets. It’s smaller than the first location in the Financial District, but the menu is the same: meats spinning on spits, a few sides, salads, and fresh and frozen Greek yogurt. With a wealth of similar options nearby, my main question was, could GRK compete? I made the ultimate sacrifice and revisited their food after a couple of years to find out the answer. Read more »

Alidoro, the downtown sandwich shop that has a list of rules about what they will and will not serve you, is bringing its tasty Italian sandwiches to 39th St. btw. Madison & 5th, starting Thursday at 7 a.m. Word is that they won’t be quite as militant about the approach to sandwich making at this new outpost, and will be serving more than huge sandwiches. Find out what else you can expect, straight ahead.  Read more »