Archive for 'French'

Madeleine the Crepe Lady Wants You to Know She’s Still Here

Madeleine "The Crepe Lady"

Madeleine, the sweet French lady who makes Brittany crepes in the Cyber Cafe (on 49th btw. B’way+8th), posted this comment on Midtown Lunch yesterday:

“Hi this is “Madeleine the crepe lady” I am still at Cyber Cafe. Turns out the cyber cafe will not be turning into a hotel. So come and enjoy my crepes.”

Who said old ladies don’t know how to use the internet! I guess she has learned a thing or two working in the Cyber Cafe. It does seem like a good day for a crepe.

Not in the mood for a crepe, Cyber Cafe has added a new item to the menu.

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Cyber Cafe To Close; What Will Happen to Madeleine the Crepe Lady?

Some terrible news posted to the comments over the weekend: “I was talking to Madeleine (the crepe lady) and it turns out CyberCafe (on 489h btw. B’way+8th) will have to close down in a couple months because a hotel is buying it out. And she’ll have to stop making crepes! Someone needs to offer her a crepe-making nook in another cafe!”  Any takers? (I’m looking in your general direction Macaron Cafe…) It would be a real shame for Midtown lunch’ing to lose Madeleine’s amazing Brittany crepes.

Celebrate Bastille Day By Eating a Crepe With Madeleine

For Bastille Day!

I don’t know what Bastille Day is, but I know it’s French- so why not use it as an excuse to eat the most French Midtown Lunch there is.  It’s been almost 2 years since I wrote about the Cyber Cafe (on 49th btw. 7+8th), an internet cafe that was home to two of the strangest lunches in Midtown: a satellite version of Tuck Shop (the Lower East Side Aussie Meat Pie place) and Madeleine “The Crepe Lady”, a French woman who made authentic Breton style crepes on Wednesday through Sunday.  Tuck Shop closed up awhile ago (although the Cafe may still sell their pies, I’m not sure) but Madeleine is still there 5 days a week (Wed-Sun) serving up the best crepes in Midtown.  Unfortunately she’s not there on Mondays- but it’s still worth posting about considering the holiday.  She makes savory crepes and sweet crepes and if you haven’t checked it out, you’re missing out on one of the hidden gems of Midtown Lunch’ing.

Crepe porn, after the jump…  Read more »

New Cart Alert: Crepe Cafe Cart

crepecafe

Lunch’er Shauna (who we have to thank for yesterday’s McD’s photo), also sent along this photo of the “Crepe Cafe” cart parked on 50th btw. 6+7th yesterday. Not to be confused with the Crepe Cart on 53rd btw. 5+6th, I know I’ve seen this cart somewhere- but it definitely wasn’t on 50th btw. 6+7th. Anybody eaten from it yet? The one on 53rd btw. 5+6th is ok, but nothing to write home about- and I’m sure no cart could be better than the crepe lady in the Cyber Cafe on 49th btw. 7+8th, but I’d still be curious. If you’ve tried it, feel free to post in the comments… and if you have news, recommendations or a photo to share, send it to zach@midtownlunch.com

As Promised, Boulangerie Cognac Opens, Offers Takeout Rotisserie Chicken

The “Boulangerie” attached to Brasserie Cognac, a 3 week old, mid-scale French restaurant from the owners of Serafina, is now open- and as promised, they are selling rotisserie chicken to go, at lunchtime. *Sigh* rotisserie chicken. Is there anything you can’t do? I am no history-ologist, but this is how I imagine rotisserie chicken was invented. A really really really long time ago, somebody took a chicken, and held it over a fire for awhile. And it was good. And all was right with the world.

Then, for some reason, and who knows how or why (but thankfully it happened), another guy said, “What it we take that same chicken, cover it in egg and flour, and drop it into this incredibly hot oil.” And he did. And what came out, was pure magic. Nobody had any reason to eat that other kind of chicken anymore. Why bother? (Nobody cared about being healthy when all this was going on.) This newfangled “fried chicken” was the greatest invention in the history of man. (Yes- better than even the wheel, whose sole purpose, as far as I can tell, is to get us from our homes, to somewhere where we can buy fried chicken.)

So then, the original guy, who put the chicken over the fire (I’m sure he was still alive, or maybe it was one of his great grand-kids), was like “Nobody is eating my chicken anymore! I’ve got to come up with something better! What if I stacked all the chickens on top of each other, and then, as they cooked over the fire, all the chicken fat from the top chickens will drip down onto the ones below. Then, we’ll turn this whole contraption (with that wheel thing mentioned before), so the grease, and fat will just keep moving from chicken to chicken.” And that is why fried chicken isn’t the only chicken we eat today.  Oh to be alive when these magical things happened in our worlds history!

And now, you can get a slightly overpriced, Midtown version, on Broadway btw. 55+56th.  Read more »

Tuesday is Croque Monsieur Day

Every Tuesday is Croque Monsieur day at the Macaron Cafe (36th btw. B’way+7th), the tiny French macaron bakery/sandwich shop in the Garment District.  A classic French version of a hot ham and cheese sandwich, I’ve been hoping for a good Midtown croque since that croque monsieur truck teased us with its presence for one day last January.  If Macaron Cafe’s version is as good as the other sandwiches they serve, I feel pretty confident recommending it for lunch today…

EXPENSED LUNCH: BENOIT: Alain Ducasse has opened is opening the first stateside outpost of his "downscale" French bistro concept, Benoit, and Eater has the first look at the menu and the interior (shot by our very own Downtown Lunch reporter, Daniel Krieger).  Even downscale Ducasse is out of Midtown Lunch'ing price range, but I freakin' love escargot (you may say the secret ingredient is garlic and butter), and this place may be a good option for those of you who get to go out on expense account lunches every once in awhile.  Opening Monday.  60 West 55th St. (btw. 5+6th)

Madeleine The Crepe Lady (or the Hidden Gems of the CyberCafe- Part 2 of 2)

A little while after discovering Tuck Shop hidden inside the CyberCafe, I noticed another sign go up in the window.  “Madeleine ‘The Crepe Lady’.  Making Crepes Wednesday -Sunday 10am to 4pm”.  I’m intrigued.  Tell me more, oh window of the CyberCafe…  An article posted next to the sign went in depth about this “Crepe Lady” who served up delicious crepes in a kiosk in Central Park.  Well apparently she’s at the CyberCafe now… and Central Park’s loss, is Midtown’s gain!

Tuck Shop in the CyberCafe was weird enough.  But now this place has got a “Crepe Lady”.  Total craziness…  what kind of internet cafe is this???  But who am I to argue with this kind of deliciousness.  Thankfully I didn’t let the surroundings fool me into not trying a crepe, because Madeleine is the real deal.  And by real deal I mean this sweet, charming, amazing “Crepe Lady” is actually from Brittany…  the birthplace of crepes.  And she’s been making these French treats since she was 13 years old!  I think it’s safe to say she knows what she’s doing.

Food porn, the complete list of what she serves, and the +/- (with not so much of the minus), after the jump…

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