Midtown Lunch

For people who are used to chicken tikka masala, biriyani and tandoori, ordering “chaat” (the word used to describe small plates of snacks) can be a little more confusing.  To make ordering it a little less intimidating, check out these photos The Flooz (who blogs about Astoria on Joey in Astoria) posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Pool, from Indus Express, the fairly new Indian steam table/kati roll place on 48th btw. 5+6th.

The “Somosa” (sic) Chaat – Crisp turnovers, tangy chick peas, yogurt & mint chutney.  $4.95

Papri Chaat – Homemade chips, lentil dumplings, garbanzo beans, potatoes, yogurt, chutneys & spices.  $4.95

A close-up of the Papri Chaat, after the jump… Read more »

With so many quality burger places open in Midtown these days, each place needs it’s own special thing to differentiate themselves from the others.  The way I see it, Burger Joint has the sweet location, Five Guys is for free toppings and freshly cut fries, Pop Burger is the choice if you want sliders, and while the newly opened City Burger is still working out their kinks, it’s clear they’re working off the notion that you wouldn’t mind having some chicken wings or mozarella sticks with your burger.

Goodburger, on the other hand, has never done enough to get me back there on a regular basis.  There is no doubt it is a tasty hamburger, made from quality beef, but it’s always been expensive (the value meals are over $10), and the patty is just not that big.  With all the other options (and my willingness to travel more than a few blocks away from my office) I just didn’t really have a reason to go… until now.

At the beginning of March, Goodburger introduced the “Crabby Patty” to their menu, a deep fried Maryland crab cake sandwich for $7.99.  It’s not on the menu screen, and sometimes they forget to put out the little stand that advertises it, so make sure you ask for it specifically.  I stopped by last week to check it out, and was pretty pleased with the results.  Read more »

The Garment District is quickly becoming my favorite little corner of Midtown Lunch’ing.  And while I admit that most of the places I love might be considered “weird” (or gross) to the average lunch crowd (strange chinese food, Spanish food in a freight elevator), the newly opened Macaron Cafe might change all of that.  A few weeks ago my friend Nosher from www.nycnosh.com told me about the little French cafe on 36th btw. B’way+7th, and yesterday we headed over to check out their nice selection of sandwiches and amazing macarons (the little French cookies that look like mini colored hamburgers- not be confused with macaroons).

Some French porn, and a link to Nosher’s extensive review, after the jump… Read more »

This awesomeness popped up on the corner of 3rd Ave. & 43rd St.  What exactly is Crisp you ask?  No info on their website, but we get two clues:  “Fast fresh food that syncs your taste with your conscience.”  And, “It’s not what you think.  It’s better.”  Hmm… that’s interesting.  So it’s not an organic version of a generic salad bar/Midtown deli?  It’s better.  Can’t wait…

Just around the corner, on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd, the first Manhattan location of Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe has opened up, a chain with most of its locations in California, Oklahoma, Texas & Florida.  With a menu of fancy wraps, salads, pizzas and panini, I was slightly intrigued by their Bangkok Thai Wrap, until I saw that they add water chesnuts (meh), and provolone (huh?).  Oh well.

Blue Pig says goodbye, while Pinkberry says hello, after the jump… Read more »

At the end of my Monday piece on Aoki, the sushi restaurant on 48th btw. B’way+8th with the 3 roll lunch special for $10, I predicted they would raise their prices soon. I didn’t think 24 hours soon. From a commenter yesterday:

ZACH, get this. i went to Aoki today for the first time and all the menu prices were whited-out… it’s now two rolls for $9, three rolls for $11 (and for the record, I got two rolls and they charged me $9.50) … seems my honeymoon’s over before it even began. :(

My initial thought was, “Shit, I’ve ruined it for everybody.” My second thought was “Shit, my co-workers who told me about this place, and convinced me to write about it, are going to kill me.” My goal is to help people find good, cheap lunch, not to hurt them by unearthing deals that are too good to be true, only to have them yanked as a result of the exposure (Del Frisco’s, I’m looking at you). I would have become really depressed if it wasn’t for the little part of me that was proudly surprised that the stupid site I started almost two years ago as an excuse to eat gross food for lunch, was now having a marked effect on the way Midtown restaurants do business.

Thankfully, it turns out I had nothing to do with the price increase- which went into effect a few weeks ago, and only effects the lunchtime combo if you eat in the restaurant. The take out price is still $8 for two rolls, $10 for 3 rolls, although the lady I spoke to at Aoki did imply that the take out/delivery price would probably have gone up as well, but they had all these take out menus printed with the old price. So, like I said on Monday, enjoy the deal while you can, and whatever you do- don’t take a menu. We need those things to last as long as they possibly can…

**************The Price of This Lunch Has Gone Up to $11******************

The search for good (but cheap) sushi in Midtown has been an arduous one. Good is not really the issue, since there is plenty of amazing Japanese food in Midtown. Good and cheap is a different story. Try for under $10, and you’re in a danger zone, where better quality is tempered with smaller portions- and cheapness leaves you wondering about exactly what it is you’re eating. There are a few mediocre take out choices (Naruto or Midtown delis), but I think if quality is your main concern, then the sit down restaurants, where the sushi is made to order, is the way to go.

Most of the mid range places in Midtown have a lunch deal where you can usually get two rolls with a soup or salad for under $10. Taki (on 48th btw. 5+6th), and Kikku (on 55th btw. 5+6th) are two pretty popular choices, but two rolls for lunch always leaves me wanting, both for quantity and variety. Give me 3 rolls for $10, and now we’re talking. For months now, two of my co-workers have been extolling the virtues of Aoki, a sit down sushi place (on 48th btw. B’way+8th), with the holy grail of sushi lunch specials. My craving for quality sushi overtook my usual reluctance to get lunch from a place where you have to order from a waitress, or take the food to go… but 3 rolls for $10 will do crazy things to a man.

What I got, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

I had mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I know a lot of you don’t pay attention so here it is again, just in case (because lord knows I don’t want anybody to miss out on this).  In honor of Scotland Week there will be a cart giving away free haggis hot dogs on the corner of 52nd & Broadway, today and tomorrow from 11am to 5pm.  According to the NYDN Blog it will be at the Continental Airlines Billboard.  Free sheep’s innards for all!!!  This should be good.  See you there…

Photo Courtesy of NY Daily News

I remember the first time the “newsstand” that serves Indian food was mentioned here on Midtown Lunch. It was October of last year, and like most great Midtown Lunch discoveries it was mentioned in a comment, posted to the piece I had written about the Latin food being sold inside the Blimpie on 6th Ave btw. 37+38th:

Zach, if you had walked one storefront down from there, you would have found an even odder lunch option—the “newsstand” next door has a sign in the window: “Indian Vegetarian Food.” For $6 you get basmati rice, dal, two scoops of whatever vegetable dishes they have that day, bread (paratha? roti?), some pakoras, and a tin-foil ball filled with onions, lettuce, and tomatoes…though the selection has varied the two times I’ve tried.

Like many who may have seen that comment, I envisioned one of those green square sidewalk newsstands, somehow serving up vegetarian Indian food (behind all the gum and candy bars, I guessed?), although I had no idea how. Alright, I don’t know what the hell I was picturing… but I knew it sounded awesome. When I finally made it down there, I discovered it was actually a convenience store that was mostly a newsstand- and sure enough, in the back left hand corner, there it was… Gujarati Indian food, a vegetarian cuisine from the Gujarat region in Northern India, being served out of a mini steam table.

It’s almost six months later, the magazines are all gone, and the Latin food that used to be sold out of the Blimpie, is now occupying the back, right hand corner of the store. I think it’s finally time for a proper +/- (and some hardcore Gujarati food porn) Read more »

It seems like every day I’m posting one of these.  First it was the buffets, and then Del Frisco’s raised the price of their steak tips deal.  Now, the incredibly popular Burger Joint, “hidden” in the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel on 56th btw. 6+7th, has raised their prices.  That’s right- the hamburger that you voted “Best Burger” in the 2008 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, now costs $7 (up from $6).  The cheeseburger gets a $1 price hike as well (to $7.50) and the grilled cheese, french fries, brownie, milkshake, bottled water and a beer now cost you 50 cents more.  While soda and lemonade get a token 25 cent increase.  Apparently the whole pickle is the only item immune to the recession.

I’m sure it won’t effect the line of tourists you currently find packing the place everyday, but with Five Guys now open a few blocks away, and Goodburger continuing their expansion, this price hike could have an effect on their lunchtime business.

With the price of food all over the city going up, and a Burger Joint hamburger and fries now going for $10.50, are these places no longer Midtown Lunches, or is it time we adjusted the $10 cap for inflation?

What the good ‘ole days looked like, after the jump… Read more »

Even though I posted about City Burger’s grand opening yesterday morning, I was out of town, so I missed out.  City Burger’s Day 2, on the other hand, rivaled Five Guys on opening week.  Super long wait times, a large crowd of pretty unhappy people, and a staff struggling to learn the ropes, while simutaneously being slammed by huge lunchtime crowds wanting their burger fix. Oh and the seating is limited to about 15 stools, no tables.Some promising signs… the burger are pretty big and thick, as are the rings- which are beer battered. They’ve also got thick steak fries which look excellent (if you’re into that sort of thing). Oh, and they’ve got wings… I’d give ’em a little time to work out the kinks before I rush over to eat.