Midtown Lunch

_{Photo taken from “Norse New York” Published in the April 2007 Issue of Saveur}

Eating in Translation has got the scoop on what looks like the place to be in Midtown Lunch’ing today!  It’s a little out of bounds (52nd btw. 1+2nd), but when you’re talking Norwegian food, made and served by Scandinavian church ladies… I’m there.

The Norwegian Seamen’s Church is having their annual Christmas Fair this weekend, and it starts today at Noon- which means if you work on the East side of Midtown, and were hoping to find a Christmas Fair with Norwegian food to spend your lunch hour at today, your wish has come true.  The official website makes claims of a “Cafeteria w/Smorgasbord” (and who doesn’t love a smorgasbord???)  Not exactly sure what food they’re going to have, but I’m guessing pickled herring will be making an appearance.

If this fair is any good (which, how could it not be?), I may have to check out their famous $17 all you can eat Norwegian buffet, offered every Wednesday at the Church from September through May. 

There are actually three Scandinavian Church fairs this weekend, and if you can’t make it to the Seaman’s Church today, Eating in Translation is doing a Scandinavian Church Fair Crawl tomorrow starting at Noon.

Norwegian Seaman’s Church, 317 East 52nd St, (btw. 1+2nd Ave.)

A few weeks ago I was in the Bay Area and had the greatest torta of all time at this little place called La Casita Chilanga in Redwood City.  What I wouldn’t give to have this lunch available in Midtown.  I’ve had the torta at Pampano Taqueria, but it doesn’t compare to this.   

I had “La Cubana” torta, and wrote about it on Serious Eats.  You can read about it here: http://www.seriouseats.com/eating_out/2007/11/serious-sandwiches-la-cubana-torta-from-la-ca.html

And if you have any NYC torta suggestions, please post them below.  (Seriously, please.)

53rd St. & 6th Ave is the Chicken & Rice Capital of New York City.  There will never be consensus over who makes the best, but there is no question about who is the most popular.  If you’ve passed 53rd St. & 6th Ave. after 8pm on any give night, then you’ve seen the line.  It forms from the time the cart opens, and doesn’t die down until the cart leaves at 4 in the morning.  Late night club goers, bridge and tunnelers, and cab drivers as far as the eye can see- sometimes stretching as far down as 7th Ave.

A lot of people see this line, and wonder “How could this chicken and rice be so good?”  Not me.  If somebody gets killed just for cutting in line, then I don’t question how good the food is at the front of the line.  I just wonder, where can I get Chicken & Rice worth killing for, in Midtown, during lunchtime!?!   The answer led me back to 53rd St. & 6th Ave., but not necessarily the corner you may think.

The definitive answers to all your chicken and rice questions, after the jump… Read more »

A few weeks ago I put out an APB for a Tibetan Cart that had popped up one day on 50th St. btw. 6+7th, only to disappear the next day. Thanks to the ML commenting faithful, the “Shangrila Express” was discovered in Jackson Heights, and since then has been mentioned in the NY Times and yesterday was given the full write up by Gothamist– but with no mention of why it was in Midtown that one day, or whether or not it would ever return.

Well, thanks to Joe at Gothamist, I got in touch with Dorjee from the Shangrila Express last night, and he confirmed that while the cart intends to be in Jackson Heights every night for dinner, it will soon be spending lunchtime in Midtown! They are still searching for the best spot, and plan on settling somewhere within the next two weeks.  They’re hoping to set up on Park Ave, but haven’t ruled out 5th Ave or Broadway. As soon as they set up shop, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, let Joe’s photos of momos and “Tibetan Beef Patties” get you pumped…

Ever since the news hit that the Malaysian chain Sakae was bringing conveyor belt sushi to Midtown, I’ve been in the mood for raw fish.  A few weeks ago, I wrote about Kikku, a sit down place on 55th btw. 5+6th that is considered one of the best cheap sushi options in Midtown, and of course there was my trip to Mitsuwa in New Jersey this past weekend.  But the quest for good, but cheap sushi in Midtown continues. 

Logic (and basic economics) tells me that it’s impossible to find good and fresh raw fish, in a 100% takeout setting- that doesn’t cost over $10.  But I refuse to give up.  Kikku and Taki have established themselves as decent and cheap sit down sushi meals, but I want sushi you can grab and go.  Right now that kind of lunch is dominated by Midtown Delis, the last place I want to be eating raw fish from.  Enter Naruto Sushi, a brand new exclusively take out place on 49th btw. Madison and 5th that is hoping to be the solution to my cheap sushi problem.

Why it is, and why it isn’t as part of a gigantic +/- with photos, after the jump… Read more »

No more delays… the Yolato on Park Ave. (btw. 41+42nd), that we’ve been waiting for since July,  is finally opening;  and to celebrate, they are giving away free Yolato all day long (11am to 11pm)!  And while it’s not a Lenny’s/Yolato combo outlet (as one site incorrectly reported yesterday), it will be the biggest Yolato yet (possibly until the one inside the Empire State Building opens in December???).

As for the Lenny’s/Yolato merger that just happened, the first Lenny’s to start serving Yolato will be the one on 9th St. & 6th Ave.  There are no announced plans for the Midtown Lenny’s locations– but once it all gets worked out, there will in fact be Yolato available at all Lenny’s big enough to accomodate it.  Until then, enjoy the new Yolato location outside of Grand Central!  (Did I mention it’s opening tomorrow, and there’s free Yolato all day long?)  God I love free food…

The Midtown burger hits just keep on coming.  Friday morning you got your first look at the inside of Zen Burger.  Now, Grub St. has the first look at the three level Pop Burger opening at the end of the month on 58th btw. 5th+Madison.  Our only hope for a true “Midtown Lunch” will be the “first floor, open from 11 a.m. till 4 a.m. for takeout and dining” and “there will be delivery”. 

Reviews of the downtown Pop Burger are mixed.  According to Grub St., we’ll get our chance to weigh in the week of November 26th, but I can’t imagine it unseating Five Guys and Burger Joint, for lunchtime purposes anyway (both just a few blocks away).  However, it shoudn’t face any competition for the “I’m a typical Midtwon douchebag banker looking for a place to drink and eat burgers after work” crowd… (unless you count Hawaiian Tropic Zone).  I kid Pop Burger, I kid!

Amid rumors of financial problems (the Union Square Zen Palate closed two weeks ago), Zen Burger is scheduled to open the weekend of November 24th on Lexington btw. 45+46th.  Here’s a look at a mock up of the inside:

_{Courtesy of The Angel Group for Branding & Design}

It’s a lot more McDonalds’ish than I expected (down to the photos on the overhead menu, which don’t look like veggie burgers to me).

From the looks of a photo of the entire interior, leaving Zen Burger may require some sort of teleportation (achieving Nirvana perhaps?).  That photo, after the jump… Read more »

The unmistakeable smell has already begun to fill the tunnels beneath Rockefeller Center, as Cinnabon prepares to open for business at 4pm.  In honor of the “grand opening” they will be handing our free coffee (today only) but the guy inside would not confirm (or deny) the possibility of free samples of cinnamon bunly goodness.

The location is not actually in the concourse, but in that underground area between buildings, next to the Dunkin Donuts just outside the Subway turnstiles.  You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it… just follow the intoxicating smell.

Thanks to Lisa C. for the tip.  If you have any news, info or recommendations- email them to zach@midtownlunch.com

In Midtown there is no shortage of fancy Indian all you can eat Buffets.  I’d love to try them, but I can’t justify shelling out $13, $15 or $18 for all you can eat Indian food when there’s Sukhadia for $10.95 and my new favorite Spice Fusion for $9.95 available.  Sure, the quality of the food at some of these super expensive *may* be better (that is not totally confirmed), but it’s just not worth the extra money.

Utsav, a fancy Indian buffet on 47th btw. 6+7th, solves that problem with a little take out section in the bar area of their $17.95 all you can eat buffet.  For $7.95 or $9.95 you get a lunch size sampling of what the fat cats upstairs are shelling out $18 for- and it’s pretty damn good.

What you get, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »