Midtown Lunch

I am a firm believer in the fact that there is no bad Pizza in New York City.  Some slices are better than others, but in the end- even a crappy New York slice is better than most slices in other cities.  I’m sure everyone has their favorite slice, but when it comes to pizza- my favorite is the deal.  And there is no better deal than $1 pizza!

A few months ago I wrote about 99¢ Fresh Pizza opening a second location right by Grand Central.  That was shortly followed by the $1.25 pizza deal at Naples 45 (arguably the highest quality pizza at that low price)- but you have to wait until after 2pm.  For most people, time is more precious than money- so if you don’t work near either of those two places, it may not be worth the extra walking just to save a couple of bucks.

Well, I’m happy to say that the West side of Midtown now has their own $1 pizza deal (that is closer than the original 99¢ Fresh Pizza behind Port Authority).  And it’s an all day kind of thing.  As with anything, you get what you pay for- and Z Deli is no exception.  But if $1 pizza is what you are looking for, than here it is, right on 8th Ave. btw. 48+49th St.

Pics of the pie, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

Who doesn’t love meat on a stick?  Who doesn’t love anyting on sticks for that matter?  Put something on a stick, and you’re talking immediate improvement.  Meat.  Apple dipped in caramel.  Imagine taking a hot dog, dipping it in batter, deep frying it, and then eating it- without a stick.  Terrible, right?  Put it on a stick… greatest treat of all time!  So, when I heard about Kushi Q opening on 3rd Ave., I was naturally very excited.  Japanese Yakitori (and other meats), in a “fast food chic” setting.  There are plenty of amazing Yakitori places in Midtown, but they don’t open until the late afternoon.  In Japan, Yakitori is traditionally eaten as an after work snack, or late night in bars called Izakayas.  Kushi Q allows you to enjoy Yakitori for lunch, in Midtown.  Very exciting!

Not discouraged by all the early negativity, I headed over to check Kushi Q out last week…. and was pleasantly surprised.  It’s not without its problems- but the potential is there.  What I got, the +/-, and pictures of futuristic machinery necessary to serve fast food yakitori- after the jump… Read more »

I think 41st St. btw. Madison & 5th might be my favorite block of Midtown.  It’s no secret that I love Asian food, and this particular block is home to three of the best cheap and quick Japanese lunches in the city.  Even though they all serve Japanese fast food, they are all very different- each with its own niche, and price range.  Moderate, Cheap and Cheaper.

I’ve written about the “moderate” Chiyoda Sushi, which serves very creative little Japanese dishes as well as the regular assortment of bento boxes, pre-packaged sushi, and a small selection of rice balls.  It is the most expensive of the three places, and usually not too packed (although they certainly do a healthy business).

Cafe Zaiya, on the other hand, is a mad house.  In the middle in price as well as location on the street, they have a much larger selection of pre-packaged rice balls, bento boxes, and pastries (including Beard Papas!, the cream filled puff pastry).  It’s slightly cheaper than Chiyoda, and there is a larger selection, making it the most popular of the three.

Finally there’s Yagura, the bastard child of 41st Street.  Unmarked (the sign is propped up sideways against the wall inside the door) and with no windows, Yagura is actually a pretty sweet Japanese grocery store, that happens to sell soups and bento boxes out of a window in the front.  It’s not as bustling as Zaiya, or as nice as Chiyoda- but it’s got one thing that they don’t.  The food comes out freshly heated up.

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

KushiQ (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) opened on Monday, introducing their special brand of fast food yakitori, in a hip setting.  I’m all for meat on a stick, and I’ve been pretty pumped up about this opening.  Grub Street gave it a nice write up yesterday, but it looks like the early word on the street is not so great.

First the mixed…

The food was okay.  They sell a box combo, where you can choose a base of rice, salad or bread (that looked terrible) and then three skewers on top of it.  I tried the combo with 1 chicken, 1 salmon, and 1 beef stick.  The beef and the chicken were both very good, the salmon was eh.  They put a whole bunch of crap on the rice (sauce, sesame seeds, seaweed) and also those yellow pickles that you get as banchan in Koreatown.  

Is it a good deal?  No.  My box, with tax, was $8.56 (it did come with miso soup, which was fine.)  Is it worth a try?  Yeah, [but] I absolutely refuse to pay for a stick with literally only three pieces of vegetable on it.  Lame.

By far the coolest thing is the skewer cooking machine, which mechanically lifts and dips each skewer into some sort of cooking/marinating liquid -Sara (via Email)

I am intrigued by this meat on a stick dipping machine. At least she ordered something. Comments from three walkouts- after the jump Read more »

When I started this blog a little less than a year ago, I quickly set up boundaries that defined exactly where a “Midtown Lunch” could be.  We’ve only got an hour for lunch (and some of us less), so there had to be a border.  8th Ave. on the West, 3rd Ave. on the East.  Central Park to the North, and 32nd St. to the south.  The south part was pushing it a little, but I was biased by my love of Koreatown.  The whole point of doing this is to give me an excuse to stuff my face every day at lunch… how could I leave out Koreatown? 

There have been many temptations to cross those imaginary lines. Thai food on 9th Ave. has been recommended to me often, and people seem to love the falafel at Azuri Cafe, which requires you to trek almost all the way to 10th Ave!  I thought I was going to crack for the new Bahn Mi place on 2nd Ave., but luckily they charge way too much for what I’ve heard are pretty mediocre sandwiches, making it a little easier to skip (I still may end up trying it, we’ll see).  It’s been tough, but I have managed to hold it together.

Well, I finally met my match.  A few weeks ago, I received an email tip about something that I just could not ignore.  A place that embodies everything a Midtown Lunch should be (under $10, unique and adventurous), while combining the qualities of two of my favorite cuisines (Latin & Asian).  And they’ve got a lunch special to boot.  Readers of Midtown Lunch… I give you… BAYAN CAFE.  Filipino Food in Midtown.  That’s right.  Filipino.  What’s Filipino Food?  I’m not exactly sure.  But it’s freaking good.  So what if it’s East of 3rd Ave.  What’s an extra 15 feet for something that exists nowhere else in Midtown? And for that, I will now break my self imposed, meaningless to everyone but my feeble brain, Midtown Lunch boundaries. 

What they got, photos and the +/- after the jump…  Read more »

“What’s the best Chicken and Rice Cart in Midtown for lunch?  I’ve heard a lot about a famous one on 53rd & 6th.  What’s the deal with that place?”  – Jason, 32

Ah yes… the infamous chicken and rice question.  Technically, the “famous” chicken & rice cart on 53rd & 6th is not a Midtown Lunch, because they don’t open until 7:30pm. (Bummer!)  If you base it on the line alone, than it wins hands down, and it was also nominated for a Vendy Award.  If you’ve ever driven down 53rd st. late at night, than you’ve noticed the lines at this cart.  It’s impossible to miss, and it’s usually there until 4am serving up a combo of chicken, lamb, rice, white sauce and hot sauce.  Every time I have to work late, I’ll usually head over there to check it out- but the lines have always been too long to wait.

During the day, there is cart on that corner- and there always seems to be a long line.  I’ve always wondered if people *think* that’s the famous chicken and rice cart (it’s not, by the way.)

My favorite chicken and rice in Midtown, PLUS a trick to eating at the late night, famous chicken and rice cart- after the jump… Read more »

I finally made it out to the Midtown branch of Mandler’s Sausage Co. which finally opened a few weeks ago (after numerous delays).  I love it when new places open in Midtown, and it’s especially gratifying when that new place is a transplant from a better lunch’ing area of Manhattan.  If Midtown is good enough for the Mandler family, than maybe it will be good enough for Mamoun, or David Chang or any of those people who make cheap Banh Mi in Chinatown!

And now… for the first time ever- I present a Midtown Lunch +/- in pictures.  Who needs my terrible prose, when you can just see the food for yourself!

THE + (what people who like Mandler’s would say about it)

(+)The selection.  With 11 different kinds of sausages, 12 different toppings, schnitzel, crepes, breakfast and more- there is something for everyone.  There’s also a Kosher sausage, a turkey sausage and a veggie sausage for people with dietary restrictions.

(+)The Mustard Bar.  If you are a fan of the dipping sauce (and quite frankly, who isn’t), then Mandler’s may be your favorite place in Midtown.  A whopping 6 different mustards (plus ketchup and mayo), and it’s self serve- so you don’t have to be embarassed asking the cashier for 17 sauces.  Horseradish, Vermont Maple, Roasted Garlic Dijon, Amber Ale Honey, Three Peppercorn Dijon & Smokey Garlic Dijon.

(+) The combo meals (and side dishes that come with them).  There’s something very comforting about a combo meal.  Even if it only saves you 50 cents (or zero cents, like at some places), I like it when places offer an option that *forces* you to eat more.  And the best part about Mandler’s is the side dishes that comes with the combo meals.  It makes it easier to forgive the $9 price tag when you are getting these sides!  With your choice of sausage, you can get regular fries (seen above)… or delicious zucchini fries! (seen below)

You can also get your sausage with a cheese, zucchini or potato pancake (seen below)

Or the greatest side dish of all time…. after the jump Read more »

I hate people.  Maybe hate is a strong word… but I don’t really like talking to people I don’t know.  That can be a positive and a negative when it comes to Midtown Lunch’ing.  On one hand, I can just get it in and out of a new place- eat my food, and take a few quick pictures, without getting influenced by a super nice cashier, or an overzealous manager trying to sell me on what they have to offer.  It can be all about the food!

On the other hand, if I asked a few questions and made a few friends I probably would get some useful information about the place I was writing about.  Here’s a perfect example of how a little friendliness will go a long way.  A few weeks ago I wrote about the fried calamari sandwich at Tuscan Square Marketplace.  I wrote that it was a good sandwich, but a little pricey ($9)- and only available on Tuesdays.  It also could suffer a little bit depending on when you got there- because the sandwich comes pre-packaged and you don’t know how much time has passed from fryer to counter.

The sandwich came recommended to me by Joann, a woman who works with my wife-  but the sandwich I ate, and the sandwich you might have eaten on the Tuesday after I wrote about this, was not the same sandwich she eats.  She gets a special sandwich.  And that sandwich is available any day she wants it.  And I’m pretty sure her sandwich has more calamari.  How does she do it?  She’s nice.  And she made friends with someone who works there.  And here’s the best part… you can have that sandwich too!  The “special” sandwich, and how to get it- after the jump. Read more »

This picture is wholesome (although the prospect of eating at Metro makes me feel dirty):

Has anybody tried this thing?  Am I going to have to eat at Metro?  Whatever happened to that Croque Monsieur Truck that was spotted back in January on 54th & Broadway for a week, but then disappeared.  Anybody seen that thing anywhere?

I felt the need to put the NC-17 picture after the jump.  WARNING:  May not be suitable for children (or people with dirty minds)… Read more »

If you are a fan of the blog, you know I don’t write about generic fast food chains too often.  Nobody needs to read about Burger King or Wendy’s, and I have a special hatred in my heart for McDonalds (and Chipotle, which I know isn’t technically owned by McDonalds anymore, but can still be accurately referred to as a McBurrito).  But occasionally there is something interesting to write about, like the return of Popeyes to Midtown (the greatest fried chicken in the history of the universe), or Ranch 1/Chicken Bar- a fast food chain that I think really has something tasty and unique to offer.  I also reserve the right to write about Pollo Tropical, In N Out Burger, Panda Express, Baja Fresh, and Chick-Fil-A* if they ever get their acts together and open up Manhattan locations!  (* I am aware that Chick-Fil-A has a location in the NYU student center food court… but it technically isn’t open to the public.)

Arby’s is one of those places in the middle.  For many people, Arby’s is held in that special place in their heart (ironically, the same place you are doing damage to when you eat at places like Arby’s).  I’m on the fence.  There are no other cheap fast food places specializing in roast beef, but according to my wife, Arby’s is the bologna of Roast Beef- so it’s a toss up.  But here’s the thing.  Midtown is home to the only Arby’s in New York City (there are two in Queens).  And that makes it worthy of a Midtown Lunch write up.  It’s also housed in the food court of the Manhattan Mall… and I will use any excuse I can to visit a food court.

How we got there, what we ate and the food court fiasco- after the jump… Read more »