Midtown Lunch

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. I have a problem. The funny thing is others stopped by the newly opened Panda International (on 46th btw. 5+6th), took one look at the food, and walked out. From Lunch’er “Gustad”

“Went with some coworkers, and just as we were walking in, 3 guys walked out laughing. so i asked what was wrong, and they said it looked too sketchy. we continued walking in to come to the same conclusion. in their warm trays, i saw meatballs and other italian dishes. what the hell!!?? their menu had chinese dishes for 10-11 bucks (the stuff that is usually 6-8 at a real chinese joint). and heros, smoothies, etc… very odd. i saw a mexican in the kitchen and two white people up front. i can eat at the junkiest of chinese places, and i’m not saying this place looks junkie, but it was very far from appetizing. we left without food.”

I stayed and ate.

Read more »

Like a heroin addict who can’t stay away from the methadone, my addiction to cheap Chinese food often manifests itself in my inability to eat at a mall food court without getting bourbon chicken. Sure, “technically” it’s not Chinese food- but who are they kidding? We all know bourbon chicken (and its many permutations) was invented so all the non-Chinese food spots could lure those with the same affliction as me away from the one Chinese food option in the food court. (Plus, it works as the perfect free sample.)

So you can imagine how excited I was to discover that the people who ran the “Cajun Cafe” in the now closed Manhattan Mall Food Court, have reopened their food court stand as a brick and mortar shop- replacing Pow Wok on 7th Ave. btw. 36+37th.

Read more »

I have nobody to blame for this but myself.  Do I think Goodburger has the best combo meal in the city?  Obviously not… but I did post those words on the site (unsurprisingly they didn’t care that it was a half-sarcastic attempt to get Midtown Lunch on their wall of fame.)  Of course they left out the “if only it was cheaper” part, a crucial impediment to fully enjoying Goodburger.  And, the quote is completely misleading now- because at the time I wrote it, it was meant to be kind of a joke- since they were the *only* burger place to offer combo meals in Midtown.  (Since I wrote that, City Burger has appeared with combo meals eerily similar to Goodburger, but Burger Joint and Five Guys still don’t offer them.)

Oh well.  You live and learn.  Now I’m immortalized on their wall as saying something nobody would agree with. (At least I am in good company.)  Awesome.  Well, as long as I’m here I might as well try their Steak & Egg Burger- which was just reintroduced to the menu as a lunchtime item (and an official entry in the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.)

Read more »

Last week Lunch’er Marisa asked for some strawberry shortcake help.  You responded with suggestions, and here is what she ended up with:

“We went to Café Zaiya. Honestly, the shortcake was fresh, but the whipped cream wasn’t real whipped cream and there were only 3 or 4 strawberry slices (so maybe one or two whole strawberries?) in the whole piece. It was enjoyable, but didn’t measure up to the real thing. Also of note, my boyfriend was absolutely shocked by how cheap everything is at Zaiya. I bought a edamame and bacon roll plus the piece of cake for under $5! He bought this delicious panko breaded chicken sandwich with a spicy mayo sauce for $3. Great place.”

Yes it certainly is. More strawberry shortcake porn, plus a shot of that edamame and bacon roll, and links to more Cafe Zaiya posts, all after the jump.

Read more »

Wasn’t the horrible economy supposed to put an end to this?  That was going to be the one good thing about complete and total economic collapse:  no more random FroYo places with terrible names.  And then this comes along inside the Church’s Fried Chicken food court on 8th Ave. btw. 44+45th.  Are you joking?  WTF is Voguert?  Seriously.  What… the… fuck… is Voguert? With Red Mango located just one block away, I give this one 3 months top.

There is some semi-worthwhile news from the 8th Ave. food court…

Read more »

After receiving an email from a Benjamin Steakhouse PR person, I politely told them that Midtown Lunches have to be under $10. Her reply: “We actually do have some great things under $10.00 that I would love for you to consider! Two items on the menu [that] are perfect for lunch are the French Onion Soup and the Wedge Salad. They are big sellers during lunchtime. Additionally, I’ve attached images for your review.” Wedge salad? You’re joking, right? I believe that’s what is know in “the business” as an appetizer. Sell a steak sandwich *and* soup or salad for $10, and then we’ll talk.

There was a time, not long ago, when Milant (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) was considered the best sandwich place in Midtown.  Then the DOH hit, followed by a weird period where they were closed more than they were open. Since that time, I’ve only been back to Milant once- for a good lunch, which I enjoyed– but there is no question their reputation has been hurt.  On Friday I walked by Milant once again, to see what was cookin’, and found they had quietly entered the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge.  Sort of…

Read more »

Lunch’er Josh, aka NYC Foodie, tipped me off to a new cart called Aamir Halal Food- which is serving chicken tikka and lamb over rice on the opposite corner diagonally across the street from the Biryani Cart (on 46th and 6th). According to Josh, the new cart is run by Aamir Hussein- who just so happens to be the father-in-law of Meru, the owner/chef of the Biryani Cart. When I stopped by to ask Meru about it yesterday, he called the new cart “competition” and admitted that it was in fact his father-in-law running the cart, and serving very similar food. He stopped short of saying it was causing “a problem in his family” (my words, not his) but I could see he wasn’t too psyched about the whole situation.  If I had to translate the look he gave me into words, I think it would be: “it is what it is”.

Totally in the mood for some street meat (I’ve been on a street cart tear lately) I headed over to this new unauthorized copy of the Biryani cart to see what was going on.

Read more »