Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Lee, a social media strategist who is obsessed with nachos.

Name: Lee

Age: 26

Occupation: Social Media Strategist and also Founder of Nachos NY

Where in Midtown do you Work?: I work at Morpheus Media in the Chelsea area.

Favorite Kind of Food: Mexican, Indian, Thai, Burgers and Buffalo Chicken.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Bad Sushi (my girlfriend’s parents own a delicious place), Seafood

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Double ShackBurger at Shake Shack, 3Bs Special Burger and Fresh Roast Turkey at Food Parc (on 30th btw. 6+7th), The Roast Pork sub at No. 7 Sub

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week we’re excited to welcome Zeina, the lucky winner of the Vendy Citizen Judge slot. On September 23rd she’ll get to join the distinguished Vendy Award judging panel (which includes Writer John T. Edge & Eatocracy’s Kat Kinsman, and she just so happens to be a Midtown Luncher as well!

Name: Zeina

Age: 27

Occupation: Media Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Conde Nast, Times Square

Favorite Kind of Food: Depends on my mood. My go-to is Indian – ANY type; kati rolls, dosas,
biryani, curries, you name it. My comfort food is Japanese Ramen or Lebanese lebneh with manaeesh, and when I go out I like to indulge in Farm-to-Table concoctions. And I’ve never said no to a good grilled cheese!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Pay-by-the-pound Chinese

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Kati Roll Company (on 39th btw. 5+6th) for paneer roll or aloo unda roll, and The Biryani Cart (on 46th btw. 6+7th) for chicken biryani.

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week we’ve decided to go down to the Flatiron, to give Clay some good ideas for his Friday posts.  Meet Denise, a production person who loves Filipino food (provided it doesn’t have any bits of ear in it.)

Name: Denise

Age: 30

Occupation: Director of Production, and blogger

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Flatiron District

Favorite Kind of Food: Depends on my mood, but mostly Belgian, Filipino, French bistro, Italian, and Malaysian.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Sisig – just Google it. You’ll see why…

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:

• Markt (on 6th btw. 21+22nd) – a Belgian restaurant in Chelsea. My favorite items off the menu: French Onion Soup, Croque Monsieur and Moules À La Provençale (mussels with tomato and fresh basil; with frites). Oh, and don’t forget to wash it down with some Belgian beer (bottled or on tap).
• Almond (22nd btw. B’way+5th) – Grilled Chicken Paillard or Streak Frites.
• Republic (in Union Square) – Grilled Pork Chops
• Grill 21 (on 21st btw. 1+2nd) – Pork Barbecue with garlic rice
• Financier Patisserie – Le Parisien (a sandwich made with Ham, Brie, Dijon Mustard)

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Phoebe, a luncher who loves healthy food and hates (gulp) halal.

Name: Phoebe

Age: 29

Occupation: EA

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 53rd & Broadway

Favorite Kind of Food: Healthy!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Halal

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Mooncake Foods’ Miso Salmon with a salad and brown rice. Chop’t’s Palm Beach Shrimp Salad. Pure Thai Shophouse’s Spicy Basil Chicken and refreshing Spicy Beef Salad. Pio Pio (on 10th Ave. & 44th) for a pollo a la brasa lunch special. Equinox Gym’s City Chow Cafe (on B’way btw. 50+51st) for yogurt-marinated salmon platter. Energy Kitchen’s (on 47th btw. 9+10th) Grilled Chicken Italian Wrap with a steamed spinach side (smothered in Grey Poupon).

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Sean, the “Mayor” of Midtown West?

Name: Sean (but my colleagues call me “The Mayor”)

Age: 28

Occupation: Vice President at 21C Media Group, a public relations, marketing and consulting firm specializing in classical music and the performing arts.

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Midtown West (56th Street and Seventh Avenue)

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything and everything. I’m an equal opportunity eater.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: There are only two things I don’t really like: capers and sardines. Although I still eat and like them on occasion.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Tuna nicoise sandwich at Bouchon Bakery, braised fish filets with chili miso at Szechuan Gourmet, any of the sandwiches at Blue Dog Café (on 56th btw. 6+7th), Certé or D & S Market Place (a.k.a. “The Man Deli” on 56th btw. 5+6th), avocado, parmesan and pine nut salad at Cognac Bakery (on B’way and 55th), fish special or salmon at Between the Bread (on 55th btw. 6+7th), midtown lunch at Ma Peche, “build your own salad” specials at Bagel & Bean (on B’way btw. 54+55th) and the Great American Health Bar (on 57th btw. 5+6th), pizza at Angelo’s (on 57th btw. 6+7th), burgers at the Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien, ramen at Totto Ramen (but not so much in the summer), tilapia or salmon at Kwik Meal cart in the West 40s (thanks for the tip, Patrick Tierney), and if feel like making the trek up to the West 60s, anything from ‘wichcraft and Epicerie Boulud (on B’way btw. 63+64th). Also, as a dedicated coffee drinker, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Zibetto, which I feel has some of the best espresso in the neighborhood (and also some great panini).

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week we’re proud and excited to welcome Lauren Shockey, one of the Village Voice’s restaurant critics, as an honorary Midtown Lunch’er. Her book “Four Kitchens: My Life Behind the Burner in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv and Paris” comes out tomorrow, and we’ve got a copy to give away after she gives us her recs for lunching.

Name: Lauren

Age: 27

Occupation: Restaurant Critic and Blogger for the Village Voice and author of the just-released culinary memoir Four Kitchens

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Our offices are on Cooper Square — not in Midtown, I know, I know — but I’m often running all over the city in search of good eating and regularly am in Midtown.

Favorite Kind of Food: Southeast Asian of any kind, but especially Vietnamese, Thai, Sri Lankan, and Malaysian fare. Really, anything that comes from those parts of the world. If I see chiles and garlic and coconut and spices and fresh herbs, I’m down. I can also never say no to raw oysters or lobster rolls, and I have a deep love of pasta with either tomato sauce, white clam sauce, or carbonara.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t like olives, which is unfortunate when it comes to cocktail parties and dirty martinis but otherwise I can avoid them pretty easily. And I also am not a huge fan of kidneys (I mean, think about their function). Other than that I’m pretty omnivorous.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: On the West Side, I’m a big fan of Danji – love the sliders (pork ones especially), and the japchae lunch. I also enjoy the sandwiches at Mooncake Foods and the ramen at Men Kui Tei. Can you tell I like Asian food, haha? On the East Side, I Soba Totto is probably my top spot and I go there frequently, especially in the winter for the hot soba. I also think Bi Lokma is great – I’ll get the stuffed grape leaves, the hot yogurt soup, and the meatballs for sure. And if I want something fancier, I’ll head to the Bar Room at The Modern.

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Henry, a Hell’s Kitchen bartender who really seems to know what’s up.

Name: Henry (whitesaucehotsauce to you registered MLers)

Age: 30

Occupation: Bartender, oh, and I write this little food bl…just kidding

Where in Midtown do you Work?: The Pony Bar! I live in the neighborhood, too, so I’m really getting the full Midtown experience.

Favorite Kind of Food: Any ketchup delivery system (I’m a Pittsburgh boy!) especially cheese burgers and french fries, as well as a special affinity for BBQ, Buffalo Wings, Gyros, and sandwiches of any kind as long as they don’t have…

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Mayo, raw tomatoes, eggplants, and mushrooms. In
that order.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I know it’s OOB but the corner of 47th and 10th (or Little Guadalajara as I like to call it) with Tulcingo del Valle, Tehuitzingo, and that new little place around the corner. Shorty’s (on 9th btw. 41+42nd) for a whiz wit or a pork sandwich or an italian or a buffalo chicken sandwich or just about anything, really, especially the parmesan fries. Bella Napoli (on 49th btw. 6+7th) for a plain slice, Kati Roll Co (on 39th btw. 5+6th), lobster roll from just about anywhere.

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Jess, a marketing associate who loves breakfast and wants to give you lunchtime discounts.

Name: Jess

Age: 28

Occupation: Marketing Associate

Where in Midtown do you Work?: DailyGobble, a smartphone-based dining rebate program that exposes users to discounts at partner restaurants.

Favorite Kind of Food: Breakfasts of all cuisines… Croque madames and monsieurs, crispy fried dough (you tiao) dipped in sweet soybean milk, or just eggs, potatoes, and bacon with a splash of Tabasco or smothered in New Mexican green chile… Make it brunch and we’re golden.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Sea cucumber. Self-explanatory.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Yagura (on 41st btw. Mad+5th) for chicken katsu curry on a rainy day, the Woorijip (on 32nd btw. B’way+5th) buffet for emotional eating, and Hing Won (on 48th btw. 5+6th) for a gustatory trip home. Nothing makes me happier than working in a mecca of stop-and-go Asian meals.

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Matt, a TV dude who does mini food cart crawls to assemble his lunches.

Name: Matt

Age: 28

Occupation: TV Development Assistant

Where in Midtown do you Work?: HBO on 42nd & 6th

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese + Korean. And shrimp n grits.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Salad, with which you don’t make friends.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown:I like to construct my lunch with smaller dishes from a variety of carts. Usually always includes a Doubles from Trini/Paki Boys on 43rd & 6th (best deal in midtown), and I rotate the following: Chennai Roll from Biryani Cart (on 46th & 6th); side of Falafel balls from Moshe’s on 46th & 6th (the pickles make it); Shrimp Masala Roll from Kati Roll Co on 39th btw. 5+6th (pricey but just damn good); Gruyere Sandwich from ‘wichcraft (the only acceptable thing to order form wichcraft); masala dosa from the dosa cart on 38th and Broadway; a quinoa salad from Taim… list goes on. For desserts I love my Treats Truck, and if I’m willing to walk a few blocks I’ll head over to Kyotofu in Hells Kitchen for the best sweets ever.

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Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Monique, an admin who hates mushrooms but loves food trucks.

Name: Monique

Age: 26

Occupation: Admin Assistant by day, Food blogger by night

Where in Midtown do you Work?: My office is right across the street from Bryant Park.

Favorite Kind of Food: I love bacon. I mean, I love fruits and veggies….but I really love bacon. And dumplings.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: MUSHROOM ANYTHING

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I’m a big food truck hound. I love Rickshaw, Wafels and Dinges, Schnitzel and Things, Big D’s Grub Truck…the list gets long. When I have the time and can splurge: SHAKE SHACK (on 44th & 8th). AHH, and I almost forgot Chef Samir’s Comme Ci Comme Ca truck!! The food is RIDICULOUS and I always forget to give these guys love. They’re getting pushed out of their 38th and Bway spot…so don’t forget to check these dudes out.

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