Midtown Lunch

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week we have lunch’er Deep who works pretty far south but hits a wide swath of downtown in his list of dislikes reads like the Midtown Lunch hand book. He’s looking for some help in the sandwich department.

Name: Deep, dbdtron

Occupation: Graphic Designer/Illustrator

Where you work: One New York Plaza. It doesn’t get more south on Manhattan than here…

Age: 34

Favorite Kinds of Food: Anything delicious. It can be fancy or street cart food, as long as it makes an impression.

Least Favorite Foods: All those delis that have the same food on every block. I saw one that called itself “Variety Cafe” the other day. Nothing could prevent me more from coming in the door, guys. Same goes for all the bars that are variations of the same thing.

Favorite Lunches Downtown: Alfanoose (kofta + fried onions = awesome) on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau), BonChon Chicken (spicy, duh) on John St. (btw. Cliff & Pearl), Adrienne’s Pizza Bar (le sigh) on Stone St. (btw. Old Slip & Broad), Locanda Verde (bank buster) on Greenwich St. (nr. N. Moore), Columbine (soups, whoopie pie) on W. Broadway (near White), Baoguette (catfish sandwich).

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Financier. Good soups/sandwiches-I like the Financier sandwich and their coffee. The desserts are OK.

Places downtown you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Wafels & Dinges, for which I am forever in your debt. I could eat one everyday. BonChon! I want to try those soup dumplings.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes, and why: Lower East Side: Shopsin’s, The Meatball Shop, An Choi. Doughnut Plant. It’s a feast vs. the Financial District’s famine. That or where my office was before relocating down here from Gramercy-next to the Credit Suisse First Boston on Park Ave. That was next to Shake Shack (one silent tear…).

Anything you’d like to ask the downtown Midtown Lunch readers?: I really miss Rosario’s (which closed in 2008). Is there a comparable killer sandwich place around? I also miss Casual Grill, Klatch (though Baoguette is a nice trade). Also, where’s the best burger? I like Rockwell’s across the street from me at Broad & Water streets because it’s cheap. Burger Burger on Pearl (nr. Coenties Alley) and The Dubliner on Stone St. are solid. It’s gonna be a year before the Shake Shack opens in Battery Park City, and Five Guys ain’t gonna cut it.

As far as sandwiches, Downtown Deli on Church St. (at Park Place) is solid and always packed with people, and they probably deliver down to you. I’ve also heard Toasties on John St. is good, and my favorite is Jou Jou on Nassau (at Maiden Lane) because they have interesting choices for around $6. I’ll let the rest of you make burger recommendations since I’ve only tried a few down here. And as always, if you would like to be next week’s Profiled Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email us at downtownnyc@midtownlunch.com.