Midtown Lunch

Looking back through all of the lunches I consumed in 2013 made me wonder, once again, how I am not morbidly obese. There was BBQ chicken lo mein, pizza with bacon and jalapeños, cheese steaks, fancy hot dogs, and one uncooked lunch that I’ll talk about later. All in all it was a great year for lunching downtown, and we gained options like Jersey-style subs, Philly-style hoagies and Japanese curry.

While digging through all of these lunches, there were several that stood out and I whittled them down to 10. You’ll find those straight ahead, along with an honorable mention and a bonus spot for perhaps the most memorable lunch I’ve eaten in my tenure as editor of this site.  Read more »

Just when I think we’ve discovered every lunch secret in the Financial District on this site, another one comes out of the woodwork. While doing some online research for another post I stumbled upon a place called Dovid’s Kosher in a building on Exchange Place (at William) that I’d never heard of. I’d reviewed two other spots on this same block and wondered how I’d never noticed a kosher deli. It turns out it’s because it’s inside a building, basically in a hallway, and you can’t really see it from the street. This called for an investigation.  Read more »

• There’s one dish to skip at Lotus Blue. [Eater NY]
• A use for your Xi’an Famous leftovers. [SENY]
• Grandaisy‘s pizzas are still great. [Eating in Translation]
• Gumbo at Cowgirl Seahorse is a good deal. [FitR]

A first visit to Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver) did not go well. Not all of the stations were open, things seemed disorganized, and the employees didn’t seem to be on their game. Did I mention the food I got was not that great, but they do have good coffee? Luckily, this time the food was better and the operation seemed to be running more smoothly.  Read more »

Most of the Chinese food options in the Financial District average about $7 or $8 for a lunch special. China 59 on Nassau St. (btw Maiden Lane & John St.) pegs theirs at $9 which gets you something from a list of mostly Americanized Chinese food, pork fried rice, and an egg roll. I wondered if it was worth walking down the wide staircase to the basement restaurant for lunch. To my surprise, little touches made the couple of extra dollars spent seem worth it.  Read more »

There are a couple of locations of sandwich shop Lenny’s that have been papered up and being prepared for opening for a while now. Well, word is that the location in the old Fresco on the Go space on Pearl St. (btw. Hanover Sq. and Wall) is opened, while the shop on Park Place (btw. Broadway & Church) will open in January. Now you can go get yourself a hot turkey sandwich without walking the extra blocks to the Lenny’s at Water & Broad.

My very first review for this site was the banh mi at Mangez Avec Moi Express on W. Broadway (btw Warren & Murray). Well, that was more than three years ago and I’ve never gone back. Since then they have changed their name to Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich and added steamed buns and dumplings to the menu.  Read more »