Midtown Lunch

In case you haven’t noticed, an annoying thing called the Polar Vortex has made walking outside to grab lunch an exercise in quickness and finding something warm to eat. The other day a craving for chili hit, and there aren’t too many places that regularly carry this specific dish. Then it dawned on me that Potbelly, of which there are four locations downtown, had chili on its menu every day and I had never tried it. While I may not flip my lid for their sandwiches, the chili is delicious.

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I hadn’t visited Jersey Mike’s Subs since they opened their first New York City location on Maiden Lane (btw. William & Pearl) last July. That initial visit showed they did a good job with sub sandwiches at a cheaper price than nearby Dave’s Hoagies. An overlooked part of the menu is the breakfast sandwiches, which are available all day and are cheap. One of the items on that menu involves Trenton pork roll, eggs and cheese and it is worth your stomach space.  Read more »

It’s been hard to track down the You Got Smoked truck since it was spotted in the Financial District back in December. They aren’t great about posting their location on Twitter and I refuse to wander the neighborhood on the off chance I’ll find a certain truck. Long story short: I happened upon them at Water and Wall streets on Friday and as it turned out, I was in need of lunch. While I was not wowed by my lunch, there were some high points. Read more »

In case you didn’t get the memo, Clarke’s Standard now has combo meals. That means you can go into the location at Maiden Lane & Pearl St. and order by number if you so desire, but since this is not McDonald’s it might be best to actually say the name of the thing you wish to eat in a combo. Before, you had to shell out more than $10 for just the sandwich or hot dog if you wanted fries on the side. Now you can get two of those things plus a fountain soda in a “Butcher’s Combo” for less than $10 before tax. It’s a wise move, and in my opinion a good deal.  Read more »

When you walk into the Imperial Coffee House, you feel like you’re stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting, but then the men behind the counter start their schtick and you’re back in NYC. This is perhaps the least fancy place to eat lunch in Tribeca, and the prices are also some of the cheapest downtown with the menu topping out at $8. This is the place to go for a no-frills meal of greasy food.  Read more »

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I kind of like spicy food. A lot. When I ordered a sandwich from the Route 66 Smokehouse pop up on the Elevated Acre (above 55 Water St. btw. Old Slip & Coenties Slip) I was not expecting an assault of pepper so crazy that my nose was running the entire time I was eating. That being said, I think with a couple of tweaks we can get a little excited about the food at the forthcoming Route 66 brick and mortar.

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The newest addition to the genre of lunch spots serving many different types of things and having a by-the-pound buffet is Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver). The place occupies a huge retail area on the bottom floor of the William Beaver House condo building, and it’s perhaps the least-crowded lunch experience I’ve had.

Not all of the stations were up and running (still to come: Stir fry, ramen and specialty sandwiches), but most others were, along with the buffet which featured items that looked a bit tastier than the usual offerings. Prices are a bit higher than at the generic delis in the area, but the surroundings are also nicer, and they serve fancy Intelligentsia coffee. The good and bad about my lunch experience on what was essentially Open Kitchen’s opening day, straight ahead.

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