Midtown Lunch

Barely five months after opening, the location of Hello Pasta on Maiden Lane is already closed. I wasn’t overly impressed when I checked it out in January right after it opened and others seemed to think that it was overpriced for something you could possibly make yourself. I guess this is one step back in their plans to launch a pasta empire. Click through to see the slightly strange sign posted in the window.

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When I think about all of the food voids that we have in the Financial District, customizable pasta doesn’t immediately come to mind. Good Indian, Korean – hell, more food trucks on a regular basis – we’re missing them all. Now we have Hello Pasta and I am mostly thankful it’s not another generic deli. Two locations have already opened in midtown and the first impression seemed to underwhelm, but it didn’t classify as terrible. How would the new location on Maiden Lane (nr. Water) measure up? I headed over on opening day to stuff my face with pasta and find out. Read more »

Hello Pasta announced a couple of weeks ago that its third location on Maiden Lane (nr. Water) would be opening today. And it actually is, according to its Facebook page! It looked mostly ready to open when I walked by yesterday, with all of the paper off the windows and the travel agency sign above the storefront finally removed. They open at 11 a.m. and free pasta goes to the first 25 people so early lunching may work to your advantage today.

A lot of you have probably been wondering like I have what the heck is going on with the Hello Pasta and Hot Clay Oven projects on the lower part of Maiden Lane. One is showing decidedly more progress than the other, so I figured it was time to check in on their progress. Sure, we just got Toloache Taqueria in record time, but it might be nice to have some pasta and Indian fusion thrown into the line up. Check out the potential opening dates after the jump. Read more »

The new chain Hello Pasta was given a resounding “meh” yesterday at its first location in Midtown in a battle of the build-your-own pasta chains, and according to its Web site, is opening in August on Maiden Lane. Should we get excited about $8 pasta in a Chinese take out box? No. Will people be lining up for it? Yes.

It looks like two new places are coming to Maiden Lane, one of which is also opening two locations in Midtown. Hot Clay Oven is bringing Indian food to 101 Maiden Lane (btw. Gold & Pearl). There’s no menu up on their Web site yet, but it does say that it will be the first of several locations in the city. I’m also intrigued by its tagline  of “really fine Indian food the American way.” What does that even mean?

The other place is Hello Pasta on the next block at 125 Maiden (btw. Pearl and Water). Its other two locations as of now have been spotted in Midtown and open at the beginning of June, and the downtown one is set to open at the end of that month. Apparently this is only the first step in the chain’s domination plans. We’ll see what the early word is from the lunch’ers to the north before passing judgment.

Both of these are on a stretch of Maiden Lane that’s crowded with other higher-end chains like Pret, Chipotle, Au Bon Pain, Just Salad and Hale & Hearty. I guess at least the area is sticking with a theme and running with it.