Midtown Lunch

We got a tip recently that Wogies Bar & Grill had opened a second outpost in the city on Trinity Pl. (nr. Rector St.), adding to their original West Village location. They are known for cheese steaks, but also have wings and some twists on the beef/cheese/bread formula (there’s a sandwich involving chopped steak, fried mozzarella balls and pepperoni). No word yet on how the actual food is, so if you’ve stopped in, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Many of you are excited about Tres Carnes coming to Maiden Lane (nr. Pearl St.), and I’m happy to report there is a solid opening date on tap. They open Thursday for your lunching needs, only a week or so behind schedule. You can check out some of their offerings from the review of the Flatiron shop, and get excited about not having to stand in that heinous Chipotle line anymore.

Starting at the end of this week for dinner and the following week for lunch you can nosh on Bavarian food and wash it down with a stein of “unique and unusual” German beer in the Financial District. Bavaria Bierhaus will open its doors on South William St. (btw. Broad & Hanover) for dinner service and drinking on Friday, with lunch service beginning Monday at 11 a.m. Hopefully the fresh-baked pretzels and sausages will be than $10 because charging more than that is ridiculous, but it sounds like the real meals like spaetzle or Wiener schnitzel will cost far more than that.

When I saw a man handing out food on Nassau St. next to Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches, I thought I was going to get a little free banh mi action. Instead, I discovered that a place called Pisillo Italian Panini had opened next door with a super-focused menu of only sandwiches. There are 25 varieties with fillings such as prosciutto, salami, tuna, sopressata, fresh or smoked mozzarella and various spreads and toppings it’s a bit like Alidoro in that there aren’t any parm sandwiches or other Italian-American concessions made. Prices range between $8.50 to $11.90 and note that it’s cash only. As always, if you eat there, let us know how the food was in the comments!

Pisillo Italian Panini, 97 Nassau St. (btw. Fulton & Ann streets), (212) 227-1304

We got word that the Route 66 Smokehouse on Pearl St. (btw. Coenties Slip & Hanover Sq.) will be opening Wednesday at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner service. The chef is an alumni of Blue Smoke, and the owner has other bars and restaurants on the Stone St. strip including Beckett’s Bar and Grill and The Dubliner. While it’s unclear how much of the “American regional” menu will be affordable (as in, $10 or less) because there are no prices listed, there are several items that sound delicious. Read more »

If you thought the Financial District didn’t have enough options for bread with holes in the middle, you’re in luck: A location of Simit + Smith opened today on William St. at Platt. They specialize in Turkish simit which are the thinner, lighter cousin of the bagel, and they also have at least one solid sandwich. Between this and Blue Spoon Coffee across the street, this block has some solid carb options. Also, according to their Twitter, if you have a government ID you can get a free simit through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The large retail space at the bottom of the distinctive yellow William Beaver House condo building at William & Beaver revealed itself to be Open Kitchen a few weeks back. A fellow Lunch’er who works nearby reporter late Friday that the place was open for business. A commenter on the original post, who no doubt is in on the project, says it will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The “gourmet marketplace” will have prepared foods, said the commenter, along with a hot/cold buffet and an “international selection of foods prepared to order.” From the look of the place, it will be a step above a generic deli, but be prepared for a review soon.