Midtown Lunch

The moment I stepped into Parisi Bakery on Mott St. (btw. Kenmare & Spring), I knew whatever sandwich I decided to get, it was going to be good. The line was out the door when I got there, reminding me of equally tiny and popular Italian sandwich shop Alidoro. Also refreshing in this neighborhood of trendy cafes: The guys making sandwiches were middle-aged and definitely not wearing skinny jeans. Based on the sandwich I ordered, I can say the wait in the lunch-rush line is worth it.

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I have a bunch of places on a literal “to eat” list and Greek restaurant Snack on Thompson (btw. Spring & Prince) is near the top of that list, as it’s been on there almost since the beginning of my taking over as editor of ML Downtown. More than one Profiled Lunch’er has mentioned how delicious their lamb sandwich is, but its $10 price tag and the fact that there was always some new food truck spawning kept making me forget about it. Well, you’ll be happy to know that I finally made it up to Soho to review this sandwich, and due to my procrastination it’s now out of the ML price range.

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Across the street from perpetually mobbed La Esquina you’ll find Hoomoos Asli on Kenmare St. (at Cleveland Pl.) which is the area’s answer to Crisp (that is until Taim opens its new flagship shop in Nolita) or a go-to falafel cart. The restaurant serves Israeli takes on pita sandwiches and platters and although the falafel and other vegetarian sandwiches are the cheapest options on the menu that’s often over $10, I zoned in on the chicken schnitzel sandwich and decided to make an fried addition for an extra $1.

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If you’ve been in the prime shopping area of Soho, you’ve probably walked past SoHo Park without even noticing it (or stopped at Hampton Chutney Co. before getting to it). It’s on Prince St. (at Lafayette) and is one of the cheaper lunch spots you’re going to find in the neighborhood, especially if you want a burger. It just so happened that all last week I was intensely craving a burger and fries, but I felt like this site has reviewed many of the options that are $10 or less, of which there aren’t that many. I thought about heading for Brinkley’s for the massive $14 burger that Serious Eats so loved, but instead decided SoHo Park was more in the ML budget and deserving of a look.

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I know many of you who work in the far reaches of Soho or the upper part of Tribeca by the Holland Tunnel probably frequent Mooncake Foods on Watts (btw. Thompson & 6th Ave.) because there’s not much else in the area other than a couple of Latin luncheonettes and some street meat carts. I however, had never made it there for lunch despite hearing nothing but good things about its food. The other day I was looking for an excuse to leave the Financial District for lunch, and what do you know, the Vietnamese pork meatball hero ($8) at Mooncake called my name.

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There’s a place in Soho where the ratio of well-dressed, impeccably-groomed office workers waiting in line is noticeably absent. Instead there’s a decidedly blue collar male crowd of truck drivers and the people who deliver your food from nicer restaurants in the area (I stood behind a delivery guy from Lombardi’s). That place is La Nueva Conquista – a Dominican food institution that Daniel visited waaay back in 2008. Judging by his pictures, this place hasn’t changed a bit except for a price hike to $9 for your meat over rice + beans lunch. He tried the catfish and goat stew but I was here for the roast pork which I’ve read about again and again but never had the chance to try.

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If you were one of the people who got sad when the original Ray’s Pizza (no, really) closed on Prince St. btw. Mott & Elizabeth never fear because the replacement is not too shabby. The straightforwardly-named Prince St. Pizza opened just last week and specializes in square slices and rice balls. An inquisitive neighbor peppered the counter guy with questions while I was in there and I learned that they’re not messing around with anything healthy like salad. The lightest option you’re going to find is a thin-crust slice.

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