Midtown Lunch

First things first: Pakistan Tea House is up to a B rating from the Department of Health! The Pakistani standby on Church St. (at Reade) was saddled with the dreaded C the last time I ate there, not that I care about such things when there is a cheap, quality steam table lunch at hand.

I was here to try their three-item vegetarian combo, which we’ve somehow not reviewed on this site, instead focusing on the chicken dishes. They have several vegetarian items on offer every day and while none of them were labeled, I found that pointing and asking “What’s that?” worked just fine. I ended up with two hits and a miss using this system.

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I know that paying more than, say, $7 for a banh mi is painful. I also know that I do not regret the amount of money I spent on the soft shell shrimp banh mi at Khe-Yo on Duane St. (near W. Broadway), and you probably won’t either. Read more »

Eateries serving Mexican food alongside Chinese food are fairly plentiful in the city, with at least a couple within Downtown Lunch boundaries. One of those is called New Fresco Tortillas III on Reade St. (btw. Broadway & Church) and it’s just out of the way enough that if you don’t know it’s there, you’d miss it. There aren’t too many hole-in-the-wall Chinese spots left in Tribeca, with China Red on Chambers St. perhaps the most visible. I’m happy I didn’t walk right by New Fresco because I got served some of the finest Americanized Chinese food I’ve had in recent memory at a cheap price. Win win!  Read more »

No longer a source of Jamaican chicken wraps.

When it rains, it pours, and on Monday the actual rain coincided with some lunch spots shuttering in Tribeca. It was termed “Black Monday” as word came that Portobella’s Pizza on Murray St. and Blueberry Fusion Cafe on Church St. (where I once had a tasty but weird lunch experience) were no longer in operation. The third closing was a more upscale establishment that we don’t cover, but still, not good news to start the week. Hopefully some reasonably-priced spots will pick up the slack and open in these newly-vacant spaces.

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 »

When you first walk into Blueberry Fusion Cafe, which opened six months ago on Church St. (btw. Duane & Thomas), you will likely be greeted with a slightly empty-looking eatery. Actually, before I even walked in it was hard to tell if the place was open. It was, and after I ordered myself some food several more people came in to get smoothies, hot drinks or one of the sandwiches on offer. They tout themselves a health food place, but if you look at the menu closely there are some Caribbean food influences.  Read more »

When Saffron Thread Indian opened on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church St.) they touted their kati-type rolls, and they were indeed delicious and filling. The thing most people order here is the $9 lunch combo, and as I discovered you get a boat load of flavorful food for the price.

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