Midtown Lunch

A brightly-painted truck began parking at Old Slip & Water St. a while ago and from the side facing the street it appeared to be a truck selling smoothies, fruit juices and fruit like the carts you see dotting sidewalks in the city. It turns out Sammi’s is a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde situation as it also sells burgers, fries and chicken wings among other decidedly unhealthy foods. Had anyone had the food here or are you curious about it? I like the idea of getting carrot juice with a side of wings.

A shiny new pedestrian plaza was installed on Coenties Slip between Pearl and Water streets recently. This is great for Lunch’ers looking to dine al fresco or walk in the middle of the street, but not so great for food trucks. There was usually room for at least one truck to park there each day, but that’s no longer the case. It seems like the amount of spots for trucks to park has gone back to normal since all of the construction vehicles after hurricane Sandy are mostly gone. Still, it might be nice to have a food truck lot somewhere down here to make things easier.

• A rundown of restaurants coming to Tribeca & the FiDi. [Tribeca Citizen]
• Wait, Zach’s not on this list of epic food bloggers? [First We Feast]
• Annnd Elixir Juice Bar adds to the places to get your cleanse on. [DNAinfo]
• Sietsema’s refreshingly-honest take on food truck fare. [Eater NY]
• Forlini’s chicken parm: A tad greasy, but with good bread. [SENY]

There was some intrigue surrounding the replacement of Pizza Pizza with Justino’s Pizzeria on the stretch of restaurants between Pearl St. and Stone St. Pizza Pizza was serviceable but not remarkable, but Justino’s seems to be another branch of an NYC mini-chain that used to have a location in Midtown and also exists in Staten Island. A look at the online menu showed some intriguing options including clam pizza and one modeled after the L&B Spumoni Gardens square variety. Lunch’er famdoc called for an investigation, and I was ready to do it.  Read more »

You may be able to get steamed buns at some of the Chinese spots in the Financial District, but they’re often over priced and underwhelming. Vivi Bubble Tea on John St. (nr. Nassau) is not necessarily a place you would think of for anything other than a liquid lunch. Yes, they offer many different varieties of bubble tea, but you can also get a couple varieties of steamed buns at lunch time although I’ve learned that you probably need to go as close to noon as possible, or even earlier, in order to get your hands on some.

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The popular Luckyim Thai cart seems to have finally found a spot they’re sticking with after being ousted from the plaza along Liberty St. The cart has settled into the SW corner of Hanover Sq. and Water St., right next to the 2013 Vendy Award rookie nominee Mamak cart. The fans seemed to have followed Luckyim Thai as there’s a line every time I walk by, so get there early if you want your pad thai fix.

I spotted this sign in the window at Yushi on Pearl (btw. Maiden Lane & Cedar) on Monday, and while initially the words “banh mi burger” were what drew me in, other text at the bottom of the sign was more interesting. Apparently on Wednesday’s this summer they offer a banh mi burger, and if you get one and then e-mail feedback to info@yushi.com you can get a free order of dumplings on your next visit. I can’t vouch for how good Yushi’s dumplings are, but it’s free food, which I always endorse.