Midtown Lunch

Late last week I stopped by the bank just as a cart on the corner  of Greenwich & Murray streets outside was being readied to be driven away at the end of the day. That cart was BIA Best Food, and it had an intriguing menu that included biryani, chicken curry, teriyaki chicken, sweet chili chicken (they must really like chicken) and then there was dal for the low price of $4.

Carts are sometimes lacking in vegetarian options outside of falafel or vegetables over rice, and so I was intrigued that they had another cheap non-meat option. At only $4, it was a cheap gamble to take to see if it was any good.  Read more »

Sad news to report: Yips on William St. (btw. John & Fulton) was shuttered and empty when I walked by Friday night. The sign above was hanging in the window explaining that they lost the lease on the space (maybe because the price went up?). They had a good buffet and a decent sub-$5 lunch special. I’m assuming the Beaver St. location of Yips has also closed since it’s not mentioned in the remaining locations on the sign in the window.  According to a commenter below, the Beaver St. location is still open, but if you see or hear otherwise, let us know!

• Blue Bottle Coffee’s out at All Good Things. [Tribeca Citizen]
• $1 gets you something tasty at Ka Wah. [Eating in Translation]
• Burger & Barrel’s namesake product is still good. [FitR]
• Now you can get coffee with a side of match making. [DNAinfo]

If you don’t know Cucina Bene on Exchange Place (btw. William & Broad) exists, you aren’t alone. I’ve probably walked by the block that this pizza place sits on hundreds of times, but unless you look over and see the neon sign proclaiming “Pizza” you wouldn’t notice it. Its entrance it right in front of one of those raised things to prevent cars from driving down the street, and across from a Blimpie sandwich shop.

Enough about its out of the way location…you want to know about the pizza, right? Well, I’m here to tell you they served me some of the best, no-frills slices I’ve eaten in my time as Downtown Lunch editor.  Read more »

When the Halal Gyro Express cart reappeared at William St. & Maiden Lane after apparently being damaged in an accident, I noticed there were some menu additions taped to the window. In addition to biryani and fish over rice, there was one that made me stop in my tracks. “Chicken lo mein? Really?” I thought to myself.

Of course I had to see what this street meat/Chinese mash up would be.  Read more »

I’d seen work being done on the massive retail space on William St. (nr. Beaver) for quite some time, but there were no signs of what would be coming. Now we have the answer as the paper came down on the windows and signs went up proclaiming it to be Open Kitchen.

It will be a gourmet coffee shop and market, and the inside – walls covered in white subway tile, nice light fixtures hanging from the ceiling – looks like somewhere I’d actually like to eat lunch. If nothing else, I’m sure those of you working in the area will welcome an alternative to Starbucks coffee.

Yesterday the Vendy Awards, being held on Sept. 7 at Industrial City by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, announced the finalists for the Rookie, Dessert, Market and New Jersey categories. Most of those are not vendors we ever see in Downtown Lunch territory, but some of the carts and trucks in the Rookie finalists stood out.  Read more »