Midtown Lunch

I was out of town running a marathon earlier this week when Clarke’s Standard officially opened its doors on Maiden Lane (at Pearl St.), but was more than happy to go eat a burger and fries after punishing my body for 26.2 miles.

The place was not too crowded at prime lunch time mid-week and it only took a wait of a few minutes to get my lunch. You’ll find no complaints from me about Clarke’s Standard’s food in this initial review, but I do question whether a burger and fries lunch of more than $10 (with no drink) from a quick-service place has become the norm.

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Korean food kiosk Koki & Vegi has been going strong for a couple of years, serving office workers and tourists alike at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.

 Apparently we haven’t visited Koki & Vegi since 2011, so I walked over on a nice day to see if they’d made any changes to the menu. It turns out they have – adding fruit juices and smoothies along with teriyaki chicken and a hot dog that appears to be topped with bulgogi.

Since I’d previously focused on the beefy items, I went for the spicy chicken on this visit and it did not disappoint.

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Beef noodle soup: Lunch of champions. Via Food in Mouth.

• Sometimes you need some beef noodle soup. [Food in Mouth]
• Italian cafe Ciccio in Soho gets a thumbs up. [Tribeca Citizen]
• A roundup of sandwiches for $6 or less. [SENY]
• Former Earl’s Court space turning into massive bar. [DNAinfo]

A while back, Bongo Brothers renamed its truck the Miami Food Machine and got a totally different look. The previous incarnation was all meat, all the time, in the form of sandwiches, a burger and plates with rice and beans.

Plates with rice and beans are still on offer, but now you can get sliders and tacos and there’s tofu on the menu. I decided to try some Cuban fusion tacos (in your face Korean fusion!).  Read more »

With warmer weather on the way, it’s time to look past hefty plates of rice and meat to lunches that won’t instantly put you in a food coma and aren’t a salad.

I’ve been meaning to check out the yogurt bar at GRK after loving the meats I’ve tried there. You can get not only frozen Greek yogurt, but fresh flown in from the mother country, with a host of sweet and savory toppings at your disposal.

For the same price as a plate of street meat you can get fancy yogurt for lunch, but should you?

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This is a new one: A truck associated with the Canyon Ranch Resort is coming downtown on Thursday and Friday to serve us free food. The health resort and spa will have a truck at Wall and Water streets from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday, and at 200 West St. from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and Wall & Water from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday.

You will not get a giant breakfast of bacon and eggs, but instead smoothies and fruit & nut bars. I know you all are not ones to turn down free food, even if it’s good for you. They’re also giving away a stay at their resort if you want to try for even more freebies.