Midtown Lunch

My normal way of approaching opening day at any fast food-type lunch spot is to make sure I have my phone with me for entertainment while standing in a long line, and to decide ahead of time what I’ll be ordering. I had both of these strategies in play on Wednesday when I headed over to GRK on Fulton St. (btw. William & Nassau), the latest spot for Greek fast food in the Financial District. We already have Pita Press and the Souvlaki GR Truck at our disposal, so what could GRK add to the mix? Delicious pork cooked on a spit, that’s what.

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I went to check out the new Dirty Bird To Go on Chambers St. when it was supposed to open on Monday, but alas, the windows were still papered up and it didn’t look close to serving fried chicken. (The opening has since been confirmed as indefinitely delayed). I surveyed my options nearby, and ended up at Birdbath Bakery on Church St. (at Thomas). I’d had an awesome chicken cilantro sandwich there soon after it opened and there were several other sandwiches that looked great, including a catfish variety, but then a turkey sandwich with potato chips and beer mustard caught my eye. I wasn’t entirely sure what beer mustard was, but it sounded promising.

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After a couple of delays the Greek restaurant GRK is opening today at 11 a.m. on Fulton St. (btw. William & Nassau). We’ve already walked you through the menu, but you can expect yeeros (aka various meats cooked on spits) and fresh and frozen Greek yogurt with sweet and savory topping options. Some of the prices top the $10 mark, but we’ll be on hand to try the food and give you a rundown tomorrow. Early adopters, leave us your thoughts in the comments.

If you work in the World Financial Center, you may want to leave your lunch at home tomorrow. An event called Noodlepalooza is happening again in the Winter Garden (there was one back in May) and this time there are more food trucks involved. You can find the full menu and a map to plan your eating strategy here, but participants include Blue Smoke, Chinese Mirch, Valducci’s truck, Noodle Lane, Rickshaw and Wei West. There will be Asian noodles and dumplings, Tibetan momo,  pasta, macaroni & cheese, and some sandwiches thrown in because, why not? Everything’s $5 or less and it’s happening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As is customary here on Midtown Lunch: Downtown, every Tuesday we’ll profile a different lunch’er and get their recommendations for places to eat in Downtown NYC. This week, we have Jessica who will eat anything unless it’s bland. Or tofu.

Name: Jessica Kramer

Occupation: Conference producer at The Conference Forum

Where you work: Water St. between Old Slip & Gouverneur Lane

Age: 23

Favorite kinds of food: Everything! And the spicier the better, as long as it doesn’t completely overwhelm the flavor of the dish. My favorites are Thai, Indian, Mexican/Tex-Mex, Italian, French, Cajun, Moroccan, Eastern European, sushi, tapas and dim sum. I also have a soft spot for some Jewish food having grown up with it. Dessert-wise, I love dark chocolate when it’s paired with hazelnuts or peanut butter. I have the simplest peanut butter brownie recipe my dad used to make for my birthday growing up and no other brownie I’ve had anywhere in the world compares!

Least favorite foods: Cottage cheese; creamy cheeses (I just can’t seem to eat them! I used to not like any cheese, so it’s an improvement. I will, however, eat melted cheese); lemons; imitation meat, & tofu (It’s just so bland! I’d rather have a lot of delicious vegetables than fake meat or tofu, except for fake duck in Thai restaurants).

Favorite lunches downtown: I found out about the Comme Ci, Comme Ça Truck from you guys & soon after saw the Bistro Truck parked in the same spot outside my office. They’ve led me to a new appreciation for Moroccan food. I just can’t get enough of the former’s super spicy sauces (well, I ask for it super spicy) on their couscous which is loaded with awesome and unique veggies (so far I’ve really enjoyed them with their kofta & chicken) and the latter’s merguez sandwich. For a special treat, I indulge in the regular burger at Frites N Meats with some Gruyère and all their free toppings, as well as Wafels & Dinges‘ mini wafelini with their incredible spekuloos spread and strawberries (the big waffles are just too much!). The spekuloos ice cream is also amazing. On my first day at work, I passed Dig Inn at Pine & Pearl. They seem like they strike the perfect balance between food that’s relatively healthy & tasty. I’ve really enjoyed their spicy meatballs, tomato brown rice, sweet potatoes, cauliflower & lentils. Their roasted red pepper sauce is great with turkey. Finally, believe it or not, I still haven’t been to Luke’s Lobster, so a trip there is in order soon. I’m sure once I’ve tried their lobster roll it will be one of those “once in a blue moon” treats I’ll shell out for (pun sort of intended).

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