Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday for some of us, but today it’s the actual Fat Tuesday… and to celebrate Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th) has got some specials planned just for today.  As you can see from their flyer they’re planning to have chicken etouffee ($11.25), dirty rice as a side ($3.95), shrimp gumbo as a soup ($5.20) and a po’ boy dip ($9.95). What’s in that, you might be asking?  Try braised beef, caramelized peppers and onions, gruyere, mustard, and pickles on a garlic baguette.  Of course it comes with au jus on the side.  I highly doubt it will transport you to Mother’s, but it’ll do.

Cer Te, 20 W 55th St. (btw 5+6th). 212-397-2020

It’s been a rough spell for Burger King in midtown. First we had word from lunch’r dbug42 that the Whopper Bar in Times Square was closed then soon thereafter he tipped us off that the Rock Center location was also dunzo.  Could it be that our quest to steer people in Midtown to interesting lunchtime eats could finally be paying off?  I guess it all depends on what’s going to go in that space? Wendy’s fans will be pleased to know that their spot is the last of the hamburger chains with a hold in the RC concourse–McD’s vacated years ago.

These guys work fast – days after we posted about TS Ma being replaced by Fusion 9th, I got word from my confidential source that they had opened. Here at Midtown Lunch, we don’t screw around when Malaysian options hit the desert of food deserts – southwest midtown – so with great sobriety and regret did I set aside the thought of a cold-cut sandwich for lunch. No looming reminder of a massive Super Bowl pigout would prevent me from getting my foot in the door at Fusion 9th to determine if it’s worth an eyebrow raise or if it’s just forgettable “fusion.”
Read more »

This year’s Choice Eats event was announced a few weeks ago and tickets have been going fast for the annual food feast on Tuesday, March 19 at the 69th Armory on Lexington (bw 25th and 26th). With only one official Midtown entry (Black Shack Burger), this might be a perfect chance to sample some exciting restaurants from all over the city.  And we have a  pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader. The full list of participating restaurants are listed here. In order to enter, simply leave a comment below letting us know which food establishment you are most eager to try at the event. We’ll choose the winner by random on Friday Feb. 15th at 5pm EST. Don’t want to leave it to chance? General Admission tickets are still available for $50 and can be purchased here.

• 15 Late Night Eats in Midtown [SENY]
• Wondering what will happen to the Port Authority 99 Cent Pizza [Jeremiah’s Vanishing]
• LT Burger leaves a lot to be desired [AHT]
• Another early at Mmm…Enfes [SENY]
• The Alice Sandwich is the thing to get at Toasties [CrushNY]
• A look at Cer Te’s new pambazo [SENY]
• The band Local Natives are a huge fan of Num Pang [Food is the New Rock]

P.J. Clarke’s first foray into the take-away market, Clarke’s Standard (Lex+54th), opened the other day without some of the major kinks seen in other openings. Yes, the lines were long, but the behind-the-counter assembly line kept the burgers moving. And though we saw part of the menu, there were a few surprises. I stopped by during the lunch rush to see if the burgers are worth and to get my hands on some cheesy tots.

Read more »

Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

For those of you not familiar with Kalustyan’s, do yourself a favor and become acquainted! It is the best spice and import store I know of in the city. While Eataly and Buon Italia do a great job with Italian imports and Spice Corner, Foods of India and Little India are all within a block, Kalustyan’s has shelves upon shelves of spices, herbs, chutneys, honeys, jams, frozen foods, dried beans, rices, nuts, syrups, teas, breads, pickles, specialty pots and pans, etc, etc…need I go on? Serious Eats did a nice slide show to give you a visual idea. They sell largely Indian products, but they offer items from all over the world. So when you need a random ingredient you have never heard of for a recipe, try here on your lunch break.

Read more »

If you’re looking to get your Korean taco fix at Bann Next Door this week and onwards, you’ll want to look elsewhere. The Midtown West Korean restaurant will no longer be carrying those Korean tacos that we loved. The restaurant wrote to us and explained that they’re trying to create more cohesion between Bann Next Door and the parent restaurant, and getting rid of fusion items such as sliders, tortillas, and salsa. However, they’ll be adding katsu (chicken, shrimp, pork) to bolster the menu. We’ll miss those tacos, but luckily you can still other takes on Korean tacos today at Korilla or The Seoul Food Truck, both of which park in Midtown regularly. However, be sure to check the twitter tracker before heading out.

If you’ve started a new Valentine’s tradition of giving yourself or your sweetie Dorie Greenspan’s cookies from her cookie pop-up of years past in the Mizu Salon (Park btw 59+60th) this should be exciting news. Starting Monday morning (the 11th), Dorie’s bringing cookies from her new Beurre & Sel bakeries to Midtown for the entire week. A lot of the same flavors are making return visits along with a few new ones: Smokey Hearts (smoked almond), Mulled Wine Jammers, and Coffee Cardamom. As with previous years, the party starts when the salon opens at 10am and goes until the day’s last cookie crumbles.

Last week we brought you the news that the popular Turkish food Bryant Park (and Columbus Circle) holiday market kiosk Mmm…Enfes had opened a brick and mortar on 39th street. Over the years I’ve had a chance to sample a few of Mmm…Enfes’ specialties like their buttery gözleme. With the storefront they’ve had the opportunity to expand their menu so naturally I was eager to check it out. Read more »