Back in September, I had the privilege of giving LT burger a first look for lunch. Although the $10 burger with no fries or cheese didn’t quite qualify as a Midtown Lunch, I noticed the 5-7 pm happy hour didn’t look so bad with $5 Hoegaarden Witte, Brooklyn Seasonal, Ommegang Hennepin, Sixpoint Sweet Action, and… Bud Light! This week we went to try it out.
You may have wondered, as Luncher Vic did in an email we received, what was going on with the original Kwik Meal cart this week. Some days it’s been missing and on other days there was a much smaller cart in its place, serving the same food and bearing the same logo. Well, the mystery is solved. The cart is at its biennial inspection and on certain days, the guys have been able to rent a smaller cart to operate. Let’s hope everything moves quickly and easily at the inspection so they are back on the street permanently again soon. Owner Muhammed Rahman ensured us they will be out in one form or another today.
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.
Sometime last spring, I walked by Rohm Thai and put it on my list for a future FL post. Throughout the year, it kept floating on the list, but I never made it a priority to try. Perhaps I feared it wouldn’t be as good as Jaiya. Perhaps it didn’t quite distinguish itself from the several other Thai spots in the Flatiron and Chelsea areas. A few weeks ago I was talking with friends who live in the Gramercy area about Flatiron Lunch, and they said I must go to Rohm. They go there regularly and started telling me about the great food. So to the top of the list it went.
Have you always read Midtown Lunch and thought “I could do that!” Was that thought immediately replaced by “I really *want* to do that!” Well, we’re looking for a few more lunch contributors and it could be you. Ideal candidate will be familiar with the Midtown Lunch brand of under $10 lunches, with a likeminded aversion to boring sandwiches and salads from generic Midtown delis. None of us really make any money doing this (i.e. compensation is minimal) so ideal candidate will also already have a job in Midtown that pays well, and preferably that job will not have a boss that keeps you from going out to lunch every day. To apply please send an email to zach@midtownlunch.com detailing exactly why you should be the next member of our team. And be sure to include what area of Midtown you work in… we’re in dire need of some more Midtown East love, although everyone is welcome to apply.
But wait, there’s more. Do you love Midtown Lunch, and have online sales experience?
Don’t know how we missed this one, but I walked by the Irish Rogue pub the other day on 44th street between 8th and 9th avenues to find that it’s now a BBQ joint called Harley’s Smokeshack & BBQ. A little research told me that the management hasn’t changed, and the switch probably happened sometime last fall. There’s an original outpost in East Harlem and it’s “2013 Michelin Recommended,” but this location is not doing so hot on Yelp, so that inconsistency is troubling. The regular menu looks intriguing, though not in ML budget. Unfortunately, the lunch menu bores me, but a couple of the $10 brisket sandwiches have caught my eye. I will miss drinks at the Irish Rogue — home of countless after-work drinks with my coworkers over the many years I’ve worked in the area — but if you’ve been since the Harley’s took over, let us know in the comments!
Over the holidays, Japanese eatery Rio & You closed its doors after six years on 45th street between 8th and 9th avenues. If Rio & You was Bittman’s secret Japanese restaurant as suggested in the comments — which we’re pretty sure it wasn’t — he’ll have to find a new spot. December 23 was their last day.
There is good news for those still in mourning over the loss of Vic’s and Times Square Bagels. Zucker’s Bagels opened last week just outside Grand Central. This is the new location of a Tribeca favorite and it’s owned by the bagel royalty behind Leo’s and Murray’s.
Kimchi Taco Truck Promotions Hit Midtown Today: Reminder that the Kimchi Taco Truck plans to hit Midtown today with their new menu items and promotions. Be sure to check the ML Twitter tracker or their twitter account before you head out, but they plan to park 55th btw. 6+7th today, and they should be at 47th and Park on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Anyone try that Korean fried chicken taco yet?
Posted at 9:00 am, January 16th, 2013 | 0 Comments
Daheen Wang Mandoo is Now Open!: Just got word from Lunch'er Daniel that Daheen Wang Mandoo, the new Korean dumpling place on 32nd btw. 5+6th, is open for business. According to him "the Mandoo buns are $2 each, as opposed to Food Gallery 32 across the street, which charges $2.50 each. [And] the buns they're offering are beef, chicken, chicken curry, kimchi, shrimp and pizza but no pork" for some unknown reason. Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.
Posted at 10:55 am, January 15th, 2013 | 3 Comments
Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Molly, a Marketing pro who is looking for some good Latin food.
Name: Molly
Age: 29
Occupation: Marketing Coordinator
Where in Midtown do you work? McGraw Hill Building
Favorite Kind of Food: Latin
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Indian
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Grilled Cheese and Soup (Morris or Milk Trucks), Margon (on 46th btw. 6+7th), long lunch trips to Koreatown, and Daisy’s Grits was a favorite while the holiday markets were open.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 9:00 am, January 15th, 2013 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
