Midtown Lunch

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 Dylan, an Advertising guy who is itching to show his loyalty to some Midtown Lunch spots.

Name: Dylan

Age: 23

Occupation: Advertising

Where in Midtown do you work? 52nd and Broadway

Favorite Kind of Food: American – Burgers, steak, and pub food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Not a huge seafood fan

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Anything off the grill at Crown Deli (on B’way btw. 52+53rd), most of Cafe Duke (on 51st btw. 6+7th)

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Steak and Shake (on B’way btw. 53+54th). It’s just too close, and too cheap.

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As if yesterday’s Times Sq. Bagel news wasn’t enough… we recently got a tip from a Midtown Luncher that an additional location of Japanese bakery Cafe Zaiya has replaced Oms/b on 45th St. (btw. 3rd & Lex). Oms/b, which was highlighted by Midtown Lunch in 2006 and several times thereafter, specialized in omusubi, or Japanese rice balls. Cafe Zaiya also serves omusubi, in addition to many baked goods.

When I stopped by yesterday, the restaurant’s awning still said Oms/b, but a sign near the door had been covered in what appeared to be foil, with a Cafe Zaiya decal next to it. Although we are saddened to see a Midtown Lunch favorite close, it’ll be interesting to see how Cafe Zaiya #2 (or technically, #3 if you include the one in the bookstore on 6th Ave.) adapts to its locale. Clearly the restaurant owners aren’t afraid of competition; much like their original location on 41st btw. 5th and Madison, Japanese restaurants abound on the block (think Menchanko Tei, Riki, and Chef’s Secret). The space is much smaller than the original location with little seating and less space for food — however, many of the same items covered in an extensive food porn guide back in 2009 were on display. Staff were giving away small samples of one of the items covered in that post, the Spicy Tuna Bun.

After 12 years in Times Square, Times Square Hot Bagel will soon close its doors. Citing high rent, the bagel shop on 44th street, just west of Broadway will shutter in two weeks. I’m in a mild state of shock over the news … I work across the street and can’t tell you how many times this little bagel shop has come to my rescue with an egg-and-cheese-on-a-toasted-everything the morning after late nights in the office. Just today, the tiny storefront was jam-packed with New Yorkers and tourists alike looking for breakfast. Thanks to Lunch’er Wendy for the tip.

Times Square Hot Bagels, 200 W 44th St (btw. 7+8th), 212-997-7300

Now that we’re starting to return to normal eating here in Midtown, I finally made it to the Bryant Park Holiday Shops last week, which had closed for a time due to Sandy but are back open once again. On my initial walk around the park, I was surprised to find that Crepe Cafe, which I would assume to be a pretty self-explanatory booth, also offered a menu of Asian noodles. So, I changed my eating plans (I had been anticipating a lovely savory crepe) and decided to check out the potentially bizarre. Actually, it ended up being a very healthy portion of food in the end, and a fairly decent bowl of noodles on a cold day.
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Moroccan food truck Comme Ci Comme Ça has a special place in my heart because it was the first food truck I visited after I started working in midtown and became a Midtown Luncher. When it opened back in 2010, everyone was excited. Chef Samir and his crew consistently received Midtown Lunch write-ups after being nominated for a Vendy Award in 2011, and later that year won Street Meat Palooza 4.

Last week in the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker, I noticed Comme Ci Comme Ça was coming to Midtown before a run in Staten Island to give Hurricane Sandy aid, and that they are introducing a new loyalty card. I had been hoping to remind readers about the truck for quite some time, so this was a good opportunity.

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As I continue to hear news that many of our neighbors are still displaced by the hurricane, I thought it would be appropriate to try out a hotel bar for happy hour this week. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with hotel bars. They’re the type of place I love to go when I’m traveling for work or in an otherwise isolated airport hotel. It is a bar, after all, and sometimes they give you specials if you’re actually staying there. But rarely have I gone out of my way to enter a hotel bar in the city in which I live. I’ve always had the perception that the food is bad, the drinks are overpriced, and the service is not aimed to attract regulars. I was proven wrong a few weeks ago, when I had a great experience at Vander Bar, so I was hopeful that Silverleaf Tavern in the 70 Park Avenue Hotel (38th btw. Park & Madison) wouldn’t disappoint. I had heard from a friend they offered a decent happy hour food menu from 5:00 – 7:00. Indeed, according to their website, they have a nice selection of happy hour options: $2-$4 bar bites, $4 bottles, $5 house wines, and $5 wells, and $6 martinis.

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The annual Thanksgiving Croissant, featuring turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing baked inside a croissant, is back at Momofuku Milk Bar (on 56th btw. 5+6th) starting this week.  Very exciting news indeed… but you’ve got to get their early.  They were sold out by the time I stopped by at 12:30pm today.

There was a lot of excitement and controversy over the Trusty Truck when we announced they were parking in the heart of Midtown a few weeks back. The excitement was evident when I showed up in the midst of the lunch rush and discovered that they had run out of food. The owner was very apologetic and even offered free samples to those customers that had been waiting in line. The controversy took place in the comments when an overwhelming number of new commenters praised the food while other commenters made accusations of shills.

Well, the truck itself has stuck to the edges of Midtown and has only re-entered the belly of the beast (47th and Vanderbilt) this week. I found them on 40th and Sixth Avenue a few weeks back with a manageable line and a pretty focused staff. I ordered one of their infamous durgers, which is described as a hamburger in the shape of a hot dog. Along with a side of sweet potato fries, I spent $10 and was out of there in about 10 minutes.

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In lieu of our regular Flatiron review, we wanted to encourage you to do your part to help our neighborhood eating establishments who all took a hit during Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Fellow Lunch’ers,

We hope your lives are starting to return to normal. With so many in the tri-state area still without power and heat, it is hard to feel normal putting in 9-5. I can tell you I have been feeling the pull of wanting to volunteer all last week and this week. I spent a couple hours last Sunday with 20 other volunteers helping to demo a restaurant that took on about 8 feet of water by South Street Seaport. At the risk of sounding preachy, it made me feel like I helped even if it was just a couple hours, and throwing out a restaurant-sized fridge worth of spoiled food made my fridge and freezer clean out seem minor (and it was). I can also tell you week old scallops without refrigeration can stink up a city block instantly. If you want to help, Occupy Sandy continues to post needs and volunteer opportunities.

For something we can all do a little closer to home to help – EAT OUT! What did you say? We all already do that? Well, keep doing it!

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