Midtown Lunch

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.

Time Out New York Gives Some Love to Flatiron

Last week, Brian broke down Time Out New York’s newest list of 100 Best Dishes and Drinks in New York to identify Midtown spots. Not to be left out, I scoured the list to see what was in our backyard. In fact, the food porn roast chicken on the magazine’s cover is from NoMad at Broadway and 28th. Since it is way out of ML price range at $79, I won’t tell you that it has foie gras, black truffles and brioche all under the skin. Nope, that information doesn’t help anyone.

Also featured in our area is Eataly’s porchetta sandwich. Offered only on Thursday, this item will run you $11.80 for the small and $14.80 for large. Perhaps these prices explain how Eataly reported gross revenues of $70 million for its first calendar year. And that number is expected to climb for the coming year.

Three additional dishes over $10 were also on the list. The pork crépinettes ($13) Foragers City Table, lamb tartare ($16) at the Cannibal, and everything duck roll ($12) at Silk Road Tavern. Foragers had outstanding butcher sandwiches so I would guess these pork meatballs are quite delicious. I have had the lamb tartare at Cannibal and while it is good, the flavors are so strong, I couldn’t come close to finishing it, even with help. And Silk Road Tavern’s duck roll isn’t available during lunch.

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I noticed a new sign for 2Beans just below Grand Central Station on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st. According to their website, they will open this first location later this fall and will focus on pairing their high-end international chocolate bars (including Galler and Les Chocolats de Pauline) with illy coffee. The café will feature an espresso bar and a separate seating area with sandwiches and prepared sushi. Hooray?

Since I left my job in Queens for Midtown, I see my former coworkers more often than I had imagined. Turns out, happily, that quite a few of of my old buddies are now either working or consulting in Midtown, just like myself… So when we decide to get together and catch up, I end up as the decider of a lunch venue quite often. When I’m called upon for this purpose, my pick is the newest Macaron Café (3rd Ave. btw. 46th and 47th).

If you’ve ever been in the predicament of choosing a place to eat for someone whose food inclinations you’re not terribly knowledgeable about (e.g. I remember she ate a chicken salad sandwich at work once)… this can be somewhat of a challenge. It’s probably not a good idea to opt for a food cart since you can’t easily sit down to chat… and it’s also risky to bring someone along to a joint like the often DOH-shuttered Ming Du. On the flip-side, it might be cheeky to suggest an overly-expensive place, or to throw an unsuspecting comrade into the hell of a frantic, loud, Midtown gourmet deli with major foot traffic like Zeytinz.

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New York Comic Com begins today, and if you’re heading to the Javits Center in costume, we have a lunch tip for you! Go! Go! Curry is holding their costume contest again this year, so take a photo of yourself in costume holding your curry lunch and upload it to their Facebook page to win various prizes (all the details are available on their blog). If you need lunch ideas for the rest of the convention, don’t forget to check out this comic con lunching guide we put together last year.

Do you wonder what the ML contributors do when they’re not eating lunch in Midtown? (We’re actually pretty easy to stalk!)

Lucky 777 Chili will be competing in the first cook off of the season at Jimmy’s No. 43 this weekend. Photo by Blondie.

Blondie gives us a long list of upcoming food events in the next two weeks, Brownie checks out Mayhem & Stout, Brian has the duck lunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar, Rachel gets up close and personal with a Chicken pita and I got to walk down section three of the High Line.

Elsewhere in the ML Universe… Zach is inexplicably sad about the addition of meat to the menu at Bawarchi in Los Angeles, Jamie discovers Russian food in Philadelphia and Andrea checks out a new Mexican Truck in FiDi.

I’m thrilled to report — there’s a new way to get your Malaysian food fix in Midtown! I think it will appeal to folks who love both authentic cuisines and great deals. I first heard about Mami PG’s through the blog Eating in Translation a few weeks ago when I read a post about authentic Malaysian “lunch boxes” currently available for delivery to Midtown (as far west as 6th avenue). This is great news for Lunchers who like Malaysian food, as Midtown is almost devoid of the stuff… (although it has popped up here and there over the years).

If you’re not comfortable with a small dose of uncertainty, Mami PG’s Cooking probably isn’t going to be as appealing for you as it is for flexible, adventurous Lunchers. There are many quirks about Mami PG’s Cooking that, in my opinion, make it nothing less than wonderful. Firstly… obtaining your lunch is an adventure in itself. Eating at Mami PG’s takes a little planning and teamwork. It doesn’t have a storefront. It’s not on Seamless or GrubHub. In fact, you can’t just decide you have a hankering for Malaysian food and walk over or call up to order your favorite dish.

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Since we’ve reached the saturation point for Korean taco and lobster roll trucks, it only makes sense that another meat-centric dish would be the subject of multiple food vehicles. After Vendy Award winning Phil’s Steaks and Shorty’s debuted earlier this year, we now got word from Luncher and cheesesteak fanatic Dustin that a new cheesesteak truck will be hitting the streets soon. And it’s a mobile version of Carl’s Steaks. No word yet on when or where it will park, but this comes right on the heels of the closing of their downtown location. Follow them on Twitter and stay tuned for more specifics.