When Todd English opened a food court inside the former Plaza Hotel two years ago, our interest was piqued but the fancy setting and high end food proved to be a lunch that had to be splurged on. Last week, we learned that more kiosks would be opening and some were actually from ML favorites. I was hoping I’d be able to leave with an affordable and delicious lunch. I admit that it was possible, but the pickings were slim indeed.
That is one fun looking bun. Photo courtesy of Jen Chung/Gothamist
If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent posts about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.
Board shorts…check. Aquarium…check. Gaudy décor…check! A place where Dory and friends would happily call home, Réunion, a French surf bar marked by, you guessed it, a surfboard, was totally on my (very) short list of themed midtown places to check out.
Photo courtesy of brainypintsizer
Eater has confirmed that Prime Burger, the 74 year old Midtown burger mainstay, will close its doors for good tomorrow around 5pm. There is talk about relocation, but we’ve always been of the mindset that Prime Burger is way more about the place itself than the food. So if you want one more chance to feel like you’re back in grade school, while eating a quality burger and onion rings in a Midtown institution, today’s the day! Read more from the owner and some of its employees over on Eater.
Flo Fab announced earlier this week that Todd English’s Plaza Food Hall would be expanding and opening with almost 20 new kiosks that could potentially be within our budget. In my opinion, the biggest and most exciting inclusions are No. 7 Sub Shop (which is a bit of a trek for those that work in upper Midtown), Luke’s Lobster (who will be offering exclusive peanut butter and blueberry whoopie pies), and Sushi of Gari (which probably still won’t be a ML). Based on the NYTimes slideshow of some fancy looking dishes and Luncher Harry’s hightemp’s first impressions, it still remains to be seen how many true $10 or under offerings will be available. But we’ll be checking it out soon enough. Early adopters, let us know what you think in the comments.
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.
To recap my post from the first week of mad sq eats: I ate everything. Okay, okay. Not quite everything, but I sure tried. But since I left a few stones unturned and a few rice balls not eaten, I had to keep on, keepin’ on at Mad Sq Eats. And let this be your official warning that there is only one more week to go to visit Mad Sq Eats. The horror! Our only saving grace is that the festival returns in the fall. Hooray!
Here’s a bit of Flatiron Lunch news before we lay this week’s review on you…
In not quite Midtown Lunch, Flatiron Lunch or Any Lunch news, but general good news, Hester Street Fair is teaming with Eventi Hotel, the hotel that gives much love to food with FoodParc (I just googled and it is now closed!?!? How did I miss this?), BeerParc and New York City Food and Wine Festival, among others, to present Hester Nights. Every Thursday night starting last night, May 24 [UPDATE: Due to rain, opening date postponed to May 31], they will present an outdoor market in the outdoor plaza behind the Eventi. I thought about trying to go last night to take a photo, but, honestly, the artist’s rendering with cop car out front is such a better visual. Vendors include Pies ‘n’ Thighs!!!! (Okay, there are others, like Little Muenster, Luke’s Lobster, La Sonrisa, Mimi & Coco, Bombay Sandwich Co, Schnitz, Purple Yam, Bian Dang, Good Eats To Go, Anderson’s 1949 Brooklyn, La Newyorkina, Prohibition Bakery, Iron Curtain.)
Hester Nights, Eventi Open Air Plaza – 851 6th Avenue btw 29 and 30 Streets, Event Hotel Number (212) 564-4567
There’s been some activity in the forums and comments lately about a new burrito joint/generic deli/mystery spot that has cropped up on 55th and Lex. While generic delis definitely aren’t our thing here on ML, burritos definitely are, so eventually my curiosity was piqued and I wandered over to check it out.
Sad face. STK OUT has been open for only a couple months and they’ve already changed their menu. Guess what didn’t make the cut? The sweet potater tots I enjoyed so much when they first opened. The good news is that the mac & cheese bites are still available. Oh, and all menu items are now under $10.
STK OUT, 43rd and 6th
