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.

Even though most of Curry Hill falls into the ML budget, not all Indian lunch specials are created equal, and Bhatti is a step above in taste. As a self-confessed Indophile, I have a goal of eating my way through all the restaurants in Curry Hill (who’s with me?), but I keep getting held up by finding a restaurant so good, that it is hard to move on. The reigning champ is Bhatti.

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• The Original El Rey del Sabor cart needs our help! [Midtown Eating]
• Shamrock Shakes will be available everywhere this year [Midtown Eating]
• Sushi Stop opened this weekend and is worth the occasional splurge [Midtown Eating]
• Somebody is super happy that Taz Deli is now closed [Midtown Eating]

Luckily for Midtown Lunchers, some of the best food vendors from the Bryant Park holiday shops have extended their stay through February. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t bare the thought of going for lunch back when all the tourists were in town, so I didn’t go near the place. (I work in Times Square, which is bad enough!) Yesterday I walked by and saw no lines, making it the perfect opportunity to try TopArepa.

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Num Pang’s Ben Daitz and Ratha Chaupoly w/ Batali. Photo by Alexander Jorgensen

Last week Grub Street broke the news that Num Pang would be launching a new program called “Guest Chefs Give Back”, featuring limited edition sandwiches created by famous chefs for charity.  Well, the first new sandwich will hit the menu on Wednesday courtesy of Mario Batali.  The “Batali Pang” (as it’s being called) will cost $9.75, and proceeds will be divided equally between Chef Batali’s cause, Food Bank For New York City and Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz’s cause, The Cambodian Children’s Fund.

But what exactly is the Batali Pang going to be?! Try cotecchino sausage by Brooklyn Bangers with balsamic pickled onions and Cacio de Roma cheese, folded into the traditional Num Pang ingredients – homemade chili mayo, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and served on a toasted semolina flour baguette.  It will be available at all Num Pang locations from February 15th through March 15th.

Click here for all Midtown Lunch posts about Num Pang

Back in October Donny got excited by the prospect of something new taking over the old Pinnacle Deli space (on 3rd btw. 46+47th).  He was hoping for Korean food but it looks like he’s going to have to settle for… Sarah’s Kitchen!  Or is that Isarah’s Kitchen?  Maybe that’s just an exclamation point, and it’s on the wrong side?  Could this place possibly be related to Sarah’s Halal on 6th Ave.? (Doubtful.)  And what exactly is “traditional food”?  So many questions, so few answers.  One thing is for sure, I have a feeling Donny’s going to be disappointed- but we’ll still hold out a little bit of hope that it turns out to be something good.  Thanks to lunch’er Larry for sending over the photo.

Mashed potato pizza may sound weird, but it looks delicious. Photo by Brownie.

Donny went for the signature dish at Steak Frites, Blondie’s giving away a free Valentine’s Day gift set from With Love From Brooklyn, Brownie had a mashed potato pizza at Eli’s in Hamden, CT, Brian guzzled beer from a can for the Superbowl, Rachel had the Whiting Sandwich at Kim’s Aunt’s Kitchen, Chris enjoyed the fried delights at Tong Tong Tonkatsu in Flushing and I hosted a Bed-Stuy Bar Crawl.

Elsewhere in the ML universe… Jamie snacked on fourth generation meatballs at Dad’s Stuffing in Philly, Andrea gave readers a first peek at the new Food Truck Lot downtown and Zach profiled an LA luncher who carries Sriracha in her purse.

Last week we announced the debut of Cer Te’s February sandwich special, The Gobsmacker. With a name like that (freedictionary’s definition of “gobsmacked” is “utterly astounded”), the bar is set high. Cer Te has had a pretty good track record with its Sandwiches of the Month thus far, so how did this one stack up?

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