Midtown Lunch

Brian had Beef Seven Ways meal at Ma Peche, Blondie says Levain Bakery has one of the best cookies in New York, Brownie is searching for fresh Colombian arepas con huevos, Chris panned Telepan, Donny’s been writing about New York’s Hidden Gems for the Wall Street Journal and I’ve been posting film photos from Peru.

Elsewhere in the ML universe… Andrea asks the preposterous question, “Should you eat ribs” at Backyard Chicken downtown, Jamie shared the Duck for Two special at Sang Kee in Philadelphia and Zach carbo-loaded on all sorts of Persian rice at Javan restaurant in Los Angeles.

The 2011 edition of Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes and Drinks issue was released today and there were just two inclusions from Midtown Lunch proper – the fried chicken at Bian Dang and the pulled pork sandwich at Num Pang. The others nearby are all slightly out of bounds, including the Dave sandwich at City Sandwich, a Halloween sub from No. 7 Sub Shop, chaat from Dhaba, and two expensive dishes from Eataly. Also, for you splurger vegetarian-types, there’s also the inclusion of Tenpenny’s roasted vegetables. You can check out the entire list at Time Out’s website.

And if you’re wondering whether or not it’s possible to eat through the entire list in a year, it is.  I’ve managed to do it the past two years in a row (here is video proof), and plan on taking it on again this year over on my website Eat This NY if you want to play along.

It seems like the general consensus about Dainobu’s hot foods are just decent and you’re probably better off with their slightly cheaper sushi options. So during my most recent trip I was a little hesitant to get their newest hot food item, a mabo tofu with beef over rice ($6.50). I finally gave in when there was nothing I wanted to eat. Just by looking at it, it looked quite delicious. Maybe the mabo tofu will be different. There was only one way to find out.

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As I was walking down Vanderbilt Avenue last week, I encountered Ambizza Cafe, a truck I had never seen there or anywhere else before. When I approached and spoke to the woman, it turns out this was only their second day at this location and their first week on the streets. The owners used to run a deli on Columbus Avenue and when that business closed, they moved on to the truck idea.

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• Little Morocco is back, but Omar has moved to L.A. [Midtown Eating]
• Was there a dead body on 45th street yesterday!? [Midtown Eating]
• Planning has begun for the October ML happy hour [Connections]
• Jalopnik hits up Schnitzel & Things as part of their Street Meat Week [Midtown Eating]

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 Nick, a clerk who loves pho and wouldn’t want to be working anywhere else.

Name: Nick

Age: 26

Occupation: Assistant Managing Clerk

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 6th Ave between 43rd and 44th

Favorite Kind of Food: Steak, sliders, tacos, nachos, sandwiches, shellfish, sushi, grilled cheese and tomato soup, pizza, riceballs, pho

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Peanuts, soy based “meats”

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Pernil or bistec encebollado from Margon (46th btw. 6th and 7th), Tacos al pastor/beef tongue from El Rey Del Sabor (43rd btw. 5th and 6th), Shrimp ceviche from El Rincon Del Sabor (47th btw. 5th and 6th), Lamb over rice from Kwik Meal (45th btw. 6th and 7th), Onigiri or smoked salmon sandwich from Cafe Zaiya (41st btw. Madison and 5th), Chicken Parm from Little Italy (45th btw. 5th and 6th), Italian Hero from Park Italian Deli (45th btw. 5th and 6th) Hush puppies with maple butter from Virgil’s BBQ (44th between 6th and Broadway), Dungeness crab salad or gazpacho with lobster from Grand Central Oyster Bar, Shrimp or lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck, Slow-roasted pork sandwich from ‘Wichcraft

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Yesterday we got to see Kim from the Treats Truck in a great video courtesy of Save The NYC Food Trucks… but today it looks like we’re going to be able to see her in person!  AOL’s Advertising Week launches today, and as part of the festivities the Treats Truck will be open for business on 41st btw. 7+8th. It’s been over 4 months since the cops chased the Treats Truck out of Midtown, so to say this is exciting news would be huge understatement!