Midtown Lunch

It appears that the just barely out-of-bounds Cafe Niagara (38th btw 8+9th) has sold its last serving of Sri Lankan specialties. Customer pleas for help apparently couldn’t save them as the storefront has been shuttered for multiple days. I’m sad to see this Midtown oddity go, but not at all surprised. It was always empty and as thrilled as I was when I first stumbled upon it, my subsequent visits were never as exciting or satisfying. I actually bumped into a guy coming out of the restaurant who said he was “looking at the space.” I would have pumped him for more info but he did not seem interested in talking to “the media.” Now we’ll just have to wait and see what moves in next. Maybe Las Poblanitas will come back. I know that would make a lot of Lunch’ers happy.

The out-of-bounds Leon Bakery (9th Ave. btw 47+48th), one of the greater Midtown area’s premiere purveyors of tamales (not to mention their selection of baked goods), is currently closed for renovations. From what I could see of the interior, the changes are extensive and the space will probably look much different. As long as there is still a barrel of tamales in the back, I’ll be happy. One of the workers told me they should reopen in the next few weeks. Can’t wait!

After tasting two of Potbelly’s three dessert options–I’m not counting the mini cookies as a real option–and being greatly surprised with the taste and quality of their cookies, I was anxious to try out the last dessert, the Dreambar. The Dreambar is a bar equivalent of their Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie in that it’s filled with chocolate chips and rolled oats. But there are some major differences that will steer you towards one or the other.

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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 Anna, a marketing person looking for some good stuff in the upper east corner of Midtown…

Name: Anna (pronounced Ah-na, please)

Age: 25

Occupation: Marketing

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 55th & 3rd

Favorite Kind of Food: Mostly everything, although I tend to skew towards Asian. Thai, Japanese, and Dim Sum come immediately to mind, but I just love food in all forms. I don’t discriminate.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Olives and peas. That’s pretty much it.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Num Pang (on 41st btw. Lex+3rd) is my new favorite, I’m still working my way through the menu. The Mackerel wins so far, with the peaches a close second. I also enjoy Korilla BBQ for the Wild Child bulgogi bowl (so sad to hear about the TGFTR cheating scandal, you guys are better than that!), Umi Sushi (on 56th btw. 1+2nd) for a 2 or 3 roll combo, A+ Thai or Rain Thai (on 53rd btw. 2+3rd) for their drunken noodle or pad thai lunch specials, pretty much everything at El Rey de Sabor.

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The Inwood based Chimichury El Malecón ran out of food before a lot of Vendy Award attendees got a chance to sample their Dominican burgers, but we’re hearing that the truck might be a bit more accessible to Midtown Lunchers very soon. They spend nights and weekends on 207th Street and Sherman Ave, but the owner Manuel told us that the plan is to start testing out lunch spots in Midtown the first week in November. The menu will be very simple: chimis, yuca fries, rice, beans and carne frita lunch platters. With all the madness happening in our neck of the woods the past few months it could end up being more trouble than its worth, but these guys have been in business for over 25 years. Let’s hope all that experience will help them to navigate the mean lunch streets of Midtown. Track their progress on Facebook or Twitter, and check out their Vendy Awards video after the jump…

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2 Bros foray into burgers might have been a misstep, but it doesn’t seem to have slowed down the $1 pizza empire.  Tomorrow (Weds 9/26) a new location of 2 Bros Pizza will open on 6th Ave. btw. 37+38th.  It’s the 9th location of the NYC chain, their fourth in Midtown alone, 5th if you count the Flatiron (the other locations are on 9th Ave. and 40th, 8th Ave. & 38th and 46th btw. 5+6th).