Midtown Lunch

Totto Ramen isn’t the only ramen place in the Totto empire that opened for lunch recently. Right before the holiday break Midtown East got their newest ramen spot, Hide-Chan Ramen, which began serving lunch in the former Yakitori Torys spot- also a sister restaurant to Midtown West’s Totto Ramen and Yakitori Totto (did I get that right, Zach? I’m getting confused between the Tottos, Ramens, and Yakitoris). While I work in a prime location for Menchanko Tei to be my main ramen spot, Hide-Chan has opened in an area that doesn’t have too much in the way of ramen. And let me tell you they are serving some awesome ramen, enough that I might haul it up a few blocks (in the winter months of course.)

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With all the fuss made over the opening of Hello Pasta, we were surprised that the other empire-building chain, Nooï (on Lex btw 40+41st), opened this week, entering the pasta-to-go fray pretty quietly. Unlike Hello Pasta, which is completely new, Nooï is a French import with branches across France and Belgium. Obviously, the US was a natural next step to taking over the world… Read more »

Just a friendly reminder regarding our favorite food event of the year… you have until Saturday to nominate your favorite vendor for the 2010 Vendy Awards. Plus, everybody who submits a nomination will be entered to win a pair of tickets… but truthfully, if you haven’t bought your tix for the September 25th event on Governor’s Island you probably shouldn’t leave it to chance. We heard that they are on track to sell out even earlier than last year. Tickets are $85, but it’s all you can eat (and drink) and all the money goes to benefit the Street Vendor Project– so it’s tax deductible. Need more motivation to buy your tickets now? Check out our coverage from last year, and the year before. (And when they sell out, don’t say we didn’t warn you.)

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If you’ve been living under a rock you might be interested to know that the Shake Shack Theater District is open at last. Early reports are very promising and it seems that they have the line management situation down pretty well. Now all the Shake Shacks in the city have the same basic menu. Shack Burgers. Shack Dogs. Shroom Burgers. Cheese Fries. And they all abide by the same monthly custard calendar. But where the Shacks stand apart is with their concretes–that’s Danny Meyer speak for blended frozen custard treats for the uninitiated. Yesterday three brand new concretes took at bow at the Shake Shack Theater District. Naturally I had to try them all, for the good of Midtown Lunchers everywhere, of course.

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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 Chris, an Editor who loves comfort food and hates fake bacon.

Name: Chris

Age: 29

Occupation: Editor

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Park in the high 40s.

Favorite Kind of Food: The food I eat most often is cereal. But my favorite is “comfort food.” I love fried chicken and bbq even though I don’t eat either that often. I’ve entered a few chili cookoffs and have been known to put out a mean Thanksgiving spread in months other than November. As far as lunch goes, I’m very content with a good sandwich.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Hmmm…. When eating in Midtown, my biggest pet peeve is really just lack of value. If I’m not going to eat the canned soup or leftovers that I brought from home then my overpriced meal better be nap inducing. Overall, my least favorite foods are tofu and fake meat. I’m all for vegetarian options and mixing in a salad now and again, but it drives me up the slaughterhouse wall when people who have opted not to eat meat, especially if it’s for moral reasons, try to make their food look and taste like meat. “Thou shalt make no false bacon” is a food commandment of mine.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The roast beef and mozzarella sandwich that is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Previti Pizza (on 41st btw. Lex+Park) is probably my favorite at the moment. Something that I usually only get in Midtown and absolutely love is a good Indian buffet. It’s something that I don’t usually treat myself to unless there is some sort of occasion but I’m always happy when I do.

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Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5th+6th) debuted their special July sandwich, the Uncle Sammie, but it came with a twist: you could get it as a pizza over at Pizza by Cer Te (on 56th btw. Park+Lex). The Uncle Sammie consists of pulled BBQ chicken, grilled corn, green beans, and a bacon-potato puree and since this is the first time you can get a special as a sandwich or a slice, of course we had to see which is better.

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