Midtown Lunch

45th Street’s loss is Midtown North’s gain today! The Treats Truck was forced out of its normal Wednesday spot this morning by a movie production, so instead Kim decided to park on 55th btw. Park+Madison. (Thankfully it didn’t effect the Kiwk Meal cart, so I got my farewell lunch!)  You can find the Treats Truck right next to the Papa Perrone Truck until 3:15 this afternoon, and if all goes well it might end up being a regular spot for the Treats Truck… so get out there and support!

So as painful as it is to say, this is my last week of full time Midtown Lunching. Don’t worry… the site isn’t going anywhere, but I’m moving to L.A. so this week I’m making sure to hit all the places I’ll miss the most. A “Farewell Lunch Tour” if you will. Here’s where I’ll be today…

How could I leave Midtown without hitting up the winners of Street Meat Palooza and Street Meat Palooza 2. I had a platter from the Famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th recently, so I feel pretty satiated on that front… but it’s been awhile since I hit up Kwik Meal (on 45th and 6th.) And how could I leave Midtown without saying goodbye to the legend that is Muhammed Rahman.

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Last week, Eater reported that today could be the day that K! Pizzacone graced Midtown with the almighty pizza in cone form (on 5th Ave. btw. 32+33rd.) Sadly it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen today. Lunch’er “Jenn” passed by this morning and sent in this photo and report: “There was no one inside and I didn’t see anything on the shelves behind the counter either, so I’d say it’s unlikely they’ll be opening today. Still a bunch of boxes inside on the floor too. The space is tiny… its going to be nuts! I’ll go back around noon and take another look though.” Nice! Keep us updated…

I love Chilean food so much, I was willing to travel out of bounds to 52nd and 2nd for sandwiches at Barros Luco. And even though I loved the food on my first visit, I was a little disappointed by the size of their chacareros (which came in a small styrofoam container.)  Flash forward to three weeks ago, Barros Luco announced that they had made their sandwiches bigger… and even though this was confirmed by a number of Midtown Lunchers in the forums, at the end of last week I had to go check it out for myself. Uh… you know… for work purposes.  It’s a tough job, but it had to be done.

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Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen (on 41st and 8th is celebrating their first anniversary this Friday by giving away a free milkshake or a free beer with purchase of a hamburger. Offer good from 11am to 11pm on Friday, January 29th only.

It looks like 2 Bros Pizza is not going to stop at just one Midtown location.  Apparently their Port Authority location on 40th and 9th is doing so well, they have plans to open two more in the next 3 months.  We’re hearing that the first will open in 7-10 days on 8th Ave. and 38th Street, followed by another location in March in the Diamond District area.  Fans of 99 cent pizza should be excited about this news.  The owners of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza?  Not so much.

Related:
$1 Slice Alert: St. Marks’ 2 Bros. Pizza is Officially Open

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. I’ve been enjoying Cer Te’s sandwiches for over a year now, and with Pizza by Cer Te a few weeks from opening (on 56th btw. Park+Lex) I felt like it was time to meet the guy who comes up with all their crazy sandwich specials.  Fresh off his “Best Sandwich” win in this year’s Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, meet Edward the pizza loving, 260 pound Chef/Owner of Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th).

Name: Edward

Age: 39

Occupation: Chef/Owner Cer té

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 55th btw. 5+6th

Favorite Kind of Food: It’s easy to say as a chef I favor exotic cuisines. I especially enjoy Ethiopian because I love to get in to and eat with my hands. I also love their calculated use of spices. As far as favorite I am “in” love with pizza, not just love. I can eat it in the morning out of the refrigerator. I can eat it if it is out of the critical zone (board of health term for proteins left out for more than 2 hours.) and I can eat it right out of a 650 degree oven and worry about the wounds later. I equate it to sex- there is some that are better than others but it’s all good. I don’t have a favorite midtown pizzeria. One of my motivating factors to open Pizza by Cer té was the “lack of” in Midtown.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This is a hard question for a guy who weights 260 pounds. I guess I would just have to generalize and say highly processed or “factory foods.” I just will never understand how bread could stay fresh for more than 30 days. I would also add cookie cutter food establishments to that. With that said I have included a large amount of midtown establishments.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: What? Besides here… hmmm. Late work night definitely Five Guys Cheeseburger with onions and fresh jalapeños. No fries though, for the calories I’d rather have two burgers. Daisy Mays I love but I don’t know if it’s midtown enough, we park our truck there. It’s on 46th and 11th avenue. BEST BBQ.

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