Midtown Lunch

For years a number of Midtown Lunchers have talked about how much they like Mi Nidito, the sit down Mexican restaurant on 8th Ave. btw 51+52nd. And for years I’ve been avoiding it. Partly because their lunch specials were over $10, but mostly because I couldn’t imagine the place was that good. I’d rather get $2.50 tongue tacos at the El Rey del Sabor cart, than a plate of chicken or beef tacos with refried beans and rice for $11. That’s the kind of Mexican food I’m into.

Well, last month I discovered that Mi Nidito is actually owned by the same guy who owns Bombay Grill, home of the infamous Indian pizza. Points for or against? I can’t decide. Not surprisingly the place is getting killed since Chipotle moved in next door, so to respond they recently lowered some of lunch specials to $9.95, and even introduced a take out burrito option for $5. Five bucks!? Well, that I’ve got to try.

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It’s time for the 3rd Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year I’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

In some ways 2009 was the year of the sandwich here in Midtown. Our Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge produced over 20 entries, and nobody distinguished themselves more than Cer Te. Could this be the year they break the Cuban sandwich domination in this category? Or could Lenny’s (behind the strength of their expansion) sneak in and snatch victory? You guys decide… Here are the nominees:

• Boi Sandwich (3rd btw. 44+45th)
• Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th)
• Lenny’s (Multiple Locations)
• Margon (46th btw. 6+7th)
• Sophie’s Cuban (Multiple Locations)
• Tina’s Restaurant (Multiple Locations)
• ‘wichcraft (Multiple Locations)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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Want to win some pretty amazing food prizes, while helping a good cause?  Then head over and check out Chez Pim’s Menu For Hope 6.  Every December for the past 6 years our good friend Pim collects amazing prizes donated by food people from around the world, and raffles them off to benefit the UN World Food Programme.  Raffle tickets are only $10, and you decide what prize you want your ticket to apply to.  Obviously the more tickets you buy for each item being raffled, the better chance you have of winning it… but it’s much cooler than an auction, because in theory you could win a prize worth hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of dollars for just $10.

I’m also really excited because this is the first year Midtown Lunch was asked to donate something!  For $10 you can buy a raffle ticket to win a Midtown Lunch Street Meat Eating Tour w/ me.  Meet some of the vendors, hear their stories, all while eating platters of their delicious food.  And it can be yours for $10.  But that’s not all that’s being raffled… there’s are some amazing meals, food items, wine, books, tours, vacations, even a chance to have coffee with Profiled Midtown Lunch’er Ruth Reichl!  There is all sorts of great stuff to win, and the best part is the money goes to a great cause.  You only have until Friday, so to bid on the Midtown Lunch Street Meat Eating Tour (it’s item #UE42) or any of the other great prizes, go to the Menu of Hope 6 website now>>

It’s time for the 3rd Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year I’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Earlier today we asked for your favorite fast food Chinese. The steam table joints, where you walk up to a counter order your food and you’re off. But what about the sit down places, with waiters? A lot of them offer under $10 lunch specials… and are a breed unto themselves. Last years champ, Szechuan Gourmet, has touched a whole new group of lunchers with their new location on 57th Street, as a result will be tough to beat. But Chef Yu, Dong Hai, Oriental Noodle House, and Wu Liang Ye have their own rabid fans, and Main Noodle House is always packed. Plus, we’ve been hearing good things about newcomer Lan Sheng. Could this be the year for a surprise? Here are the nominees…

• Chef Yu (8th Ave. btw. 36+37th)
• Dong Hai (39th btw. 6+B’way)
• Lan Sheng (39th btw. 5+6th)
• Oriental Noodle Shop (45th btw. Lex+3rd)
• Szechuan Gourmet (Two Locations)
• Wu Liang Ye (48th btw. 5+6th)

Vote for your favorite after the jump…

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Five Guys and the Burger Joint (in the Parker Meridien on 56th btw. 6+7th) are neck and neck in the 2009 Readers’ Poll for Best Burger in Midtown , and considering I had Five Guys two weeks ago I figured I’d stop by Burger Joint today for a quick comparison.  It’s been almost a year and a half since my last burger there, and I was kind of shocked by how expensive it is!  On first glance it might seem like the same prices as before, but sales tax was included on the old menu but not included on the new menu. So once you add sales tax, everything is 50 cents more expensive than it was before.  Don’t know when this price increase happened (admittedly it might have happened awhile ago) and 50 cents is not a total crime against humanity… but $7.50 for a hamburger, $8 for a cheeseburger, and $4 for fries?  When I first started this site 3 1/2 years ago, a cheeseburger and fries from the Burger Joint was $9.50. Now it’s $12. Come on now!

There was a bit of good though.  There was no line at Noon today, and it’s the Monday before X-Mas!  Craziness.  As for the taste?  Well, I’ll leave that for the big January 4th “Best of 2009” post.  In the meantime, if you haven’t voted for your favorite burger yet (or any of the 2009 Readers’ Poll categories) you can vote for your faves here>>

Related:
Burger Joint is Latest Victim of Rising Food Costs

The last few weeks has not been kind to the Schnitzel & Things Truck. They had a fire back in November, and were M.I.A. almost of all of last week with “truck problems”. They were ready to go today, but found their tires slashed this morning. They are trying to find out who did it, but either way Midtown will be schnitzel-less until at least on Thursday- although seeing as it’s Christmas Eve they haven’t decided if they’re going to work. Don’t want to take a chance? Hit up the Flatiron on Wednesday, or check their Twitter or the ML Twitter Tracker for updates re: Thursday.  Are you Midtown Lunch’ing on Thursday?  Let us know in the comments…

It’s time for the 3rd Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll. Your nominations are in, and between now and the end of the year I’ll be asking all of you to vote for the best Midtown Lunches in a whole range of categories. You can only vote once per category (so choose wisely), and official results will be posted after the new year.

Everybody knows 2009 was a huge year for street carts, but despite the increase in options one food still dominates the street food scene in Midtown: the Street Meat. And by that I mean chicken and/or lamb over rice with hot sauce and white sauce. Kwik Meal dethroned the Famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th in this years Street Meat Palooza– but all that means is that on any given day, any cart in Midtown can serve up the best plate of street meat. Consistency is a different story, and nobody can account for personal preference. So here’s your chance to sound off. Did Street Meat Palooza 2 get it wrong? What’s your favorite plate of street meat in Midtown? The nominees are…

• Carnegie John’s (56th & 7th)
• Famous Halal Guys (Parked on SE Corner of 53rd & 6th during the day)
• Imposter Halal Cart (Parked on SW corner of 53rd & 6th during the day)
• Kwik Meal (45th & 6th)
• Little Morocco (on 39th & 7th)
• Shendy’s (52nd & 6th)
• Trini Paki Boys (on 43rd & 6th)
• XPL (48th & Park)

Vote for your favorite, after the jump…

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The old Soul Fixins’ spot on 34th, just west of 9th finally has a replacement. Tawa Tandoor opened at the end of last month, serving kati rolls, chaat, and a steam table full of pre-cooked hot dishes. Prices are pretty standard ($6.99-$8.99 for a combination plate of hot food), and all the stuff I saw looks pretty decent. I know 34th Street and 9th Ave. is technically out of bounds, but I’ve been to know to travel over there when something is really good (hello homemade gyro!) and I know there are a bunch of Midtown Lunch’ers who work in that area that will be pretty excited for this news. (You just might want to skip the vindaloo.) Anybody else eaten in this place yet? Let us know what you think in the comments…

Tawa Tandoor, 371 W. 34th St (btw. 8+9th), 212-502-0082