Midtown Lunch

I guess it’s been awhile since I walked down 53rd Street… the Le Pain Quotidien that had been under construction forever apparently opened a few months ago.  I’m not a huge fan of the soup/salad/sandwich lunch spot, but LPQ is a far better option than Cafe Mentro (IMHO), and that area is not exactly chock full of great options.

There are now 4 locations in Midtown:

• 70 West 40th Street (btw. 6+7th), 212-354-5224
• 7 E. 53rd Street (btw. Mad+5th),  646-845-0012
• 922 7th Ave. (on 58th Street), 212-757-0775
• 937 Second Avenue (btw. 49+50th), 646-240-4670

Update in the comments:  And apparently another one is coming soon to 50th btw. 6+7th

Related:
Bryant Park Le Pain Quotidien Sandwich Size Puts ‘wichcraft to Shame

According to a copy obtained by Eater, the November issue of Vogue refers to the yet to open Midtown branch of Momofuku (on 56th btw. 5+6th) as “Ma Pêche”. Think you can do better? Eater is giving away 50 signed copies of the new Momofuku Cookbook, and one of the ways to enter is to suggest your own name for the new restaurant.

So what if trucks that twitter has been covered here, here, here, and here?  This video by MSNBC has me in it talking about the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker!  But don’t let that discourage you from watching it (Spoiler: I’m not an attractive man), it also has Miss Softee, Thomas from Wafels and Dinges (who I think uses Twitter the best of any truck in NYC), the NYC Cravings crew, Lev from the Cupcake Stop Truck, and a few random Midtown Lunchers (it focuses entirely on Midtown.)  No mention of the ways that Twitter can actually hurt street vendors but what are you gonna do?

Check out the video, after the jump…

Read more »

It might surprise some of you to hear this, but sometimes even I have trouble deciding where to eat lunch.  (It’s a daily dilemma we all share.)  And on Friday, I was having an especially tough time picking a place to go.  I even asked for recommendations via Twitter and Facebook, and offered free lunch to anyone whose suggestion I ended up taking.  Of course that was before I read Friday’s Downtown Lunch column.  After that, there was no question what I was eating for lunch… bourbon chicken!  And I didn’t even have to head to the FiDi to get it.  I just walked over to DC Fusion Cafe (on 7th Ave. btw. 37+38th.)

Read more »

Every month Foodbuzz, the amazing company that allows me to do Midtown Lunch for a living, features 24 meals, by 24 food websites, all held in the same 24 hour period.  This month’s 24/24/24 goes down on Saturday October 24th, and they have graciously donated the money to pay for ten people to go on a street meat tour of Midtown Manhattan with yours truly.  That day I’ll lead a group through Midtown on a tasting of 5 of the best chicken and lamb over rice vendors that New York City has to offer (a mini Street Meat Palooza of sorts.)  You’ll not only get to try specially made sampler plates at each stop on the tour, but you’ll also get to hear the stories of how each cart came to be, and get to meet the vendors themselves.  It’s got something for everybody! (Out of towners and die hard Midtown Lunch’ers alike.)

To enter to win just post a comment below saying why you’re worthy of the prize.  5 winners will be drawn at random on Monday, October 19th, and each winner will be allowed to bring a friend.  The tour will take place at Noon on October 24th, and will last around an hour and a half (2 hours tops).  All the food and drinks are included, but you’ll have to make your way to Midtown yourselves!