Midtown Lunch

I’ve been begging for it ever since the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge began, and word is the Papa Perrone Truck (on 55th btw. Mad+Park) is stepping up to the plate today. Chicken fingers. Mozzarella sticks. French Fries. Sauce. Roll.  If you’ve ever been to the Rutgers grease trucks you know exactly what I’m talking about.  This may or may not be a one time only deal (depending on how it’s received, how tough it is to make, etc.) so if you’re interested in trying this monstrosity, you might want to hit up the truck today.

It looks like Province Chinese Canteen, the little Tribeca mantou shop that closed at the end of last year, will be reopening soon on 53rd Street btw. 2+3rd under the new name “Mantao Chinese Sandwiches”. I’m all for little Chinese sandwiches, although according to a comment on Yelp, the original owners “‘sold’ the business to a midtown buyer, are franchising it out, and are keeping a %age of the profits.”  Should be interesting (especially since some folks didn’t like the place that much to begin win.)  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if it’s any good…

Photo courtesy of Writing With My Mouth Full. And thanks to Kathryn Yu for the tip!

In honor of Queen’s Day (?), which is today, Wined and Dined and Serious Eats: New York are reporting that Danku (on 57th btw. 5+6th) is going to start serving made to order stroopwafels, a kind of waffle cookie sandwich thing with a “hot caramel goo” in the center. You all know how I feel about Danku (and I know how you feel.) I love Indonesian food, and had incredibly high hopes for this new chain. But despite a few decent dishes, overall it was a pretty big letdown. Could this be the thing that turns it around?

Strangely enough, I was walking by Danku weeks a few weeks ago and they were handing out free samples of these stroopwafels… so I was a little surprised to read that they were “introducing” them today for Queen’s Day. (Maybe they were just “testing” them? Or maybe I was imagining things… because PR people never lie. Today is the day! Get excited!) Either way, the free sample I tried was pretty delicious… so if you’re into this kind of thing, I would definitely recommend checking it out. For more on the Danku Stoopwafel (and a behind the scenes look at exactly how they make them) check out Serious Eats: New York.

Related:
Everything You Wanted To Know About Danku (But Were Afraid To Try)

I requested it yesterday, and Adam Kuban has answered the challenge… ladies and gentleman, the cheap slice showdown between 99 Cent Fresh Pizza and its new neighbor 2 Bros. It’s as amazing as I imagined it would be when I issued the challenge. The winner as declared by SLICE: 2 Bros. (Didn’t I say the same thing? Maybe I do know something about pizza!) He also clears up the whole “do you have to pay tax” issue, but I think his findings only apply to the 9th Ave. location, not the one near Grand Central.  [Slice]

I’ve been wanting to try the “100% Halal Food” cart (on the SW corner of 54th & Park Ave.) for awhile now. Obviously it was the assortment of fried goods hovering above the standard halal chicken and lamb covered griddle that intrigued me, and after reading on Wined and Dined that it was owned by the same guy that runs 100% Halal & Healthy (on 55th btw. Park+Mad) I was sold.

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Photo courtesy of Robyn Lee from Serious Eats: New York

Oh man, do I love pork.  And there are fewer better pork options in the city than a sandwich from Porchetta in the East Village.  So, when I got this email yesterday from Lunch’er Jeff, you can imagine my excitement.

I needed to combat all this pork-bashing in re: to swing flu. Just had an incredible lunch at Porchetta. I’m certain you’ve heard of it… it’s a fatboy’s dream. Had the porchetta sandwich and even split the pork ragu sandwich. I won’t give you the full review, but seriously… heaven. Thing is, even though it’s out-of-bounds, a co-worker and i did it in exactly an hour. We work on 50th and Lex. Granted the 6 subway is on our corner. But most eastside midtowners are near a subway stop… so we just shuttled down to Astor stop, walked the 3 or so blocks east… and bam! Oh did i forget to mention… it’s gourmet pork and can be had for under $10!! (yup, you are so there, i know it).

Photo courtesy of Kathy YL Chan from A Passion for Food

I like the cut of your jib Jeff! Subway lunch to Shake Shack is nice… but in the end, you can get a decent burger in Midtown. A sandwich like the one at Porchetta on the other hand. Ain’t nothing like that in these parts. We all thank you for the report! You can read more about Porchetta on Serious Eats: New York.