Midtown Lunch

After its Vendy Award nomination, and people’s choice victory, the Biryani Cart on 46th btw. 6+7th flirted with a second cart (parked next to the original cart) to accommodate the demand. It was a little confusing for customers, who didn’t realize which cart was serving kati rolls and which cart was serving their chicken tikka masala and chicken biryani. Once the lines died down, the second cart disappeared… but last week it  reappeared right next to the original Biryani Cart as “Sandwich Land”, a cart dedicated to sandwiches.

The new sandwich land cart (which is parked directly to the right of the original cart) features two burgers, two cheesesteak sandwiches, a variety of pita sandwiches, and their non-Indian spiced chicken and lamb over rice plates. And of course… an entry for the Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge.

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Grub Street has your first look at Flip, the new burger joint that is supposed to open today inside of Bloomingdales (on Lex. btw. 59+60th).  They also posted a copy of the menu, and the cheapest burger on there (a plain short rib blend or brisket blend burger) is $12.  Toppings are $2 each (like a fried egg, or bacon), and cheese is $1.  Order one of the signature pre-designed burgers, and it will cost you $16 to $23. The sauces, one free per burger, look pretty damn good though… so I may have to suck it up and drop the $15 to try this place.  There is however, a kids menu where you can get sliders, fries, soda and a cookie for $9.  I wonder how strict they’ll be with the “Ages 10 and Under” rule.  (My baby is under 10 years old, and I’m not afraid to use him!)

Lunch at BonChon w/ The Kid (full report coming next week). Photo by Daniel Krieger

• The comment that inspired the above photo [ML]
• A sneak peak at what we have to look forward to when Kyochon opens in Koreatown [Feisty Foodie]
• Bouchon Bakery’s bacon maple brioche looks might tasty [Dessert Buzz]
• Haiku responses to the anti-Chipotle haiku you put in the comments last week [Chipotle Haiku]
• A whirlwind tour of Murray’s Salami in the Grand Central Market [Wandering Eater]
• What are tourists going to do when Sbarro’s goes out of business? [NYC Tourists]
• It’s hard to argue against an Olympic Pita obsession [Miss Menu]
• Daisy May’s Chili has been chosen as one of the best in the Country [Bon Appetit via Grub St.]
• I can totally relate to this ice cream cone sculpture artist’s creed [Blondie and Brownie]

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

There I was, just this past week, feeling the bitter sting of another round of layoffs at my job. Most of my friends were bearing the weight of additional duties on top of suffering pay cuts (Here! Take on some more work for less money and BTW we’ve stopped our retirement contributions). The song ‘nobody knows you when you’re down and out’ rang in my ears. Yes my friends, we’ve gone from bottle service to boxed wine and if this keeps up I’ll be reviewing Franzia ‘chillable red’ from my stoop next month.

So what’s a gal to do when her purse is light and the market is low? It turns out a safe bet is Wharf bar (on 587 Third Avenue) to indulge in $3.50 beers and $1 tacos. Thank God for recession specials and Lord knows we need them!

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El Tequilazo (on 46th btw. 5+6th) has always been a bit too expensive, and… “bright”… for my tastes (well, the sign anyway) but I passed by yesterday and noticed their sandwich board is advertising lunch specials that are well within the Midtown Lunch price range.  I’m pretty sure they never had anything for this cheap before, so I’m guessing this is some sort of recession special?  Anybody tried this Colombian/Mexican place before?  I’m a little wary, but kind of curious if it’s worth it at the cheaper price.

El Tequilazo, 43 W 46th Street (btw. 5+6th),  212-768-0770

TONY is reporting that Flip, the new burger place in Bloomingdales (on 3rd or Lex btw. 59+60th), is set to open on Monday (2/23). It will feature “three different Pat LaFrieda beef blends—hearty (short rib), sweet (brisket) and refined (Wagyu)—With toppings like a fried egg, chili, Canadian bacon, and multiple cheeses.” My heart hopes that these burgers will be under $10, but my brain says there is no way.  And here I was thinking that the black label at City Burger was the last over $10 burger I’d be splurging on (what can I say? I’m a sucker for the fried egg topped burger.) [via Eater]

Thanks to Lunch’er Harry who sent along this photo of the window of Five Guys on 55th btw. 5+6th, which along with Menchanko Tei was closed three weeks ago by a fire in the building above.

“I walked by Five Guys today and I noticed it was clean, with the lights on, and a huge stack of potato sacks. Then I saw this sign. It says that they will be open by the end of the week and that they’re waiting for Con Ed to turn the gas on. Considering today is Thursday, maybe it will be tomorrow.”

I called Menchanko Tei, and they said it will still be another week or two before they reopen. This is actually a reversal from what we heard in the immediate days following the fire. Five Guys said they would be closed 4 to 6 weeks (it’s been 3), and Menchanko Tei said they hoped to be open the very next week.

If you work near there, let us know if it’s back open by commenting, emailing, or twittering… as soon as it’s confirmed open, we’ll post it. (After all… friday is a big hamburger day for Midtown Lunchers.)