Midtown Lunch

Cookie fans on 45th & 6th will have to wait until tomorrow to get their Treats Truck fix.  Due to a private event in the afternoon, the Treats Truck will be parking at a location to be announced from Noon to 2pm (check the website for details), before returning to their typical Wednesday spot (45th & 6th) on Thursday from Noon to 4pm.

For those who feel like the Treats Truck doesn’t come to your office nearly enough, you’ll be happy to hear that Time Out New York reported earlier in the week that a second Treats Truck is close to being unleashed on the city, and treats maker Kim has assured me that the second truck will be spending some time in Midtown.  As soon as that truck is out and about, we’ll let you know, or you can check for updates on their website, http://www.treatstruck.com/

Upsetting news from Midtown East… it appears as if the Department of Health paid a visit to Milant (on 39th btw. Lex+3rd) Friday afternoon, and shut them down. The “review” hasn’t been posted to the DOH website yet (their last one in March looks pretty stellar, aside from the fact that the DOH got their name wrong), but I talked to somebody at Milant who claimed it was a freezer temperature issue, which they immediately fixed on Friday afternoon. Now they’re just waiting for the inspector to return to give them the green light, which they hope will happen in time to open for lunch tomorrow (Wednesday).

I can’t help but wonder if this is related to the Food Trends DOH’ing that happened a month ago.  The post for that received a bunch of anti-Milant, pro-Food Trends comments that all came from the same IP address.  It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of for a competing deli full of internet shillers to call the Department of Health on a clearly superior next door neighbor.

But the real shocking news in this whole thing, comes after the jump… Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. Today it’s Vanessa, a marketing person who has the enviable position of being involved with the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend in Madison Square Park.  She even snagged us a Fast Pass to give away to one lucky Midtown Lunch reader.  ($100 value, the pass will entitle you to food, and shorter lines.) 

Name: Vanessa

Age: 38

Occupation: Associate Publisher Marketing, Every Day with Rachael Ray

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 34th and Madison (just close enough to the Treats Truck and not too far away from Gramercy Tavern) I work at Every Day with Rachael Ray so there is definitely no shortage of excellent food. It seems like you’d never have to leave, but sometimes you do have to.

Favorite Kind of Food: Asian (sushi, chinese, the like–anywhere that serves sticky rice), also love just about everything else including sweetbreads.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly and Yogurt (just can’t get past the first bite)

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: I like the chicken rice bowl at Au Bon Pain. When I have time to travel, I’m quick to get soup at Hale & Hearty. Feeling like I need food fast, I’ll do chicken dumplings at Eden Wok (34th btw. Mad+Park), which may be Kosher but seriously they have the best chicken dumplings. If it’s a sit-down fast lunch I’m looking for, I like Todai (32nd btw. Mad+5th), the one city block Japanese all you can eat buffet. It’s the best buffet I’ve ever encountered. Finally, when I want to go out with a group for a fun Friday lunch it’s always Blue Smoke (27th btw. Park+Lex). I know it’s out of Midtown Lunch boundaries, but it’s the best BBQ in the city. This weekend I might get my fill though, given that I’ll be eating the best BBQ in the country at Madison Square Park for two days.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Why and Gallard?…(really Guy & Gallard, but constantly asking myself why I can’t go a block or two further to wich craft)

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Woorjiip (32nd btw. B’way+5th) literally makes me feel like I’ve left New York and ventured to another country. Once you can navigate the space, its the best lunch ever. Love, love, love the eel.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? I have to say, I miss working close to Dishes on 45th. Although it is perhaps one of the priciest go-to lunches I never got bored. Sushi on Friday, soup anytime and summer rolls when you could time it correctly. It was my all-in-one. If I really had to dream though, I’d say Paris (although I’d probably eat a little too much)…the bread alone is worth working there for, not to metion, pate and L’aduree. (I didn’t mean to rhyme)

Now for the good stuff.  It’s not Midtown, but if you read this site (and you’re not a vegetarian), I’m guessing you like BBQ, and if you like BBQ the Big Apple BBQ Block Party is the biggest NYC BBQ event of the year.  Some of the best pitmasters from around the country converge on Madison Square Park and sell the best dish they have to offer (go here for a complete list of pitmasters and the dish they’ll be serving.) The event is free, and you only pay for what you eat- but the lines can get pretty long. That’s why we’re giving away a fast pass, after the jump… Read more »

I turns out the Taste of Times Square was good for something other than taking my aggression out on tourists eating riblets from Applebees.

Spice Fusion, my favorite all you can eat Indian Buffet in Midtown (despite the fact that they raised their price to $10.99) was serving kati rolls at the Taste of Times Square yesterday- the latest addition to their menu. Available at lunchtime to go, or to stay, they only had chicken tikka rolls at the festival, but assured me that at the restaurant they also had vegetarian, lamb, and paneer. For $2, how could i not… Read more »

May was all about the free food, with giveaways being offered by Pret, Golden Krust, Yorganic, and the big one- free lunch Tuesdays at (more expensive than $10 for lunch) The Volstead.  It proves that either a) restaurants love giving away free shit, or b) you people are a bunch of freeloaders who only come to this site for free stuff!  (It’s probably a little bit of both.)  Anyway, here’s what you guys were clicking on in the month of May:

1. FREE FOOD ALERT: Volstead to Offer Free Tuesday Lunch to All Midtown Lunch Readers
2. Midtown Breakfast: Greatest Breakfast Sandwich of All Time
3. Breaking News: Crisp Unveiled and Open for Business
4. Thursday Free Food Alert: Yorganic
5. DOUBLE FREE FOOD ALERT
6. Tamales Will Make the Perfect Cinco De Mayo Lunch
7. PROFILED: Midtown Lunch’er “Crazy Legs Conti”
8. First Look: Hallo Berlin Express
9. Is Gyro II the Best Gyro Midtown Has to Offer
10. Is China Gourmet the Best General Tso’s Chicken in Midtown?

What you guys were commenting on, after the jump… Read more »

Ever since the food court in the Manahttan Mall closed, faux roast beef lovers throughout Manhattan have been mourning the loss of the city’s only Arby’s.  But according to this email, there may be some sort of light at the end of the dark, beef and cheeseless tunnel:

I was outside eating lunch sitting by the fountain in front of the Chase building (on 6th Ave. btw. 49+50th) and saw a girl walk by with a clear plastic Arby’s cup with some sort of colorful, fruity, frozen concoction. It looked like she just got it as it was filled to the top. She was practically running by otherwise I would’ve asked her what she was drinking and from where. What’s up with that?! Did an Arby’s pop up around here undetected?

Interesting… there are many of explanations (which don’t involve a new Midtown Arby’s) for how this mysterious cup could have shown up on 6th Ave. & 50th St.  Check them out, after the jump… Read more »

I admit it’s not for everybody, but I love eating food off the street, here and abroad.  Meat on a stick in Bali, everything in Thailand, raw clams in Chile… I could go on and on.  There’s something about eating on the sidewalk that is fun and exciting to me, and here in Midtown we have some amazing food carts.  But there is also that step below food cart that pops up every once awhile- like the lady selling tamales in front of the Mexican Embassy, or the Japanese delivery guys selling bento boxes on 50th St. btw. 6+7th.  These are my favorite discoveries, and last week I finally tried a new one on 46th btw. 5+6th. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked by this lady standing on 46th St. with a grocery pushcart filled with styrofoam packages.  Usually out there around 1pm, she sells containers of Ecuadorian food to workers in the area for $6-7.  I don’t know where she comes from, or where she goes when she’s done, but I can tell you this:  if there is a random lady, selling homemade food in styrofoam containers on a random street in Midtown, I want to know about it.  I want to eat her food.  No matter what is…  Read more »

46th Street between Broadway and 9th Ave. will be extra annoying today starting at 5pm, when tourists and hardcore food festival addicts will congregate for the Taste of Times Square.  I have conflicting emotions every year for this event.  Food festival = good.  Food festival where Applebees is one of the participants = not as good.  Last year, there were a few gems hidden among the over priced and touristy duds, and while this year promises much of the same, it could merit a quick walk through after work.

Partipating places that we love: Spice Fusion, Utsav, & Toloache.  Partipating places that may not suck: Chop Suey and the Bourbon St. Bar & Grill.  Plus I was pretty happy with my choices last year from Virgil’s, St. Andrews & Le Rivage, who will all be returning as well.  I’m assuming they’ll be doing the whole “buy tickets from a booth and then exchange those tickets for food” nonsense, which normally would require doing a full walk through before committing to a certain number of tickets.  Unfortunately, my threshold for pushing over tourists on Restaurant Row is pretty low, so I’ll probably just end up buying $10 worth of tickets and taking my chances. Also, if you live or work in the Times Square area, you may be eligible for free food tickets (although some hoop jumping through is required.)  For more info, visit their website. 

If you decide to go, I’ll see you there!  (I’ll be the fat guy scowling at everyone in the Applebees line.)

Related: Digging for Nuggets of Goodness at the Taste of Times Square