Midtown Lunch

I’m out of town until January 7th, so until then I’m turning over the site to you for the First Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, to determine the best that Midtown lunch’ing has to offer. You can only vote once, so choose wisely. Links to info about most of the nominees can be found on the “Restaurant Index” page. Feel free to write in votes in the comments section. Official winners will be posted to the site on January 9th.

I’m out of town until January 7th, so until then I’m turning over the site to you for the First Annual Midtown Lunch Readers Poll, to determine the best that Midtown lunch’ing has to offer. You can only vote once, so choose wisely. Links to info about most of the nominees can be found on the “Restaurant Index” page. Feel free to write in votes in the comments section. Official winners will be posted to the site on January 9th.

I’m out of town until January 7th, so until then I’m turning over the site to you for the First Annual Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll, to determine the best that Midtown lunch’ing has to offer. You can only vote once, so choose wisely. Links to info about most of the nominees can be found on the “Restaurant Index” page. Feel free to write in votes in the comments section. Official winners will be posted to the site on January 9th.

I’m out of town until January 7th, so until then I’m turning over the site to you for the First Annual Midtown Lunch Readers Poll, to determine the best that Midtown lunch’ing has to offer.  You can only vote once, so choose wisely.  Links to info about most of the nominees can be found on the “Restaurant Index” page.  Feel free to write in votes in the comments section.  Official winners will be posted to the site on January 9th.

_{The New Cafe Zaiya Cafe on the 2nd Floor
of the Kinokuniya Bookstore on 6th Ave. btw. 40+41st}

• FloFab blows the lid off the new Cafe Zaiya Cafe on 6th Ave. [NY Times]
• Sakae Sushi with the conveyor belts will be opening in January [Strong Buzz]
• Midtown Lunch favorites Margon, Han Bat, Tehuitzingo & Cafe Zaiya named best of 2007 [Cheap Ass Food]
• Midtown Lunch in the hometown paper.  My mom couldn’t be prouder… [Miami Herald]

Yesterday, I gave you the food porn look back at 2007 in Midtown Lunch’ing. Today it’s links to some of my favorite stories of the year. A lot of places came and went this year, and if I had to sum it all up, I think I would say it was the Year of the Bulgogi.  (Oh yeah… and a few burger places opened up too.  Could 2008 be the year of the Bulgogi burger?)

We used to have to trek all the way down to 32nd street for our Korean fix, but now there is tons of take out Korean food being sold in the back of delis, out of carts, and even out of a converted bagel place. The day that Korean deli owners realized that people wanted to eat their home cooking, was a great day for Midtown Lunch’ing. Here’s to that trend continuing in 2008!

But in the end, as much as things changed, they mostly they stayed the same. We finally got our Banh Mi, but at a substantial Midtown sandwich mark-up. There are more burgers, but we lost our only take out Thai place when Yum Thai got the DOH. My hope for 2008 is the same as 2007. More cheap Thai food. More cheap Vietnamese food. But enough about the future… let’s take a look back at the year that was:

1.18.07 – The Bulgogi Cart on 49th btw. 5+6th makes its first appearance, and then promptly disappeared. (It resurfaced again on the 22nd, and has been there ever since.)

2.5.07 – I discovered fried chicken and waffles in Midtown at Ressie May’s Soul to Go on 8th Ave.btw. 39+40th.

2.14.07 – Midtown Lunch is accused of being a sexist blog after the Valentine’s day post recommends that guys take their girlfriends to Oms/b and women take their men to Hawaiian Tropic Zone.

2.20.07 – Popeyes returns to Midtown just before Fat Tuesday . You know my feeling on most chains, but Popeyes may serve the best fried chicken in Midtown.

3.5.07 – Cheap sushi favorite Kiroii Hana on 56th btw. 5+6th closes .

3.7.07 – The Midtown Lunch Guide to Beating the All You Can Eat Chinese Buffet gets posted to the site. Representing almost 30 years of careful Chinese buffet study, it is a personal manifesto- and my gift to the world.

The rest of 2007, after the jump… Read more »

Well, with only 3 Midtown Lunch’ing days left in 2007 (weekends and holidays don’t count, since I’m not at work), it’s time for my favorite post of the year. Some of you may find it awe inspiring, while others might be shocked. Some will find it mouth watering, and my wife just thinks it’s revolting (but secretly I know she’s proud). I find it all of those things. It’s fun to look back at everything you ate for lunch in an entire year. Fun and terrifying.

Midtown Lunch 2007, as one gigantic photo, after the jump… Read more »

If you’re at work today, sorry. Hopefully looking at my double double
with cheese will put a smile on your face, but I’m guessing it probably
won’t.

Merry Christmas from Midtown Lunch!

_{A piece of Jamaican Black Cake
from the Jamaican Dutchy}

• The New York Times does a big article on Jamaican Black Cake, mentions the Jamaican Dutchy Cart! [NYT]
• Zac Pellacio from Fatty Crab is coming to Times Square [NY Mag]
• Friend of Midtown Lunch, Kathy hits up Hop Won for some Chow Fun, and Magdy’s Philly Cheese Steak Cart for a lamb hero [A Passion for Food]
• Upscale Greek favorite Dona will return to Midtown in a more casual form [Restaurant Girl]
• Food Candy writes about out of bounds lunch place, Vasconcellos- Midtown Lunch commenter Mamacita’s favorite place [Food Candy]
• Hearst destroys Time Life in Round 2 of the Cafeteria battle royale [Epicurious]

When Midtown Lunch covered the opening of Matt Kenney’s FreeFoods NYC, the reaction was decidedly mixed.  Firmly against generic Midtown delis, we all found it hard to embrace a concept that took this model and made it *more* expensive.  Sure, the food is of a much higher quality, and for people into organic food- it is one of the few decent options in Midtown.  It also helps if you don’t mind spending $15 on a take out lunch.

I am often a quantity over quality eater (my love of buffets is evidence of that), but ideally you’d like to find some sort of middle ground, and ‘you get what you pay for’ is a concept I can totally appreciate.  That being said, comments came in complaining about the portions at FreeFoods NYC, and there were even a few who complained about the “organic whenever possible” mantra.

The one thing I can say, prices aside- FreeFoods has the nicest looking by the pound buffet in the entire of city of New York.  It only has a few items, but each one looks absolutely delicious- and I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to just give in and fork over the $20 weighing my food would cost me at a place like this.  It might be time for a Midtown Lunch buffet by the lb. challenge…

Matt Kenney sat down with Gothamist this week and answered questions about FreeFoods NYC, organic food, sustainable business practices, and the raw food movement.  There’s also a pumpkin soup recipe for those who can’t bring themselves to fork over $5+ for a tiny 12oz cup of soup…