Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown.  I’m pretty excited about this weeks lunch’er.  Meet James Oliver Cury, the Executive Editor of Epicurious.com– a sushi lover who isn’t above eating at Cafe Manhattan (when he’s not supping at the Conde Nast Cafeteria).

Name: James Oliver Cury

Age: 40

Occupation: Executive Editor of Epicurious.com

Where in Midtown do you Work?:Condenet, Manhattan

Favorite Kind of Food: My wife’s Polish chicken matzo ball soup

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Cottage cheese (I don’t like the look or sound of it)

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Whatever the chef recommends at Sushi Yasuda—usually including a comparison of two types of the same fish (tuna, yellowtail, etc.)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Café Manhattan (on 45th btw. 5+6th) is just down the block and has enough diversity to keep me interested (salad bar, sushi, pizza, prepared entrees, sandwiches) and enough turnover (massive crowds) to convince me that everything’s fresh. I always prepare a salad with Brussels Sprouts, caramelized cauliflower, tomatoes, olives, string beans, and some protein (salmon, chicken, beef). I take friends and colleagues (writers mostly) to The Conde Nast Cafeteria because it’s nearby and it’s cool inside—like being inside some sci-fi movie set. Selection isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as at the new Hearst Building where my wife works. I never see anyone famous so I must be going at the wrong time.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: $10 lunch at Utsav. I’d only been here for giant banquets in the past and always ate too much. Now I don’t have to consume three apps, four entrees and five sides in one meal. The samosas are delicious.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Prince and Mott would allow me to be near some terrific quick-and-cheap spots like Café Habana, Cafe Gitane, Rice, Ruby’s, Ray’s Pizza (the original original), Bread, Soho Park, and Caffe Falai.

Cafe Mahattan seems to be a favorite go-to for many Midtown Lunch’ers.  I’ve never eaten there, but I’ve walked in and out many times- and contemplated getting the stuffed focaccia back by the pizza station, which came highly recommended.  I also am really into caramelized cauliflower right now, so that sounds pretty good too.

My favorite cauliflower in New York City, after the jump…

Read more »

 

• Piece of Chicken on 45th btw. 8+9th, is back open after closing for a week to build a permanent wall between them and what used to be Jezebel.  They also have added Fried Chicken & Waffles ($2) to their menu (replacing the void left by the long closed Ressie May’s)
• The ‘wichcraft in Rockefeller Center opened this weekend…
• … but the Zen Burger on Lex. btw. 44+45th did not.
• And it looks like the Midtown Pop Burger is going to be delayed one more week as well.   
• Yum Thai on 44th btw. 6+7th is still closed, they have construction permits littering the window, and their phone number is out of service.  It’s not looking good.
• The Jamaican Dutchy cart on 51st & 7th is having trouble renewing their permit, which expired at the end of the last month.  They are hoping to get it on Thursday, and be back up and running on Friday.

_{The H1 at Lenny’s.  Fresh oven roasted turkey, with stuffing, cranberry sauce & turkey gravy.}

Another sandwich that probably won’t see much action today, after the jump… Read more »

• Hearst beats Conde Naste in the ultimate battle of Cafeterias I wish somebody would invite me to!!! [Epicurious]
• Recap of the Norwegian Christmas Fair at the Seaman’s Church [Eating in Translation]
• Theater District Restaurants are offering discounts during the strike [NYCVisit via Citysearch]
• Frederick’s in Midtown becomes a French Bistro [Restaurant Girl]
• A Chef gets caught stealing from a restaurant on 36th St. in Midtown… [NY Post]
• … the restaurant has not opened yet, but is probably hiring. [Grub St.]

These photos were recently posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group.  Post your lunch photos now, by going here

_{“Gujarati food from the back of a newsstand” on 6th Ave. btw. 37+38th
Posted by joshwand}

_{Chapati Rolls from the Cart on 46th & 6th Ave.
Posted by Mollie}

More Indian food porn, after the jump… Read more »

 

I hate over-priced food, but there is a soft spot in my heart for Dean & Deluca.  Probably because I could spend hours roaming the big one in Soho (even though I’ve never actually buy anything), just staring at the meats and cheeses and flavored salts and meats and fruit and bread and cheeses and seafood and meats and cheeses and desserts.  Did I mention the mention the meats & cheeses?

Anyway, Dean & Deluca opened their third spinoff in Midtown yesterday, on 48th btw. 5+6th (on the North side of the street).  Unlike the “Cafes” in the Paramount Hotel, or the one next to the Rock Center skating rink (which is right around corner), this location is pretty spacious and will have a much larger focus on lunch.  The normal array of baked goods and sweets are there, but the prepared foods section is much larger, and they even have a station where you can order a custom made sandwich (the other two only sell pre-made sandwiches).

More Dean & Deluca porn 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. This week it’s Carolyn, an Accountant who, in her own words, is “ready to be thrown to the wolves.”  I think she’s talking about you people…

Name: Caroyln

Age: 31

Occupation: Mind-numbing finance/accounting

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 51st & 5th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything fried with sauce and cheese, and Mexican food

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Curry anything

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Right now, it’s Cafe Cello (on 46th btw. 5+6th)- yellow rice and beans with roast pork. It’s sleep inducing but really good.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Bistro NYC on 51st bet. Madison and Park (by Just Salad). It’s a generic deli but the food is decent.

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: Cafe Cello, Goodburger, Hallo Berlin food cart and Fika. I’m sure there are more….

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Any place along the east coast, right by the water. I’m an avid seafood lover. You can’t get fresher seafood than in some of these little fishing towns.

I’m glad you mentioned Cafe Cello, which I think is one of the most underrated Midtown Lunches.  With Margon so close by, and Sophie’s Cuban slowly taking over Midtown, it is easy to ignore- but the simple fact is, they make the best crispy roast pork skin, and you always get a piece of it with your order.  It’s so good, it’s the official Midtown Lunch photo.

But they have another secret (non-latin weapon) in their arsenal, which I finally tried a few weeks ago.  Check it out after the jump… Read more »

‘wichcraft continues to spread outward from Bryant Park, opening it’s
3rd location in Midtown (4th if you count Murray Hill) on 47th btw.
Lex+Park. Nobody can deny that it’s expensive, but you can’t put a
price on quality. Oh wait, I’m hearing now you actually can.
Sandwiches are $7 to $9.50.And the Collichio fun continues as the Rock Center Concourse location is
scheduled to open next Monday (the 26th).

No offense to the sombrero cart on 50th St. btw. 6+7th, but for the most part the Mexican Food in Midtown sucks.  For the best Mexican food in the U.S., the closer you get to the source, like L.A. or Texas, the better the food is going to be.  So it should be no surprise that the best Mexican food in Midtown can be found right in front of the Mexican Embassy, on 39th St. btw. Park + Madison.

 Just like the ballfields in Red Hook, supply follows demand.  Want to serve pupusas from El Salvador?  Go to where the Salvadoreans play futbol on the weekends.  Homemade tamales?  Head to the Mexican Embassy, where a lady sits out front all day long selling tamales and hot drinks (cold in the summertime) to those waiting outside.

A big bag o tamales, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

Photo Posted to Flickr by Nadalove2brich

• Yolato claims that Wednesday was a “misunderstanding” and “no one has complained at the store” [Eater]
• There’s no accounting for taste when discussing the “Best Slice of Pizza in New York”! [Slice]
• The Theater Strike is effecting Carnegie Deli & Insieme? [Grub St.]
• Babies Love Fika, the Swedish Espresso Bar! [Sohokind]
• Burritoville introduces a lunchtime Combo Meal.  Included are already free tortilla chips.  [Super Vegan]
• The Best Korean in the City includes newcomer Madangsui [Chow]
• Bagelfeller on 48th makes a Taco Salad with Basil??? [I Hate Cilantro]
• Cafe St. Barts is getting a name change [Citysearch]
• Go Sushi on 34th is Closing.  9th Ave. Location will pick up the Delivery Slack [Grub St.]
• Free WiFi for Midtown West, Courtesy of CBS [Gothamist]