Midtown Lunch

In honor of the Rock Center Farmers Market starting off this week, I’ve got 5 copies of David Kamp’s “The United States of Arugula” to give away.  It’s a great book about the history of cooking and eating in America, and the ongoing revolution that’s changing the way this country looks at food.  (It has also got a few pages on how Barry Benepe founded the Greenmarket program that brought Farmers Markets to New York City in the 70s.)  To win the book, post an early childhood (or later if you didn’t discover good food until after college) memory of food discovery as a comment below.

I remember the first time my dad took me to a sushi restaurant.  I was probably 9 or 10 years old (it was the mid 80s), and I still remember looking down at those circular rice things and thinking “This is the weirdest Chinese food I have ever eaten.”  It is meals like that which made me into the fatso you know today.

Now let’s hear your story.  Post it as a comment below.  I will contact the winners via email (so make sure to fill out the email field.  Don’t worry, your email address won’t show up on the site.)  If you don’t want to wait, the paperback version of the book comes out on Tuesday.  Click here to order it now.

For more on David Kamp click here

UPDATE: This contest has been closed.  Congrats to all the winners.  You have been contacted via email.

I am a little gay for farmer’s markets.  It’s something that’s happened in the past year, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  I love picking out fresh produce, and knowing that it is not only super fresh, but that it was actually grown really close to where it’s going to end up being eaten.  You might be surprised to know that underneath this fat exterior of a guy, who eats some of the unhealthiest things for lunch every day, is actually somone who goes home every night and cooks dinner for his hard working wife.  Last night, it was Thai green curry, with fresh basil purchased yesterday from the just opened Midtown Farmer’s Market!

I’m excited to report, yesterday was the first day of the annual Midtown Farmer’s Market.  Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the next two months, there will be a Greenmarket, with fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, jam and more- all set up right in front of 30 Rock (between 49th & 50th, between 5th & 6th Ave.)  It may not be ideal for Midtown Lunch’ing, but it is great for a piece of fruit to go with your already purchased lunch, or a little dessert from one of the places selling baked goods.

Each day will bring a different rotation of local farms selling stuff, but here are some of the ones I saw yesterday:  Red Jacket Orchards, Newfield Farms, Migliorelli Farm (Trivoli, NY), Katchkie Farm, Valley Shepherd, Meredith’s Bread (Kingston, NY), and Breezy Hill Orchard.  To find out more about the greenmarkets in NYC go to http://www.cenyc.org/.  Now, on to the porn:

More pics after the jump… Read more »

If you look at my Restaurant Index, it’s not hard to realize where my heart lies.  12 Japanese places, 9 Indian, 8 Korean, 6 Chinese.  What can I say?  I love Asian food.  Doesn’t matter what kind.  You email me about a new Asian place, I will be there the very next day with a camera (and bib) in hand, ready to check it out.  Italian, not so much.  There are only two Italian places listed, and one of them (Naples 45) was written about for their late afternoon pizza special.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like Italian food.  (Who doesn’t like Italian food?)  And if you want to talk about the actual food I ate when I visited Rome, Venice & Florence, I would even say I love Italian food.  What’s not to love?  But when it comes to Italian subs and Chicken parm, I could take it or leave it.

Now, let me clarify a little bit before the commentors go crazy.  I like a good chicken parm sub.  I’m a fat man.  I obviously don’t think there is anything wrong with taking a piece of chicken, covering it in bread crumbs, deep frying it and serving it on a gigantic roll covered in cheese and sauce.  It’s good.  I’m just saying, if given the choice for lunch, unlike most people, I would rather have any kind of Asian food (or Latin food, or street meat), before Italian.

That being said, the other day a couple of co-workers and I checked out an Italian place on 55th btw. 5+6th that piqued my interested enough to pull me in and get me to order.  Tuscany Catering.  Why, you ask?  Because it’s cheap, it’s sort of hidden, and even once you’re inside (and told you can order food by your co-worker)- you’re still not sure if you’re actually going to walk out with some lunch.

What they’ve got, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over Midtown Lunch to a random worker, for their favorite places to eat lunch in Midtown. Today, it’s India- a fish taco obsessed, soon to be grad student who has a pretty great photo for us.  In the past, some commenters have requested a date with the Profiled Midtown Lunch’er.  Let’s see who gets more date requests today.  India or that big hunk of meat she’s standing next to.  (I’m eyeing the meat… no offense India)

Name: India

Age: 24

Occupation: Paralegal at a Midtown law firm… but I’m about to move to San Francisco for Grad School

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 43rd & Lexington

Favorite Kind of Food: I don’t know if there is a particular “cuisine” that I don’t like. It all depends on my mood. Right now, I’d have to say that South Indian food is my favorite…. can’t get enough of those rava masala dosas!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Overpriced, mediocre chains in Midtown… I’m thinking specifically of Pax and Cafe Metro.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Grill 44 on 44th and 2nd. I always order it when I stay late at work. Their Mediterranean platters are huge and they always hit the spot. And you can’t go wrong with a shepherd’s salad with the sea bass or salmon kebab!

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Dishes on 45th and 5th. It’s a little pricey and gets crowded around lunch time, but they have something for everyone there.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: I always walked past Oms/b, not knowing whether the rice balls were worth trying. I’m certainly glad I did! I also love the little appetizers they have in the window of Sophie’s Cuban, especially the yucca croquette and the pork tamale. Sometimes when I’m walking to work hungover I get them for breakfast!

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? In New York, I’d love to work in Carroll Gardens. There’s a fantastic selection of reasonably priced restaurants on Smith Street. If we’re talking about the world, I would have to say Manhattan beach, CA so i could get fish tacos every single day!

Good point about the fish tacos.  We need a Wahoo’s Rubio’s or Sharkey’s out here!  Fried chunks of fish in two corn tortillas topped with shredded cabbage.  It’s good stuff.  Lucky for you we have plenty of your other favorite in Midtown.  A picture of my favorite Masala Dosa in Midtown- after the jump… Read more »

As promised, Kati Roll opened it’s new location on 39th btw. 5+6th on Saturday… but have since closed to fix some electrical issues.  The good news is, they will hopefully be back open tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.  Their new number is 212-730-4280 if you want to call before you make the trek.

The space looks nice, and the menu will be exactly the same.  They also hope to add delivery in the near future, if they can handle the business.  I don’t know if you’ve heard- but they’re pretty packed during lunchtime.  Also, there is rumbling of the possiblity of a Kati Roll cart somewhere near the old location in the 40s… but it’s just a rumbling!  Very preliminary… Perhaps an outpouring of support for the idea would push them over the top!  (Hint hint)

In other news, Blue Pig Ice Cream on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd is opened- and according to tipster Ileen is “tasty”.  It’s pretty freakin hot out.  May be a good day for some ice cream…

Got some news you discovered while “At Lunch” today?  Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com or post it as a comment below.

After doing this site for over a year, I have become the go to guy for lunch recommedations at my work.  And while I’m usually pretty good for a decent suggestion, there is one request that has, and will always stump me.  “Where can I get something healthy?”  I’ve been to a ton of places in Midtown, and they all have one thing in common.  None of them are healthy.  (Look at my flickr page for proof.  It’s not a pretty sight.)

What can I say?  Fat guys don’t eat healthy food.  If we did, we wouldn’t be fat anymore, and then we couldn’t make jokes about how fat we are for the amusement of people who read our websites.  Plus, you’re not going to trust a skinny guy to tell you where good food is.  I guess I wouldn’t mind eating healthy, if it tasted good- and they gave you more of it.  Healthy food is always less filling.  Maybe if they had healthy food, in an all you can eat buffet form, I’d be down with it.

What did you just say?  Buffet form would automatically make it unhealthy?  Oh.  Well, that sucks.

It’s just unhealthy food tastes so much better.  Well, Yushi is trying to change that.  It’s a new “Bento Bar” that opened up on 47th btw. Park & Lex, serving healthy bento boxes.  You know I love a good bento, so last week I headed over to check it out.

What they’ve got, healthy bento porn and the +/- after the jump… Read more »

Jiannetto’s Pizza unveils their new truck on 47th & Vanderbilt (btw. Mad+Park).
6th Ave. Truck coming in the next “week or two”.

MIDTOWN LINKS

• Food & Wine says Han Bat is best off the beaten path Korean [Mouthing Off]
• There are free concerts during lunchtime near Grand Central every Weds. thru Fri. [GCP]
• The lack of reponses to this post is very telling [Chowhound]
• Check out Anthos for Fancy Greek in Midtown [Amateur Gourmet]
• This has nothing to do with Midtown Lunch, except that I wrote it, and I know you all love Po’Boys [Serious Eats]

Sometimes photos get posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group that don’t show to the public.  I’ve tried to figure out why, but can’t- and Flickr doesn’t respond to my emails.  So, I figured I’d post some of these “hidden” photos.  Hopefully they’ll inspsire you to some good lunch’ing today…

Korean Fried Chicken posted by Tam
From Baden Baden (32nd btw. Bway+5th)

Roast Pork w/ Rice, Beans & Plantains posted by Seraphim1970
From Utopia Cafe (56th btw. 5+6th

3 Kinds of Soba posted by Tam
From Onigashima (55 btw. 5+6th)

Something cool and something hot, after the jump…  Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over Midtown Lunch to a random Midtown worker, for their favorite places to eat lunch in Midtown. Today, it’s Ana- the Geekanerd who was first to the Kwik E Mart scene yesterday.  She’s a little west of the Midtown Lunch boundaries, so hopefully this will be helpful for those of you on the western outskirts of Midtown (or for people who like to take extra long lunch excursions.)

Name: Ana

Age: 23

Occupation: Filmmaker.  And founder/co-writer of Geekanerd.

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Brainstorm Inc.  A production house on 35th & 9th

Favorite Kind of Food: Sushi, legit Mexican (I have a Mexican dad), smoothies, BBQ and paradoxically, vegetarian stuff

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything at a diner that’s not breakfast

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Daisy May’s is unbeatable for BBQ sandwiches, particularly the pulled pork. I can only eat there once a month because the experience is so intense that I need 30 days to recover. I go to the mothership location on 11th ave and 46th instead of the cart, since I live near by. Special notice should also go to the Starlite Deli on 44th between 7+8th, which has my favorite sandwich in New York: the Star Lite Vegetarian. I should make it clear that I am not even a vegetarian, and this is my favorite sandwich. That’s saying something. It features breaded eggplant, fresh mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, crunchy salad, in a pita. It was one of the first things I ever ate in New York, on my first trip to the city almost seven years ago.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Burgers and Cupcakes (9th btwn 35+36th). Right down the street from the office, SUPER good and suprisingly cheap. The only downside is the burgers are small, but I am too so it’s not an issue. All their burgers, including the salmon and veggie options, are outstanding. Also 99 Cent Pizza on 42nd & 9th, but that is more an after-work snack than lunch. I eat there several times a week, which means I’m probably going to die in a year.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: A bunch…my girlfriend swears by Midtown Lunch and is always making me break my set routines. Tehuitzingo definitely passed my stringent Mexican food authenticity standard, and Cafe Azuri did a great falafel with cool atmosphere. We also visited the now closed Ressie Mae’s and Mandlers, but my favorite has been Market Cafe, which did the best gnocchi I’ve ever had for just over ten dollars! (Note: I don’t think I ever wrote about Market Cafe, but it is a great place for dinner.)

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Washington Square…I went to college down there, and it’s great to be able to choose between the East and West Village for lunch. I like eateries where you can order at a counter and eat at a table without being waited on – I haven’t found many of these in Midtown, but there are tons in the village: Blue 9 Burger, Chickpea, Dojo’s, BB Sandwich Bar, Mamouns, Velselka, Momofuku Saam Bar…an embarrassment of riches!

I’m glad you mentioned the 99 Cent Pizza being an after work snack.  My wife and I have this ongoing argument regarding that very place.  She says, a slice of pizza is a meal for many people, and under no circumstances can it be considered a snack.  Granted, she’s really only arguing for my well being (pizza as snack may be dangerous)- but that shouldn’t be taken into consideration when arguing semantics!

I say, if something costs $1 it is automatically a snack, no matter how big or small it is. In other words, price determines what a snack is, and will simultaneously limit the size of said food item.  The Devil’s Advocate responds- “What if an entire pizza only cost $1?  Would it then be a snack?”.  My response would be- an entire pizza would never cost $1.  The price will limit the size, therefore making anything that costs $1, a snack. 

What do you think?  What determines a snack?  Price or size, and is it relative (5 hamburgers may be a snack for a 600 lb. man) or absolute.  Sound off in the comment section below.

And, as always, if you have news, suggestions, or you want to be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er- email me at zach@midtownlunch.com