Midtown Lunch

Every Tuesday I turn over Midtown Lunch to a random Midtown worker, for their favorite places to eat lunch in Midtown.  Today, it’s Chris- a Sales Development Manager who sits around and dreams of street carts and all the things they could possibly serve.

Name: Chris

Age: 30

Occupation: Sales Development Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Field & Stream/Outdoor Life on Park & 33rd

Favorite Kind of Food: Chicken Parm

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Liverwurst

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: The Chicken Parm Hero at Bella Napoli (30th+Madison)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: I often visit Mercury Bar (33rd and 3rd). Anything on their $5.95 lunch special menu is a great value for the price and the portions. Prior to moving down to Park Ave, my favorite lunch spot was the 696 Deli (3rd Ave btw 44+45th). Great sandwiches and hot food. Especially the “Thanksgiving Sandwich”… Hot Carved Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: Nothing yet, but I want to check out the Hallo Berlin Cart, the Jamaican Dutchy and the Bulgogi Cart. I’m a big cart food guy (I hit up Rafiqi’s once a week for the lamb and chicken in a pita).

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Aruba. But unless I hit the lotto that’s not happening. In NYC, my dream job location for lunch purposes would have been atop the construction beams when they were building the skyscrapers in the city- like that famous picture.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? What food/features would your dream lunch cart entail?

 

Dream cart, huh?  Well, for me that’s easy.  They already exist (albeit very very far away).  Pictures, after the jump  Read more »

Having lived in Boston for 9 years, I am very familiar with the lobster roll.  I’m also very familiar with the cheap lobster roll.  That’s because when summer rolled around, cheap lobster rolls would pop up in the unlikeliest of places.  The most well know was probably from the sub chain, D’angelos.  It has become so popular they now offer three different versions.  And then of course there is the McDonald’s lobster roll.  That’s right.  In parts of New England, you can get a lobster roll at McDonald’s for $6.  Scary. (But still better than eating a Big Mac)

Having a lobster roll at a place like McDonald’s for less than $10 can really make you wonder- “What the hell is in this thing?”.  But a real lobster roll is pretty simple.  It’s just lobster meat served in a hot dog roll.  From there, the argument will begin as to what makes the “perfect” lobster roll.  Mayo or no mayo.  Lemon juice or no lemon juice.  Celery is sometimes added, and often a layer of lettuce can be put under the lobster meat or salad.  Grilling the hot dog bun first, and brushing it with melted butter can’t hurt either.  But there is one thing that everybody can agree on- the more lobster (and the bigger the chunks), the better.  Claws always welcome!

Unfortunately, the more meat in the sandwich, the more expensive it’s going to be.  That’s why a good lobster roll will usually run you $14-18 in New England, with many fancy New York restaurants charging upwards of $25+ for their version.  While some purists would never eat a fast food lobster roll, some of us more frugal diners want to be able to experience that taste, without dropping a ton of money.  So when Cosi introduced their limited time only “Lobster Salad Sandwich”, I was pretty excited.

What it looks like, what it tastes like and the mayo filled +/- after the jump… Read more »

From Elastic Waste. “Are you Out to Lunch?”

MIDTOWN LINKS

• As if you needed to be told this- stay away from by the lb. Salad bars on hot days [NY Post]
• Daily News discovers the Diamond Dairy [Daily News]
• E.I.T. goes Midtown Crazy: Djerdan, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Oms/b, & Brother Jimmy’s BBQ [Eating in Translation]
• A few of the best bagels in NYC are in Midtown [Gridskipper]
• Delis are Dying off but Carnegie & the Stage Live on [TONY]
• An inside look at the Times Sq. Spotlight Live [Grub St.]
• Another sandwich worth walking west for? [Nosher]

Manage to get through all of those links? As a reward, here’s a buy one get one free Jamba Juice coupon, passed on by a Midtown Lunch’er. I haven’t actually tried to use it, but it looks legit!

 

That’s right.  Our beloved Kati Roll (on 46th btw. 6+7th), has lost their lease and is moving.  The last day to eat at the current location is Thursday, June 28th.  They will re-open on July 7th on 39th St. btw. 5+6th.  Great news for the folks in Midtown South, who never made it up for a delicious “Indian Burrito”.  Bad news for the local regulars.

Currently they only do delivery after 2:30pm, but I was told that they are hoping to do lunchtime delivery from the new location.  It is also going to be twice as big.  R.I.P. Kati Roll 46…  Long Live Kati Roll 39!

Their apology letter, after the jump… Read more »

Better late then never… cart troubles led to a later than normal
Summer arrival- but I’m pretty psyched to report that the 50th St. cart
(btw. 6+7th) is back. Get there early though… they’ve sold out the
past 2 days by 1pm.

No word on when the rest of their summer carts will pop up… they are
on the hunt for licensed vendors to man the other locations

I still hold out hope that one day Manhattan will get an IKEA.  It’s probably futile, but a guy can dream, right?  The funny thing is, I don’t even care about the furniture.  I just want an IKEA Cafe!  In my eyes, the cheap furniture shopping world is divided into two seperate groups.  Those who have gotten over the fear at eating in an Ikea, and those who haven’t. 

There are a few stages that every Ikea shopper goes through.  First, denial.  You see the signs for the food and laugh.  “Who the hell would eat at Ikea?  That food looks gross!”.  Then, after a few times of going to Ikea (you never get everything done in one trip), the curiosity starts to seep in.  “Well, it is pretty cheap.  It can’t be that bad, right?  It’s just so damn cheap!”  Finally, you submit.  It helps if you forget to eat before going shopping- in which case you end up being starving after navigating through the gigantic store, with no other food options.

I went through all these stages, and when I came out on the other end, I had discovered a new weakness… swedish meatballs.  Covered in gravy and topped with lingonberries, they are perfect for anybody who loves the sweet and salty combo.  And at around $4 for ten meatballs, it couldn’t be any cheaper.  Awhile back I wrote about a fancy Swedish meatball sandwich at FIKA Swedish Espresso bar.  Super delicious (but expensive), I lamented that there was no equivalent to Ikea in Midtown.

After writing that, a tipster recommended that I check out F&B Gudtfood, a “European Street Food” chain on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd.  Founded by one guy from Germany and one from England, they wanted to start a place where you could get all the street food they enjoyed in their travels around Europe  Fancy hot dogs, fish and chips, frites with different dipping sauces, and of course- Swedish meatballs.

I finally made it over to F&B to see if I had found an Ikea replacement.  What they’ve got, pictures and a +/- after the jump Read more »

The Jamaican Dutchy is back on the corner of 51st and 7th today. All is
right with the world.

Yesterday, they had a prbolem with the cart that had to be fixed.

For anyone who loves street eating, NY Mag had a great feature in this week issue.  If you missed it, be sure to check out the day in the life of a hot dog vendor, a great interview with Sean Basinski from The Street Vendor Project, plus a lot of great cart facts, and the NY Mag list of the Top 20 Food Carts in all of New York City.  The biggest news- Midtown will be getting a Sammy’s Halal soon (the #3 cart on the top 20).

Midtown faired pretty well, despite the entire Top 5 being in Queens, and four of the top 5 being in Jackson Heights.  There were those you expected, like Hallo Berlin (54th & 5th) at #6, Kwik Meal (45th & 6th) at #14, and the nighttime Chicken & Rice Cart (53rd & 6th) at #17.  Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart (46th & 6th), which I wrote about their for bulgogi, came in at #18 for their fried fish sandwich.  And our beloved Jamaican Dutchy, got their first accolades by coming in at #12.

The biggest surprise was Carnegie John’s at #8, an offshoot of Tony Dragonas’ cart on 62nd near Madison (which came in at #7).  “The Dragon” Tony Dragonas is pretty famous, but I’ve never made it up to his cart on 62nd, since it is just outside of my Midtown Lunch’ing range.  Carnegie John’s, however is not (56th & 7th Ave).  And NY Mag went so far as to say that their burgers may be better than the ones at the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien!

I headed over to the Carnegie John’s cart yesterday to see what the hype was about, and found this:

The regulars seemed pretty pissed by the crowd, one guy saying in all the time he’s been coming to the cart there has never been a line like this.  By 12:45, they were out of burgers.

There’s always a line at Hallo Berlin, but yesterday it was extra long.

 

 

The same story at Kwik Meal.

 

 

And Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart never has a line… so this was a relative mob scene for them:

 

 

But the biggest surprise of the day was the Jamaican Dutchy.  The shocking picture… 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.  Normally when I get a picture like this, I’ll ask for a replacement… something “Midtown’ish” and more zoomed in.  Unfortunately, Vivian told me this is the only picture of herself she had at work.  I’m assuming she meant on her computer at work, and not- this was a picture of her “at work”.  Either way, if this is the pic she wants posted, who am I to stop her. 

***PICTURE REMOVED***

Name: Vivian

Age: 29

Occupation: Education Coordinator

Where in Midtown do you Work?: Vanderbilt* btw. 44+45th  (Oooh!  You work on Vanderbilt. That’s exciting. -zach) 

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Eel.  I love Japanese food, however I tried eel once and I didn’t like it.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: For sit-down, Park Italian Gourmet on 45th btw. 5+6th. They make the best Italian heros, but also offer hot Italian fare. For take-away, a falafel sandwich from Moshe’s cart on 46th & 5th or the Golden Krust kiosk in Grand Central.  (Another vote for Park Italian.  I will get around to writing about this place eventually… -zach)

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Cucina & Co., but only because it’s across the street!

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: Hing Won. Finally, authentic Chinese in Midtown!

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Chinatown- fresh, quality ingredients prepared super fast at amazing prices, what more could a ‘luncher’ ask for!

 

*Vanderbilt is that little street that runs between 42nd & 47th between Madison and Park… next to Grand Central, and home to Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck (47th & Vanderbilt).  Speaking of Jiannetto’s, I’ve got some news for you- after the jump… Read more »

It is not often I will write about food delivery.  I admit, it is probably something everyone would be interested in reading about (whether or not your favorite place delivers), but I don’t write about it because I never order delivery.  I don’t believe in it.  I am a staunch advocate of taking time to get out of the office for a little bit.  You’re supposed to get a lunch break.  You need a lunch break.  Use your lunch break. (Even it’s just to walk around for 20 minutes.)

But like all rules, there are some exceptions.  For example, when delivery is made to be fun!  Like in the case of Chiyoda Sushi.  Chiyoda is a place I’ve written about a few times.  Along with Yagura & Cafe Zaiya, it makes up the Japanese Trinity on 41st btw. Mad+5th., my favorite block for Midtown Lunch’ing.  Unfortunately it’s a little too far for me to make it down there too often-  but last week, I discovered (thanks to an email tipster), that they have delivery- and it’s fun!

Chiyoda has a special online delivery menu that is really fun to look at, even if you don’t want to order.  Each day they offer three different lunch boxes, and the schedule for the entire week is posted here (http://www.chiyodasushiny.com/bento_en.html).  But it gets better.  Not sure what one of the items is?  Each morning, you can click on the box and it will show you a picture of the item.  How cool is that?

The boxes range in price from $6 to $8 and there is no delivery charge, or tax- the only requirement is that your office orders a minimum of 3 boxes.  Don’t have two friends who want to order weird Japanese boxed lunches… there is still one more way to get your bento fix- and it’s the best part of the whole story.

The Chiyoda guy on the street with Bento boxes, after the jump… Read more »