Midtown Lunch

I’m embarassed to admit it… but this was my lunch yesterday.  I know it’s terrible to bring my lunch on the 1 Year Anniversary of this website, but truthfully, after looking back on a year of eating, I was feeling kind of fat.  Now before you say “Uh… Zach.  There are cheetos stuffed in that sandwich… how does that qualify as healthy?”.  They were baked cheetos.  BIG difference.  And it’s homemade tuna fish, so not as much mayo.  And yes, I do still put cheetos in my tuna fish sandwiches, and yes I am still 8 years old.  Tuna melts are acceptable, right?  Don’t cheetos qualify as cheese?  (…a crunchy version of cheese)

MIDTOWN LINKS

• I am so jealous this wasn’t me!  Amateur Gourmet sneaks into the Conde Naste Cafeteria.  (Why won’t anyone offer to take me!!!) [AG]
• Roboppy goes to Go Go Curry [Girl Who Eats Everything]
• The description of an amazing lunch at Insiemme… oh, and btw- it cost $170 [Chowhound]
• A good Sushi place on Seamless Web for the folks in Midtown East [Gaijin Girl]

After the jump- Authentic Texas BBQ in NYC, the best Cuban Sandwich in the world, Dinner with the winner of Top Chef 1, and more… Read more »

And they said it would never last… actually- maybe they said my body would never last. My wife is certainly worried about me. I try to convince her it’s not that bad, but unfortunately she has an entire year of posts to back up her growing concern for my personal well being.

I have certainly eaten a lot of fattening food over the past year. It’s especially tough when you decide not to eat anything healthy (what can I say? I hate Midtown salad bars.) What started out as an excuse to eat gross lunches and take pictures of all my food has turned into something bigger than I ever imagined. The fact that thousands of people would actually read something that came out of my vacant head surprises me every day, and is a testament to how starved people are for new (and good) lunch options in Midtown.

When I first started Midtown Lunch, the premise was that there were no good lunch options in Midtown. But it is pretty clear, after a year of doing this, that there are actually some amazing lunch options in Midtown- and new places are opening up all the time. And there is only one thing keeping you from those great lunches (while simulatneously keeping crappy Midtown delis in business)… laziness. There’s no excuse for eating a bad lunch. You’ve got plenty of options.

Here’s some of my favorite posts and pictures from the past year of Midtown Lunch’ing…

6.7.06 — The First Post Goes Up. “Navigating a Wasteland”

6.12.06 — My “love affair” with Chipotle Begins. Part of the reason I started Midtown Lunch was over my disbelief at how excited my office was for the opening of the new Chipotle downstairs in our building. It was very disheartening…

The falafel deal at Kosher Deluxe

6.19.06 — Week 3 of Midtown Lunch was dubbed “Falafel Week“. I reviewed House of Pita, Moshe’s, Kwik Meal, Bread & Olive, and Aron’s (R.I.P.). Kwik Meal was dubbed the winner, but it wasn’t until months later that I would discover the amazing Falafel deal at Kosher Deluxe.

6.27.06 — I review my first, and last, salad bar. The one at Variety Cafe. 3 weeks later they would be closed by the DOH, and I would never go back to Variety again. I know it’s hypocritical though. If one of the ethnic places I love got closed by the DOH (Hing Won, I’m looking in your general direction), I probably would still go back.

6.29.06 — The Kati Roll revolution begins. I don’t think I need to write anymore about this place. It’s the most read post on Midtown Lunch, by far.

More Chipotle madness, the plantain stuffed burrito, fried chicken and waffles, and my favorite Midtown Lunch post of all time- after the jump… Read more »

Tomorrow is the big day.  It is the One Year Anniversary of Midtown Lunch.  On June 7th, 2006, it all began, and the next day my first restaurant posting went up, about Hing Won on 48th btw. 5+6th.  At the time, Hing Won was my favorite place for Chinese food in Midtown.  Authentic Chinese food on the right, Steam Table “Chinese Food” on the left.  The best of both worlds.  Which means everyone in your office can enjoy it- from the guy who only eats Beef and Broccoli to the more adventurous eater, looking for an authentic Chinatown style lunch. Cheap, authentic, fresh, and delicious.

But more than the good food, Hing Won showed me there was a better way to Midtown Lunch.  While other people I knew were eating crappy Chinese food (Manchu Wok, I’m looking at you), my wife had showed me a place that most people in Midtown would ignore (because of the crappy exterior), if they even noticed it at all.  So with much excitement (I’m so busy looking for new places I don’t usually get to have lunch at some of my favorite old places), I returned to Hing Won- the place that one year ago was worthy of being the very first Midtown Lunch.

What I got, and the obligatory food porn, after the jump… Read more »

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a Midtown Lunch’er for their recommendations of places to eat lunch in Midtown. Today, it’s Sandra our third woman in a row (and second Mets fan).  Don’t we have any dudes (or Yankees fans) who are ready to step up to the plate?  Sandra comes from the hottest up and coming section of Midtown.  She’s been smack dab in the middle of new openings, including Ressie Mae’s Soul to Go, Mandler’s, and Popeye’s– and will soon get a Sophie’s Cuban, and another new place that we’ll let her tell you about!  

Name: Sandra

Age: 30

Occupation: IT Manager

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 8th Ave and 38th St (Midtown West reprazent!)

Favorite Kind of Food: Any kind of Asian or Latin cuisine. If it’s got either pork or plaintains, I’m sold.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Subway, crappy pizza, and $8 salads.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: My neighborhood is still “up and coming” in terms of good food options, but my go-to places tend to be Bento Nouveau on 39th and B’Way for good takeout sushi, Burritoville, and Pick a Pita. Occasionally I hit Mandler’s but I try not to make a habit out of it. That place will be the death of me. I’ve recently discovered on 39th between 8+9th a good Latin place that I think is just called “Spanish Food”. They have a good $5 lunch special of rice, beans, plaintains and whatever meat they’ve got that day. Also, Aceluck on 9th Ave between 39+40th is great for Thai and has a good lunch special that’s under $10.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Village 38, which is the generic deli next to my office. It stays in business purely because of those of us who are too lazy to walk more than 2 feet from the office.

Place you discovered thanks to MidtownLunch: Fashion Soup – I end up there at least once a week. Their soups are fantastic and they have really great empanadas. Midtown Lunch has also been great for finding out when new places are actually opening. I feel like I get the inside scoop. :)

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes?: Astoria – in addition to the fact that it would be an ultra short commute (yay!), they have every cuisine you could possibly want and tons of outdoor cafes where you can sit and drink coffee for hours and just chill out.

Anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers? Are there any good outdoor cafe-type places in Midtown West? I’d love to branch out past Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts for my coffee breaks.  And finally, I’m curious to know when the Sophie’s on 40th (next to Popeye’s) and the Golden Krust (next to Mandler’s) will be opening. Their coming soon signs have been tormenting me for months!

Well Sandra, you’ve give us some great suggestions to chew on.  The “Spanish Food” place sounds pretty interesting (I too am a fan of pork), and Bento Nouveau is a place I’ve been meaning to try out for awhile now.  As for the new Sophie’s, according to their website the location on 40th btw. 7+8th will be opening on August 15th.

Now to the big news…  Apparently a new Golden Krust is opening next to Mandler’s!  If you haven’t been to Golden Krust yet (there are a few Midtown locations), it’s a Carribean chain serving all sorts of curry and jerk meat dishes, plus the widest selection of patties in the city.  A picture of one, after the jump… Read more »

It may seem like a terrible day for it (if you haven’t noticed, it’s pouring)- but I had to run an errand on the west side today, so I used it as an excuse to grab lunch at the Sullivan St. Bakery on 47th btw. 10th and 11th. Amazing flat bread pizzas (the potato is to die for), and sandwiches make this place well worth the walk (if the day is nice, and you’re looking for an excursion).I went with the much praised Duck Egg one (with buffalo mozarella, artichokes and ramps). It could be bigger, but considering the ingredients, fresh bread, and price tag ($6) it’s quite the treat!

I spent the weekend in Northern California, and realized there are three things we desperately need for Midtown Lunch’ing:

#1.  A fried artichoke sandwich.  Had this at the Lighthouse Harbor Grill in Moss Landing, a town between Santa Cruz & Monterey known for its delicious (and plentiful) artichokes.  You gotta a love a town that has so many artichokes every single restaurant in it serves a fried artichoke sandwich.

#2.  A decent burrito.  My quest to not eat Chiptole for an entire year is about to enter its 11 month (the official date I fall of the wagon is 7/18), and it takes just one bite of a burrito from California to justify my decision.  A burrito from any random place on the West Coast is ten times better than anything we have here.  Why can’t NYC make a decent burrito?  Is it really that hard?

Here’s a shot of my Carnitas Super Burrito from Taqueria Marlen in Mountain View, CA.  It might look the same as some of the burritos here in NYC, but don’t be fooled- the taste couldn’t be different.

#3.  A Bouchon Bakery.  Oh wait… we have one of those!  I’ve gotta start taking advantage of this a little more often.  A slice of Napa right in Columbus Circle.  Check out a picture of their delicious Vegetable Jardiniere Sandwich, after the jump… Read more »

I need to make it to Koreatown more often! This pic is from one of my favorites. Woorjip on 32nd btw. 5th & 6th Posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group by Seraphim

MIDTOWN LINKS

• Duck Tongue at Wu Liang Ye from the same girl who took that picture above-  Hello!  [Foodies R Goodies]
• This guy hates Ressie May’s Soul to Go.  Maybe he should have ordered the fried chicken and waffles!  [Natty Bumpercar]
• The good reviews just keep on coming for Insieme [NY Observer]
• I’ve been there too… and it was indeed delicious. [Midtown Lunch Flickr]
• Remember 7 Square?  It’s going to become a Serafina [Eater]
• NY Post rips on the Shake Shack, lists their favorite burgers.  Two are in Midtown.  [NY Post]

I stopped by the Biriyani Cart on 46th & 6th today to see if a) the claims that they sold out of Chapati Rolls yesterday was true, and b) to see if they adjusted for today. I discovered that they did indeed sell out (although it turned out to be only 150 rolls, not the 300 mentioned by the commenter). To prepare for today, they brought enough to make 200 rolls… so you should be ok! The guy told me they normally sell 100 rolls at most, so yesterday was quite a surprise. “I don’t know what happened yesterday”, he said. “Somebody must have wrote something about us, or something.”

Now if only they could teach the Jamaican Dutchy Cart a little something about adjusting to meet demand…

Medium Size Katsu
Posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group by Roboppy

It’s May 31st, so today is the final day to enjoy any size dish of curry for $5 at Go Go Curry (38th St. btw. 7+8th Ave).  Starting tomorrow, every item will be its normal menu price ($7.00 and up).  On the plus size, you’ll be able to finally take food to go,  and toppings will finally be available, which include Raw or Boiled Egg, Rakkyo (a Japanese pickled shallot), natto (fermented soybeans), or cheese.  PLUS you’ll be able to use those Free Topping Cards you’ve been hoarding over the past month.  But that’s all tomorrow.  Today, it’s $5 curry!

Next Thursday (6/7), Midtown Lunch turns 1 year old- and I can honestly say no restaurant, no article, no food or news has has been bigger on this site than Kati Roll.  I wrote about the “Indian Burritos” the first month of the blog, and that page has been read more times than any other piece on this site. 

In a lot of ways Kati Roll sums up the Midtown Lunch experience.  It’s interesting, delicious (obviously), not too expensive, and most importantly it’s only two blocks away from my work, next to one of the more popular places in Midtown (Margon), and yet most of the people I worked with, had never heard of it.  Kati Roll was and still is a testament to the laziness of most Midtown Lunch’ers.  Every day, on the way to boring soups and sandwiches Midtown workers walk blindly past some of the best food in Midtown, without even noticing.

Well- it took a year, but finally Kati Roll has got some competition.  And it comes in the form of a cart!  For a long time this cart toiled annonymously in Midtown, serving up the typical lamb or chicken and rice- just like countless other carts not really worth mentioning.  I first noticed it a little while back, when they hung a hand-made sign on the front that said “Chicken Biriyani Special”.  I made a mental note, but never found time to go back.

Apparently, it has gotten popular- because now the Chicken Biriyani sign is professionally printed, and takes up most of the front of the cart.  In the past few weeks I had started to get emails telling me how good the Wednesday & Friday Chicken Biriyani (or Biryani if you prefer)special is- so this past Friday I headed over to check it out.  Imagine my surprise and delight, when I discovered the even newer sign selling “Chapati Rolls”, clearly a Kati Roll knock off, just a few hundred yards away from the crowd of people waiting for their Kati Rolls to be ready.

Pics of the new Kati Rolls on the block, and a +/- after the jump… Read more »