Midtown Lunch

 

Apparently they underestimated what the response would be to Jamaican food in Midtown so they are practically making things to order. They plan on getting there earlier tomorrow, and making a lot more food in advance. Tomorrow it is!

Anybody bother waititng on the line to actually try the food today?

Every Tuesday I turn over the site to a Midtown Lunch’er for their recommendations of places to eat Lunch in Midtown.  This week it’s Laren Spirer, who you may recognize as one of the main food bloggers on Gothamist.  What you may not know is, she’s also a Midtown Lunch’er.

Name: Laren Spirer

Age: 36

Occupation: Pro Bono Manager (& Food Blogger at Gothamist

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 55th & 3rd Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Do I really have to pick one kind? That’s just downright cruel.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Goat cheese. I want to like it, I really do, but I just don’t.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Sadly, my favorite place and dish are no more. I loved the truffled gnudi at the recently closed Dona, so I’m hoping that Michael Psilakis resurrects it at one of his other venues. For now, I can try to make it at home.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often: Our office cafeteria (which is pretty good, for the record). I also have a strange addiction to the salad sandwiches at Chop’t, mostly because I think it makes me feel like I’m eating something remotely healthy on my way back from the gym.

Place you discovered thanks to MidtownLunch: I read about Oms/B and am still hoping to try it, although the 10+ block walk from my office might be pushing it.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes?: Chinatown. I would love to be within walking distance of kick ass banh mi, pho, dumplings, and noodles.

 

Have you been outside the past few days?  Going to places less than 10 blocks away is just wasting the beautifulness!  I’m also intrigued by this office cafeteria thing.  Anybody else have one of these in their office?  More on that,  plus how you can be next weeks Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, after the jump… Read more »

 It’s starting to get warm out, which means- more carts! Thanks to Josh at BBDO for tipping me off to the new Jamaican cart that popped up today on 51st just East of 7th ave called “The Jamaican Dutchy”. It looks pretty promising. Jerk chicken, stews, fishes, oxtails and curries are all on the menu, served with rice, peas, and plantains.The ordering is pretty confusing since they didn’t have a lot of what was on the menu (they forgot the oil, so no fried stuff), and they ran out of change- but I’m sure they’ll get their act together. Not sure how long it will last at this location, so I’ll try to keep you updated.

If you’ve spotted a new place, email me at zach@midtownlunch.com

I hate people.  Maybe hate is a strong word… but I don’t really like talking to people I don’t know.  That can be a positive and a negative when it comes to Midtown Lunch’ing.  On one hand, I can just get it in and out of a new place- eat my food, and take a few quick pictures, without getting influenced by a super nice cashier, or an overzealous manager trying to sell me on what they have to offer.  It can be all about the food!

On the other hand, if I asked a few questions and made a few friends I probably would get some useful information about the place I was writing about.  Here’s a perfect example of how a little friendliness will go a long way.  A few weeks ago I wrote about the fried calamari sandwich at Tuscan Square Marketplace.  I wrote that it was a good sandwich, but a little pricey ($9)- and only available on Tuesdays.  It also could suffer a little bit depending on when you got there- because the sandwich comes pre-packaged and you don’t know how much time has passed from fryer to counter.

The sandwich came recommended to me by Joann, a woman who works with my wife-  but the sandwich I ate, and the sandwich you might have eaten on the Tuesday after I wrote about this, was not the same sandwich she eats.  She gets a special sandwich.  And that sandwich is available any day she wants it.  And I’m pretty sure her sandwich has more calamari.  How does she do it?  She’s nice.  And she made friends with someone who works there.  And here’s the best part… you can have that sandwich too!  The “special” sandwich, and how to get it- after the jump. Read more »

Photo courtesy of Roboppy aka The Girl Who Ate Everything

Wagyu Beef Sliders, available today as a special at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center (Columbus Circle, 57th & 8th).  Not sure how much the special is, but the last time it was offered, the damage was $15.  It’s Friday, so you have permission to splurge- but get there early, because my guess is they’re going to run out.  Tip came courtesy of A Hamburger Today.

MIDTOWN LINKS:

• I’ve alway wondered what the “whiting sandwich” looked like at the Kim’s Aunt Kitchen Cart [A Wandering Eater]
• Midtown Breakfast [Chowhound]
• I’ve always wanted to do this… Fast Food Ads vs. Fast Food Reality [WVSR via Serious Eats]
• A lovely (albeit) empty lunchtime at Landmarc [Wandering Eater]
• More on the Midtown Mechanical Bull [Eater]
• Best Chaat in New York includes a few Midtown spots [Gridskipper]

 

Next week is going to be huge!!!  And it involves New Orleans food… more on this later.  Have a good weekend!

This picture is wholesome (although the prospect of eating at Metro makes me feel dirty):

 

Has anybody tried this thing?  Am I going to have to eat at Metro?  Whatever happened to that Croque Monsieur Truck that was spotted back in January on 54th & Broadway for a week, but then disappeared.  Anybody seen that thing anywhere?

I felt the need to put the NC-17 picture after the jump.  WARNING:  May not be suitable for children (or people with dirty minds)… Read more »

If you are a fan of the blog, you know I don’t write about generic fast food chains too often.  Nobody needs to read about Burger King or Wendy’s, and I have a special hatred in my heart for McDonalds (and Chipotle, which I know isn’t technically owned by McDonalds anymore, but can still be accurately referred to as a McBurrito).  But occasionally there is something interesting to write about, like the return of Popeyes to Midtown (the greatest fried chicken in the history of the universe), or Ranch 1/Chicken Bar- a fast food chain that I think really has something tasty and unique to offer.  I also reserve the right to write about Pollo Tropical, In N Out Burger, Panda Express, Baja Fresh, and Chick-Fil-A* if they ever get their acts together and open up Manhattan locations!  (* I am aware that Chick-Fil-A has a location in the NYU student center food court… but it technically isn’t open to the public.)

Arby’s is one of those places in the middle.  For many people, Arby’s is held in that special place in their heart (ironically, the same place you are doing damage to when you eat at places like Arby’s).  I’m on the fence.  There are no other cheap fast food places specializing in roast beef, but according to my wife, Arby’s is the bologna of Roast Beef- so it’s a toss up.  But here’s the thing.  Midtown is home to the only Arby’s in New York City (there are two in Queens).  And that makes it worthy of a Midtown Lunch write up.  It’s also housed in the food court of the Manhattan Mall… and I will use any excuse I can to visit a food court.

How we got there, what we ate and the food court fiasco- after the jump… Read more »

From a co-worker (and confirmed by Gothamist)… today is Free Cone Day @ Ben & Jerry’s.  There are two locations in Midtown that I know of- the concourse under Rock Center, and Times Square on 43rd & 8th Ave.  Last year, I waited on line in the concourse, and it moved real fast- so don’t be discouraged!  Free cone lasts until 8pm.  Enjoy!!!

 

Every Tuesday I turn the site over to a Midtown Lunch’er for their recommendations of places to eat Lunch in Midtown.  You might recognize this guy’s name because he has posted 56 pictures to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group.  His photos are responsible for tipping me off to french fries in the Pick-a-Pita, Mandler’s on 8th Ave., and the new Sophie’s Cuban sign on 40th, just to name a few.  We’re losing him to a job in the Bronx in a few weeks, but before he goes- here are Josh Bousel’s picks for the best Midtown Lunch’ing:

Name: Josh Bousel

Age: 28

Occupation: Web Designer/Developer (and host of the newly launched “Meatwave“)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: netomat, Inc on 38th btw. 8+9th ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Anything conducive to bringing on a sudden, deadly heart attack, with a particular fondness for bbq, fried chicken, and hamburgers.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Seafood. I used to be a terribly picky eater, and although I’ve overcome most of my food aversions, I can’t get over my distaste for seafood. It should be said that I also hate salt water, but love the beach, go figure.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Neither of these places are technically in the “Midtown Lunch” boundaries, but I love the Kansas City Ribs at Daisy May’s (11th Ave. at 46th St.) and the chicken or beef empanadas at Empanada Mama (on 9th Ave. & 51st). I’ve never actually had a lunch there, but Burger Joint is at the top of my list as well.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often:  I tend to eat alone because I like to get whatever food I’m in the mood for, and I also don’t eat at the same place very often. My co-workers seem to like Guy & Gallard and Metro Cafe (I’m also guilty of going to these places too often when I first started working in Midtown). Chef Yu (36th & 8th Ave.) is another popular one in my office.

Place you discovered thanks to MidtownLunch: The Kati Roll Company (46th btw. 6+7th). My first time there I made the mistake of only getting 1 and had to go back for dinner for another to fulfill the cravings they induce. Also, the new Popeye’s on 40th (btw. 7+8th).  I never found the one on 34th up to par.

Dream job location, purely for lunch purposes?: I just accepted a position at the Bronx Zoo, where I’ll be working close to Arthur Ave and I’m pretty excited about that. Otherwise I’d go somewhere with great BBQ… Memphis, maybe?

 

I hear ya when it comes to BBQ in Memphis.  My favorite BBQ of all time, plus how you can be next weeks Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er, after the jump… Read more »

Midtown lunch’ing can be a very lonely place. If you are like me, than you must know what I’m talking about. Every day, lunch rolls around and the troops gather- trying to decide where to eat. Well, gather isn’t necessarily the best word for it. Sometimes it’s phone calls or emails… but for me, the questions usually start around 9am, when I get into work. For one guy, it’s the first thing he asks when I walk in the door… “Where are we going to lunch today?”

But here’s the thing… he almost never comes with me. Why? Because when I’ve finally made up my mind, the place is either too far to walk, or he doesn’t like whatever ethnic food I’ve decided to partake in on that day. In other words, I don’t eat at generic delis- the lunch of choice for almost every single person I work with. If I went to Metro every day, I’d have 27 people to eat lunch with. Who says no to Metro? There’s something for everyone! And that’s why those places exist on every corner of Midtown. Quick, easy and there’s something for everyone.

Not me though. Generic delis don’t do it for me. I like to venture. 15 minute walk in the rain for sausage and cheese filled corn fritters? Sure. 10 minute walk to wait in line for take out cuban food, when there are 2 other perfectly good places within a block of my office. Why not? And Chinese food- there is no distance I won’t travel for cheap Chinese food.

The people I work with… not so much. Read more »