The Fried Calamari Sandwich, Tuesdays at the Tuscan Square Marketplace
***************THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED**********************
There are no shortage of expensive sandwiches in Midtown. Lenny’s, ‘wichcraft & Cosi have designed entire franchises around them, and all the upscale delis have followed suit. Some use fresh baked bread to trick you into thinking it’s worth it, some use fancy ingredients, and some just jack up the price because it’s Midtown, and quite frankly- where else are we going to go? It’s half the reason why I don’t even bother writing about most delis (that and the by the lb. buffets, which are always dangerous for us fatties.)
Occasionally though, I will come across one of these expensive sandwiches that deserves mention. Something so unique or delicious, that maybe- just maybe it is worth that expensive price tag. The Fried Calamari Sandwich at Tuscan Square just might fall into that category. It’s actually a very simple concept, but most of my lunchmates couldn’t quite grasp it at first (“fried calamari what?”). That’s right. Fried Calamari, between two pieces of bread (hence the term sandwich). Genius!!!
A picture of the sandwich, and +/- after the jump… Read more »
When opening a new business, there are two ways of going about finding a location. #1. Find an underserved area, where your presence will fill a niche that is currently not being addressed. Or there is #2. Find a successful business that is similar, open up next door, and either benefit from their overflow, or crush them under the weight of your greatness. (Or fail miserably.) Either way, I’ve seen #2 happen all over Midtown. Kobe Club & Quality Meats, the M&M store & the Hershey Store… and now- Indian Food Carts!
Name: Tara
There are a lot of reasons to travel. Some people travel to see sights, experience different cultures, meet new people. I travel to eat. To me there’s nothing more exciting than visiting another country and experiencing the food. Get to a museum and find out it’s closed… eh, no big deal. Force me to waste a meal on bad food, and you will see one pissed off traveler. It helps that I’m pretty much willing to eat anything, so the language barrier is not a huge issue. If it looks like it tastes good, and people are eating it- I’ll eat it too. Pig intestines in Bali, anything off the street in Thailand… bring it on.
Last week, I found a place for lunch that made me feel that way, without leaving Midtown. It’s Chinese, and in the Garment District, and eating there made me feel transported to a different country. I’m not saying the food was the best, most authentic Chinese food I’ve ever had (far from it). I’m saying that this place was a dirty hole, packed with people speaking a different language. I had no idea what I was ordering, sat at a cramped table with three people I didn’t know (who also didn’t speak very much English)… and I loved every minute of it. 
