Midtown Lunch

In my quest to search out the best Ramen in Midtown, I feel like I’ve gone backwards… Sapporo was first, because it was right next to my office building.  A longtime favorite of the area, the Miso Ramen is delicious- but the quality of the ingredients (especially the pork) I found to be less than great.  I followed that up with Men Kui Tei, which I found to be a notch above Sapporo.  The Miso Ramen was also delicious, but the pork and other ingredients in the soup were of a much higher quality.  It probably worked out better this way- because if I had gone to Menchanko-Tei first, I might not have enjoyed the other two as much…

Menchanko-Tei has two locations in Midtown (one on 45th btw. Lex & 3rd and the other on 55th btw. 5+6th) which have a few differences, but are essentially the same.  They both have a small front room with a bar, and they both have a second small room… the one on 55th is in the back, the one on 45th is an upstairs balcony.  Much like Sapporo & Men Kui Tei, you have to get there early or you are going to wait.  By 12:30pm, both locations are full.

But enough about the similarities.  The differences that set Menchanko-Tei above the fray, more food porn and the +/-, after the jump…

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Sometimes on Fridays I like to recommend a place for lunch outside of Midtown for people looking for a weekend excursion.  The kind of place you wished you worked next to…  (A few weeks ago, it was Otafuku in the East Village).   So many people complain about not being able to find good Mexican food in New York City, and while Pampano Taqueria is ok, it’s far from being a foodie destination.  My new mecca for Central & South American food in NYC is the Ballfields in Red Hook… a line of stands circling a soccer field, serving amazing, freshly made food from Mexico, El Salvador, Columbia, and Ecuador (just to name a few of the countries represented.)  Originally set up just to feed hungry ball players, it has now become a genuine food destination for huaraches (pictured below), ceviche, pupusas, tacos, tamales, empenadas, roasted corn (drenched in butter, cheese and red chili pepper), and so much more. 

I mention it, because according to one of the vendors, this weekend is the last weekend before most of the stalls pack up for the winter… a few will remain, but this is your last chance to get the full on experience. 

More info, and directions to the Ballfields, PLUS Midtown links about stuff you’ll definitely want to know about, and the end of the week wrap up- after the jump…

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This Sunday is the Vendy Awards, and in light of that fact, here’s some news about Midtown Carts that you might be interested in:

1.  The guy in the Jiannetto’s Pizza Truckon 47th btw. Park & Madison told me on Tuesday that the truck that used to be on Park and  51st will be returning in the next week and a half.  Look for it next Friday or Monday to be back… no word on the whether the truck that crashed was fixed, or they bought a new one.

2.  For those of you looking for your BBQ fix at one of the three Midtown Daisy May’s BBQ carts, you may have been very disappointed this week.  Two of the three Midtown carts have been packed up and stored away for the winter (the one on Park & 47th and the one on 55th btw. 6+7th).  The one on 49th btw. 6+7th will remain open… (thankfully it’s the one outside my building!).  Look for more carts to pop up in the spring.  (For those of you Downtown, the Wall St. cart is still open as well.)

Finally, we saved the most shocking news for after the jump… best not to scare the young children.  It’s terrible, and it involves last year’s Vendy Award winner for best cart…

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It’s been over four months since I started this food blog, and in all that time I’ve never once taken a sick day.  So figuring I get 5 sick days a year, pro-rated for a little over half a year (since I started this in June), means I probably have 3 sick days to use between now and the end of the year… so I’m using one today.  I’ve been feeling like crap this week, and there’s nothing better to eat when you’re sick then a big hot bowl of ramen.  Sapporo is good, and Men Kui Tei is great, but my new favorite in Midtown is the Menchanko at Menchenko-Tei (with two locations… one on 45th btw. Lex. & 3rd, and one on 55th btw. 5+6th). 

I went to the one on 45th on Monday, and in my haze of oncoming sickness I forgot my camera… so you’ll have to settle for this crappy picture taken on my phone.  I promise to go back and give you a full +/- (with real pictures) of this great Japanese noodle place.  If you can’t wait… feel free to check either one out for yourself- you definitely won’t be disappointed.  The jury is still out on it’s ability to cure the common cold…

Every Tuesday I try to keep my opinion to myself (a little gets in at the end), and let a genuine Midtown Lunch’er take over the site to give their opinion about eating in Midtown.  In honor of the Vendy Awards , which are taking place this Sunday night (Midtown Carts were totally snubbed!), I present to you, Serena, the Teriyaki Cart loving Midtown lunch’er…

Name: Serena

Age: 28

Occupation: Editor

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 49th & 6th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese (or anything from the Pacific Rim region)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Fruit… especially the stuff that is sold on the street.

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: My favorite used to be the tofu teriyaki from the Japanese Market on 41st btw. 5th+Madison (just East of Cafe Zaiya)… but now I can’t get enough of the Tofu Teriyaki at the Cart on 50th btw. 6+7th. (NOTE: Serena is actually one of the two people who recommended this cart to Midtown Lunch)
The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often:  Bagel Feller, on 48th btw. 5th and 6th. Partly I just like to say the name, but they also have really good wraps.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: I actually rediscovered Yips— the Chinese place.  I used to go there when I was an intern like 8 years ago, and it had been completely erased from memory until I saw it here on MidtownLunch.  Ridiculously cheap, and I’ve never gotten sick from eating there.   And again– a great name! How can you not laugh asking someone if they want to go to “Yips” for lunch?

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why?  Washington, DC circa 1999.  There used to be the best sandwich place I’ve ever known in an office building near my high school called Frisco’s.  Every sandwich had a San Fran related name.  The best was the Golden Gate.  Sadly, it has since closed down and I’m not sure it exists anywhere anymore–nor am I sure it ever existed in San Francisco.

Any question you’d like to pose to the Midtown Lunch readers?  Does anyone know where I can find (during the week) that really cheap pad thai that is sold at street fairs on weekends? (I have really unsophisticated taste because I work in publishing and I’m poor.)
Ah yes… the $1 Thai Food stand at Street Fairs.  How can you not love it?  Our recommendation to Serena, plus how you can be next week’s Profiled: Midtown Lunch’er- after the jump…

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The 2007 Zagat Guide to New York Restaurants came out last week, and I was very disappointed to discover that Midtown Lunch is not one of the special categories!  They’ve got “Business Lunch: Midtown”, and they added a “People Watching: Hipsters” category- but no Midtown Lunch.  Which is sort of strange, because I can think of 5 times last week where I thought “Where should I eat lunch today?”, but didn’t once think “Gee, I’d really like to eat at a place where I can stare at a guy with a Rollie Fingers mustache drinking a PBR.”

Anyway, despite being snubbed again as a legitimate food category, I have dissected the guidebook to bring you all the interesting Midtown Lunch tidbits.  As always, we ignore the expensive “Business Lunch” options, in favor of the cheaper eats.  Here are the places that received over a 20:

• 24 Burger Joint (56th btw. 7+8th)- Not surprisingly one of the best Burgers in the city, is also tops of Midtown Lunch Zagat list.  “Secret no more” and “out the door lines” confirm what we already know about this place hidden in the Parker Meridien hotel lobby.  What is surprising is that the Midtown institution, Prime Burger did not make it into the guide.
• 22 Kati Roll  (46th btw. 6+7th) I was most happy to see this one on the list!  One of the first places ever to be written about on Midtown Lunch and the third most viewed post (after Chipotle & Oms/b).  The term “Indian Burritos” made it into the guide, as did the mention of the incredibly “slow” service.
• 22 Dishes (2 Locations)- It’s what every deli in Midtown aspires to be… they have a buffet by the lb. but still good enough to be listed in Zagat!  “High end” “huge variety” but the “prices add up” at this “mobbed” Midtown lunch joint… so “expect to wait”.
• 21 Chop’t (2 Midtown Locations)- Tops of the build your own salad bars… the “super fresh fixins” and the “ridiculous lunch lines” both get mentioned.
• 21 ‘wichcraft– Any place opened by Tom Colicchio is going to get mentioned in Zagat’s.  His Grammercy Tavern (which he gave up control of a few months ago) has been voted “Most Popular” in Zagat’s for the past 493 years straight.  The “Impeccably crafted” sandwiches are an “amazing value considering the quality”.  I don’t know about amazing value… but it’s a darn good sandwich.

The rest of the pack, and the worst rated restaurant in Midtown… after the jump:

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It’s not exactly Midtown Lunch, but I couldn’t help myself with this one…  In the September 18 issue of New York Magazine my interest was totally piqued by the recommendation Kyotofu, a new Midtown West located, “Japanese dessert bar designed by the same Japanese architect who did Jewel Bako and Momofuku.  Share the saffron- sake-poached-pear tartlets and yuzu-citrus-tofu cheesecake.” 

A week and a half later, on September 28th, Time Out New York got into the action printing a recommendation of Kyotofu as well… the “Japan pastry chain that has just opened its first New York (and U.S.) location.”  Naturally I was really excited for the prospect of a Japanese bakery opening in Hell’s Kitchen, the western border of Midtown (and the area I live in).   Only one problem… the place hasn’t even opened yet.  Despite being recommended by two magazines in the past month (one of which specifically said it was open), here’s a picture of Kyotofu taken last night:

Don’t these people go to a place before writing about them???  How do they know what the pear tartlet tastes like?  (It is a chain with locations in Kyoto and Tokyo, but what is  more likely?  The writer visited Japan, and ate the recommended dessert- or just decided to trust the PR material announcing the opening of the New York location.)  Anyway, I’m still excited- and Kyotofu is supposed to be opening sometime in October.  Thanks to a tear in the paper in the window, I got a shot of the inside.

The picture of Kyotofu inside, links about Midtown stuff you definitely want to know about, PLUS the end of the week wrap up, after the jump…

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Food carts are a funny thing.  Some people love them, some people hate them.  They are universally accepted for some things, like hot dogs, or pretzels but seem mysterious for other things (the term “street meat” comes to mind).  I’ve seen very few restaurants that specialize in the “Halal Food” you get at a cart, and there are not many carts that stray from serving some form of Gyro, Falafel, Hot Dog or Pretzels.  You’ve got your breakfast carts (bagels, donuts and coffee) which are popular for their price, and the fruit carts, which offer people who love to be healthy a chance to eat at a cart.  (Those people don’t tend to enjoy skillet fried lamb, covered in white sauce.)

Some carts are destinations (Hello Berlin Cart, Daisy May’s BBQ Cart, The Arepa Lady in Queens, or the Carts at the Ballfields in Red Hook), while others remain nameless, taking advantage of a highly populated corner of the city.  I love eating at carts.  It’s not because the food is so great, but it just seems like more fun.  There something about the immediate gratification, the fact that their kitchen is on the side of the road, and of course- weird meat sort of excites me (that didn’t come out right).  (My favorite street meat ever… the lady on the right selling street meat on a stick- in Bali)

A little over a month ago, I walked by a new cart near my office… Happy Teriyaki BBQ on 50th between 6+7th.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Teriyaki Cart before in Midtown… and because of my love of Asian food I was immediately interested.  Shortly after, I started to receive the emails… the first one said it was terrible.  Worst food ever.  But then I got two more, one that recommended the spicy pork and another that swore by the BBQ Tofu.  I’m always up for trying a new cart… so yesterday I headed over with my reluctant wife to check out this new cart.

What we ordered, the pictures and the +/- after the jump…

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The complaints against eating in Midtown are many… but the one thing you can’t complain about is a lack of good Indian food.  There are tons of Indian places for every appetite and price range.  Expensive sit down restaurants, expensive buffets, cheap buffets, cheap take out, and even an Indian food cart.  When you look at the cheap options, it seems as if there is one for every neighborhood.  If you work on Park in the 50s, there’s the super cheap Indian food cart on 53rd.  If you work on the East side of Midtown in the 40s, there’s Hurry & Tasty Curry.  If you work on the west side there’s Minar.

Everyone who reads this blog knows how much I love Kati Roll (the “Indian Burrito” place)… but sometimes you just want the real thing.  And when that urge hits, Minar is right next store to feed my Indian food fix.  The one thing I’ve realized about these Indian food places is, you get what you pay for.  You pay $4 for Indian food out of a cart, it’s going to taste like $4 Indian food (it’s good, but not the best).  Minar costs a little more then that, and it’s a little better.  Not as good as a nice Indian restaurant where you are going to pay $10+ an entree, but if you are looking for some quick and tasty Indian food for lunch- and you work in this area of Midtown, you can’t do better then Minar.

What I got, pictures of the food, and the +/- after the jump…

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Every Tuesday I turn over Midtown Lunch to a random Midtown worker, for their favorite places to eat lunch in Midtown.  This week, it’s Mark- a cart junkie, click monkey, whose Mom I want to cook for me…

Name: Mark

Age: 34

Occupation: Click Monkey (Editor’s Note: Apparently this is what Contract/Temp Lawyers call each other)

Where in Midtown do you Work?: 44th & 6th Ave.

Favorite Kind of Food: Good cheap ethnic food. My Mother’s fried potatoes with chorizo and jalapenos.  Non pasteurized milk.

Least Favorite Kind of Food:I’ve never overcome a childhood aversion to Brussel sprouts.  The smell…

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Probably too far west but the combination salad and a split pea soup at Azuri Cafe (51st btw. 9+10th),  if you can put up with the “Pita Nazi”.  My new favorites right now are Margon’s Roast Chicken plate or the Double Soul food dish at the Hallo Berlin Cart.

The “go-to” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often:  John’s Pizzeria on 44th & 8th.

Place you discovered on MidtownLunch.com: Kwik Meal Cart.  Hallo Berlin Cart.  Daisy May’s BBQ Cart.  Lots of cart action thanks to Midtown Lunch.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why?  Chinatown, so I could eat at the Dumpling House on Eldridge everyday.  Or Argentina so I could eat yummy giant $3 steaks every day until my arteries sealed shut.

Any question you’d like to pose to the Midtown Lunch readers?  The Chatuchak Weekend market in Bangkok sells this “BBQ Thai Chicken”… this fried chicken with special seasoning, chopped up into pieces.  Some Thai restaurants here sell “BBQ Thai Chicken”, but it isn’t fried.  Does anyone know where I can get this delicious dish in New York City? 

Got an answer to Mark’s Question?  Food porn, and a Midtown Lunch sneak preview (plus details on how you can be the next Profiled Lunch’er) after the jump…

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