Midtown Lunch

Does cheap, pre-packaged sushi that’s good exist?  Or is it some sort of enigma- like cheap General Tso’s made with real chicken.  Is it even possible?  Or, is pre-packaged sushi all bad, because it is pre-packaged?

Now, I should probably quantify what I’m talking about, because the word “sushi” can mean so many different things.  I feel like when talking about good sushi, you can divide people into two main camps.  The first camp is the real fish eaters.  People who love sashimi (just the raw fish) and/or sushi (slice of fish laid over some rice).  The more you spend, the fresher and better the fish, so you don’t really want too much of a bargain when it comes to eating this kind of sushi.  If you are in this camp, and can’t imagine eating sushi that doesn’t fall into this category- you might as well stop reading… because my search is for something totally different.  You might say “The cheap stuff”.

The second category, is the rolls camp.  When someone in this camp says “I love sushi”, they really mean, I love rolls.  Totally different animal, because in this camp the flavor of the roll doesn’t necessarily come from the fish.  In these rolls the fish comes prepared in many different ways.   Fried in batter (tempura), chopped and mixed with mayo (spicy tuna rolls), or sometimes in a special “imitation” form that isn’t actually fish (that crab stuff in cheap California rolls).  Liking rolls also means that you can probably tolerate eating at cheaper places…

Which brings us to my dilemna.  I’m one of those people who falls in both camps.  I can enjoy the $100 omakase at a real deal sushi place, but I can also eat a $4 pre-packaged Eel & Avocado or Spicy Tuna roll with the best of them.  And when it comes to having lunch in Midtown, I’m looking for that elusive cheaper, quicker option. 

With that in mind, I had lunch at Yummy Sushi the other day.  It’s a take out only, quick sushi place underneath Rockefeller Center.  It’s fairly cheap, good selection and like most cheap sushi- not particularly great.

What we ate, the +/- and my plea for help, after the jump… Read more »

Is there anything that shows the resilience of Midtown eaters more then Variety Cafe… re-opened and a line at the Salad Bar (9 days after being closed by the Health Department… ahem, I mean “closed due to improve our service“).  Either that, or we’re a sad bunch that refuses to venture more then a block for good food during lunch.

Come on people!  Is there no other Salad bar on the block?  I know it’s hard to find one in Midtown.  No word yet on why they were shut down, or which section was affected (hot plate, salad bar, sushi, sandwiches…).  Eating there again is a game of russian roulette that I’d rather not play…

Coming next week on Midtown Lunch: My not so Yummy quest for cheap take out sushi, a Taco Cart (with a big sombrero), and cold noodles at Men Kui Tei.

I know not everyone works on 48th st. between 6th & 7th ave., so I’ve been trying to branch out whenever possible, and try places that while out of the way for me- might be your favorite lunch spot.  Some of the places that might be close to you- but far from me that I’ll be hitting up in the next few weeks:  ‘wichcraft, Burger Joint, Pampano Taqueria, Men Kui Tei, Zip Burger, Jiannetto’s Pizza Cart, & Arang- just to name a few.

The other day, I ventured out of my way (based on a suggestion from a reader) and tried the Indian food vendor cart on 53rd & Park.  While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend walking too far out of your way to eat at this cart- it could possibly be one of the greatest deals in all of Midtown for anyone who works close to it.

Ordering is really simple.  You have two choices, the vegetarian meal ($3.99) or the chicken meal ($4.99).  Each day, both entrees will change- but the menu doesn’t.  It’s either the vegetarian choice, or the chicken choice.  Both entrees come with rice, dal (lentils), bread and salad (which is just some lettuce).  On the day I was there, the vegetarian entree was mixed vegetables, and the chicken, was Chicken Tikka Masala.

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

Read more »

The measure of a good Thai restaurant is not necessarily from their Pad Thai… but for some reason it’s the first thing I order when trying a place out.  And, when I say “That Thai restaurant is great” it’s usually because I liked their Pad Thai.  It’s sort of silly, but it’s something people do all the time.  You recommend a place, based on what you like (and always order)- not necessarily taking into account what the person you’re telling, likes to order.

For some it’s the curries, or spring rolls, for me, it’s usually the Pad Thai.  Don’t get me wrong, I like a good green curry or Pad Si Ew, just as much as the next guy.  But Pad Thai is what I start with.  The go to guy.  If you can’t do Pad Thai… I’m probably not going back.

When I started this blog, I got a lot of comments urging me to go to Yum Thai, and I have to say I was not disappointed.  A small, hole in the wall place- it’s the kind of place you walk by 100 times, not sure if you want to try it out.  It looks sort of dirty from the outside, and they’ve got pictures of food in the window (never a good sign).  All you need is that one recommendation to get you to try it out.  Well, consider this your recommendation.

You order at a counter, and then can sit down at one of their 10 or so tables or you can take it to go.  They cook the food right behind the counter, just a few feet from the tables, so it can get kind of hot in there- especially during the summer.  So, taking the food to go might be the way to do it.

The +/- and a picture of my Pad Thai, after the jump… Read more »

The pandemonium continues on 48th st.  I asked a few people how long they waited…. In line at 11:20 AM, got their Burrito at Noon.  Got in line at 11:55 AM, got their Burrito 12:45 PM.  My boss said f this, and walked to the Chipotle on 42nd to pay for his Burrito.  Apparently the suits in the area, weren’t willing to do the same…

Scenes from the Apocalypse, Midtown Edition:  Midtown in Manhattan, where $400,000/year Skadden associates and $4 million/year Lehman partners stand in stifling heat, waiting for a freaking free burrito from Chipotle.  [Curbed]

Hilarious… I couldn’t have said it better myself.

***UPDATE*** A little after 3pm, I was told by someone I work with, they only had to wait 15 minutes to get their burrito… but that ended pretty quickly.  By 6pm, the dinner crowd was starting to arrive, and it was back to a 30-40 minute wait… and by 6:40, I heard the line was back to the same length as the peak lunch line (1 hour wait).

At 11:00 AM this morning, Free Burrito Day began as Midtown apparently decided their time was worth less than $8.00.  We couldn’t get inside- but were told there were about 150 lined up inside… bringing the total count of people to about 250.

Btw…. the Chipotle backlash has already begun.  We recieved this comment earlier this morning from NOSHER:

You just lost another fan of the blog. The free burrito news was great the first time, but four days in a row is overkill. Good luck.

Well to her, and everyone else, I apologize… but don’t blame the messenger.  People love free food.  For people who enjoy eating at good places- we’ll have a review of Yum Thai tomorrow!  Thanks for your patience while we examine the true nature of most of the people eating in Midtown…

It’s funny.  This will be my fourth post about Chipotle since Friday… and I’m embarassed.  Not just for my blog- but for Midtown too.  Why is everyone in my office so excited for Chipotle?  And why did I get so caught up in it?  I don’t even like Chipotle!  It just goes to show how starved we are in Midtown for good food.  So sick of the same things day after day, a mediocre overpriced McBurrito is like some sort of Holy Grail of dining.  Here’s what I said about Chipotle a month ago, when I heard it was opening in my building:

For me, Chipotle is like a bad Chinese Buffet.  I have to go back once every three months, and feel sick, to remind myself why I only go once every three months.  See, I distinctly remember what my brain told me the last time I ate Chiptole… “Never eat here again”.  But that was three months ago, and my burrito starved body is wondering, “Maybe this time it will be different…everyone seems pretty excited… maybe I was wrong about Chipotle.” 

Well, it hasn’t been three months… but last night I finally discovered a way to enjoy Chipotle.  Eating there for free.  Free food always tastes better… it’s just a fact.  And Chipotle proved that once again last night.  We got one of those passes for free dinner on Monday night, and decided to check it out then, rather then wait on line today during free Buritto day (which is from 11am to 8pm by the way).

What we ate, and the Chipotle +/- after the jump… Read more »

Just to add to the confusion, Chipotle invited various V.I.P.’s and people who work in the area to eat for free today (Friday)… For people not lucky enough to be on the invite list- you get a card good for free dinner at the pre-opening event Monday night between 5 and 8pm.

Confused yet?  Here’s the deal:

• Today (Friday):  Free Lunch, Invite Only.
• Monday, July 17: 5 to 8pm  Pre-Opening Event.  You can only get in with a pass.  To get your pass go to Chipotle right now.  They are giving them out, right outside the door (While supplies last, and as of 1:45pm they were running out)
• Tuesday, July 18: Free Burrito Day.  Open to everyone.  11am to 8pm
• Wednesday, July 19: Chipotle Open to the public!  Fun fun…

Pass for Monday Night 

Pics from Inside: