Earlier this week we congratulated Hibachi Heaven on their expanding fleet of trucks, and now big things are coming from the last year’s Vendy Awards Rookie of the Year winner Phil’s Steaks. Yesterday they announced via their twitter account that you can expect to see a second truck hit the streets in May. Not only that, but they will also be serving “phries” as well. Congrats, guys!
Thanks to our old friend Danny from Food in Mouth for passing along this one… in the basement of Rock Center, near the windows looking out on the Rink Bar, they’re doing something called “A Taste of Cocoa”. Apparently Potbelly, ‘wichcraft, Bill’s Bar & Burgers, and Bouchon Bakery are all handing out free samples of hot chocolate. He says that they’ll be there until 5pm.
Treehaus, the newish upscale deli on 3rd Ave. btw. 50+51st, has run with the Midtown Lunch sandwich challenge in a way we haven’t seen since Cer Te busted onto the ML scene a few years ago. Two weeks ago it was the buffalo chicken wrap, followed by a Mexican chicken sandwich. But their latest creation is the one we’re most excited about. All this week they’re serving an ode to the Rutgers Grease Truck “Fat Cat”, which means chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries all in a hero roll with lettuce, tomato, smoked mozzarella and marinara. It’s not the first Rutgers Grease Truck to be served in Midtown, but the last one was almost three years ago so we’re pretty happy to welcome back this new version with open arms. Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.
A concerned Midtown Luncher wrote to us last week mentioning that another great bagel place, Blue Flowers Cafe, looked like it was being completely gutted. Was Blue Flowers Cafe done for like Times Square Hot Bagel and Vic’s Bagel Bar? When we stopped by to investigate, we noticed a sign saying the *new* Blue Flowers Cafe will be coming in March. Crisis averted. Although we haven’t posted much about this cafe in the past, perhaps its renovation is a good excuse to explore further…
Every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different Midtown Lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Midtown. This week it’s Alisha, a digital sales planner whom we offer without comment.
Name: Alisha
Age: 27
Occupation: Digital Sales Planner, TheWeek.com and mental_floss
Where in Midtown do you work? Midtown (next to Bryant Park)
Favorite Kind of Food: Burgers
Least Favorite Kind of Food: Asian (YUP I SAID IT)
Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Midtown: Manganaro’s Hero-Boy (on 9th btw. 37+38th) makes the best and biggest Italian heroes. My usual is the chicken parm which comes with homemade potato chips. I also love Heartland’s HB Burger in Times Square (on 43rd btw. B’way+6th) for burgers and beer outings with friends. If you want to walk a bit out of the way, then go to Waldy’s on 27th and 6th for flatbread pizza, and ya know what? The cafeteria at Macy’s is not a bad choice if you’re in a crunch!
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:30 am, February 26th, 2013 under PROFILE: Midtown Lunch'er.
Is Midtown ready for another build-your-own lunch chain? Roti Mediterranean Grill, which was scheduled to open its first New York location downtown last month, is set to open another location this summer on 43rd St. in between Lexington Ave. and 3rd Ave. Roti’s menu consists of pita sandwiches, salads, and rice platters with grilled meats, vegetables, and falafel. But with Crisp and Naya Express just around the corner, plus Hot Clay Oven moving in, will Roti be able to compete?
But wait. There’s more…
Posted by Dan at 9:00 am, February 26th, 2013 under Roti Mediterranean Grill, Simply Sliders.
Vote For the Treats Truck’s Bakery: Voting for Time Out New York's annual Food & Drink Awards closes tomorrow. Most of the nominees are way too fancy for Midtown Lunch, but The Treats Truck Stop is nominated for best new bakery. Sure, this brick and mortar version of one of our favorite dessert trucks is located in Brooklyn, but it is filled with familiar cookies, brownies, and the butterscotch bar. Vote for it today here. The only thing that could make it better is if it was in Midtown!
Posted at 1:30 pm, February 25th, 2013 | 0 Comments
If you’re looking for Indian food on a Midtown Lunch budget, there are plenty of options available, ranging from carts to steam tables. But at Amma (51st St. between 2nd Ave. and 3rd Ave.), you can get something else: sit-down restaurant quality takeout for under $10.
I walked into Amma not knowing what to expect, and stumbled into a small, quiet dining room. I was quickly brought back, past a wall-sized wine rack, to the servers’ station where I could place my to-go order. Yes, this is a restaurant where entrees run anywhere from $15 to $30, but from 12 to 3pm, Amma offers to-go ‘lunch boxes’ that range in price from $9 to $12.
Hibachi Heaven Is Now 3 Trucks Strong: Hibachi Heaven hit the streets last year to some mixed reviews, but they must be doing something right, because they have since launched a second truck, and just last week they added a third to their fleet! HH1, HH2 and HH3's locations can be found on their twitter account or the ML Twitter Tracker. We are always pleased to see our food truck friends succeed and grow their businesses, so welcome to Midtown, HH3!
Posted at 10:45 am, February 25th, 2013 | 2 Comments
Nick, one of Midtown Lunch’s shadowy counter-generic-deli operatives, sent us the photo above. Not far from Clarke’s Standard, newcomer Sur Empanadas is coming soon. No longer content to operate as anonymous carts with psychedelic neon construction paper signage, an additional empanada vendor is always most welcome. Their website is a bit sparse, but 644 Madison Lexington Ave (Just shy of 55th) is going to play host to one happy Argentine grandma empanada operation, we hope. We’ll keep you posted as soon as the empanadas come out of the fryer!
