LUNCH

4:00pm apricot amaretto tart

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Ah, so close yet not quite. This apricot amaretto tart from Balthazar had all the trappings of greatness but the fruit filling was more jam than fruit. Or to put it more bluntly, the apricot center was just too damn sweet. Maybe if they served it with whipped cream.
Balthazar Bakery, 80 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (near Crosby)

Grand Bo Ky, with John

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:17:00 +0000

I was told about this new restaurant on Grand just beyond Mott that was the same owners as the one on Mott just below Hester so we thought for certain it would a new New Chao Chow but instead it was the new New Bo Ky. It's new and fresh now but so packed for lunch that the newness is sure to wear off quickly. The renovated restaurant occupies the space of a former, much beloved dumpling shop and while we're glad to have hot soups nearby for winter time, the dumplings are already sorely missed.
Grand Bo Ky, 216 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mott & Elizabeth)

4:00pm Sara Lee pound cake

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:10:00 +0000

I'd been craving this childhood memory for some weeks now only the Met up the street never seemed to have carry it. Until yesterday! Lovely, squishy, manufactured goodness.
Met Food, 251 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (at Prince)

Lovely Day w/ Liem

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:20:00 +0000

We had practically given up on Lovely Day opening back up again after their fire incident last year. Several days ago, we finally came across news of its reopening on the blogsphere. Funny, there really must have not been that much damage (as Eater suggests) because everything was in place just as it was before. The patrons, the slow service, the menu - everything. Apparently they do have a new ceiling. The light fixtures seemed to have some brighter light bulbs. Curious. Regardless, we're glad to be able to have the Japanese fried chicken lunch special again.
Lovely Day, 196 Elizabeth St., New York, NY 10012 btwn Prince & Spring

4:00pm apple cider donuts

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Over apple cider donuts that Shawn brought in from his local farmer's market we calculated how many 1" squares we could get out of a traditional 9" round pie. Somehow we got to 64 but I think the real answer might be 36.

Soho Park

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:46:00 +0000

We need just a couple extra minutes to properly finish off the excellent Belgian fries from Soho Park today at lunch but sadly we didn't have it, and instead wolfed down a hot dog each, crammed a handful of fries slathered in ketchup and mayonnaise in our already out the door mouths and jetted off to respective meetings up and west.
Soho Park, 62 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (at Lafayette)

4:00pm pumpkin cake with maple glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000

It's the loveliest thing when your local bakery makes seasonal desserts, offering a mix of the known and unknown. And when the seasonal desserts themselves change, there is more variety in our afternoon treats. The pumpkin cake with maple glaze that we had today was not quite the same as the one from February.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Nyonya, with Josh

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0000

It's a relief when a neighborhood favorite manages to remain in the neighborhood despite an increase in rent. In this case, Nyonya shuffled across the street into slightly fancier digs while still maintaining the same reliable food. We ventured outside of the usual array of noodle and rice dishes to try the seafood crispy noodles. The waitress warned us about the gravy sauce but she should have maybe made it a little more clear that the seafood crispy noodles would be swimming in sauce, not just lightly coated.
Nyonya, 199 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

4:00pm doughnut holes

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:41:00 +0000

It may seem counterintuitive to buy sugary sweets on your way back from the dentist, but when it comes to doughnuts, there is no counter to our intuition. The Donut Pub is one of those places that you hope will never go out of business, even with the Dunkin Donut a couple doors down. Y'all get on over there, and have a yourself a doughnut or three. The sugar, jelly and powdered bavarian creme are all recommended with gusto.
The Donut Pub, 203 W.14th St, NY, NY 10011 (near 7th Ave)

Lahore Deli

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:52:00 +0000

When in a pinch for time, and on the way back to the office from the F train, Lahore can't be beat.
Cheap, fast and reliable. Today we got the spinach and potato, with the chickpea and lamb. Sometimes it's nice not to think too hard about lunch.
Lahore Deli, 132 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012 (below Houston)

4:00pm cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Dinner was had last night at Hill Country, which is a really fun (though mildly annoying) place to grab BBQ, tasty sides, whiskey drinks and Big Red. We were too full to consume any sweets, but I was eyeing them anyways with thoughts of today. This PB&J cupcake was chosen over the pecan pie, solely for it's photogenic looks. While we're sure there are many fans of this out there, it was a tad sweet for our tastes, though still rather enjoyable.
Hill Country, 30 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010

Le Gamin Mobi/Truck

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Way back when we first moved to NYC, Le Gamin was a cute Soho establishment where the food was pretty affordable and you could get a non-American cup of hot chocolate. Times have changed, and while Le Gamin seems to have survived, their original locations are no more. So it was nice surprise to spot a Le Gamin Truck in Soho on our way to the office the other morning. Apparently this is a new location for them, and they are seeing how it goes. We opted for the Lamb Dog Special with fries and a soda. It was tasty enough, but $8.50 is a bit on the steep side for the amount of food you get.
Le Gamin Mobi/Truck, on the corner of Greene and Prince Streets

4:00pm pineapple shortcake

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:32:00 +0000

I am sometimes wary of Asian desserts, much preferring Western and especially French sweets, but these pineapple shortcakes that Shawn brought back from Taiwan are quite yummy indeed.
iLu Bakery Cafe, Taiwan

Tortilleria Mexicana, with Sarah & Ted

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:43:00 +0000

A couple years ago we were at the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood visiting a friend who took us to a taqueria tucked inside a garage. Several years later, one New York Times article, a Health Department inspection and some renovation work, Totilleria Mexicana got legitimized. They now have a full-on kitchen, a storefront wall and real tables. At Ted's recommendation, we went with the tostadas and ordered several piled high plates of the chorizo (sausage), carne enchilada (spicy pork), carnitas (pork), pollo (chicken) and the cecina (salted beef). Considering this followed a marvelous hour of arranging suspended books with Sarah in Ted's studio, I would say we couldn't have had a more perfect combination field trip of work and pleasure.
Tortilleria Mexicana, 271 Starr St, Brooklyn, NY 11237

4:00pm chocolate mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Our favorite bearer of afternoon desserts and coffee came by with sweets for tea time. I particularly love this chocolate mouse. So scared stiff of being eaten, it was sweating like crazy.
Ceci-Cela Patisserie, 55 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Lafayette & Mulberry)

Gahm Mi Oak

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:20:00 +0000

After some good quarantine brainstorming this morning, we took a break for lunch. I dragged M. and Josh up to Koreatown because nothing else would do on a wet and gloomy day but a pick-me-up kind of lunch at one of our favorite K-town spots, Gahm Mi Oak. It's contradictory to wander so far in such lame weather but the reward is really wonderful kimchi and a hot bowl of sul long tang.
Gahm Mi Oak, 43 W. 32nd St, NY, NY 10001 (near Broadway)

4:00pm apple turnover

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:43:00 +0000

We picked up an apple turnover this morning so by this afternoon it was a bit stale. The taste is nice enough, a pleasant touch of salt in there. Nothing to write home about. Although I guess enough to blog about.
Alessi Cafe, 130 Greene St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Prince & Houston)

Shanghai Cafe, with Ray

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:34:00 +0000

It's been less than 2 weeks since Danny took us to Shanghai Cafe but we've been dreaming of rice cakes ever since. Today we took Ray over, who concurs it's pretty good stuff. We switched out the fried rice for some pickled cabbage and squid over rice but otherwise ordered the same soup dumplings and rice cakes as last time. And then we stuffed ourselves silly, forgetting to wait for the brain to register an already full stomach.
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:00pm chocolate chip cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Yesterday we dodged raindrops to pick up a monster chocolate chip cookie from Jacques Torres. I thought this was the one Hong said we must try but now I think I'm wrong.
Jacques Torres Chocolates, 350 Hudson St, NY, NY 10014 (at King)

Hiroko's Place

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Hiroko's Place always has a large number of Japanese filling its tables but today was rather extreme as I was the only non-Japanese speaker in the whole joint. I think I'm turning Japanese! Hiroko's Place probably doesn't fit the foreigner's perception of all things "Japanese" and to top it off there is the added twist of the you-shoku style cuisine. So you have a genuine Japanese restaurant serving real you-shoku entrees that are actually Japanese reinterpretations of Western food. It doesn't matter to us, we go for the hamburg rice, an always satisfying plate of hamburger patty in sauce, potato salad, fried egg, green salad and side of rice.
Hiroko's Place, 75 Thompson St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Broome & Spring)

4:00pm oatmeal cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:54:00 +0000

This morning we arrived at the office to find a package addressed to us the lunching ladies. Lo! What joy from the sunny Golden State should come our way? Carrie, a fan (!), sent a most happily received box of goodies including samples from her new textiles line in colors we can't wait to wear and a bag of oatmeal cookies with blueberries and butterscotch chips. Sigh, if only every morning we arrived to the office to such unexpected moments of happiness. Carrie, you made our day.
Isabelle Cookies, Hermosa Beach CA

Bread, with Art

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:28:00 +0000

A day running around from back to back meetings with no accounting for lunch does not really fall within the parameters of our mission, but sometimes that's just the way it is. Fortunately it isn't that way too often and even more fortunately we have delivery options like Bread. $10 for a pint of tart and tangy tomato soup, a wee green salad and half a panini is a damn fine way to go. Makes us feel a little less lame for ordering in and cramming lunch between more meetings.
Bread, 20 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Elizabeth & Mott)

4:00pm sour cream banana bread

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:16:00 +0000

When Dorina puts out something new on the Oro bakery display, we have to try it. The sour cream banana bread with chocolate icing is pretty nice but not quite as ravishing as the brown sugar pecan nor as authentic as the cranberry scones.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Armando's, with Thomas

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Edible Geography and Bldgblog have put together a design studio about quarantine, in which we are now fully immersed, dreaming up grand schemes for the city's infrastructure. Today we induced fellow studio mate, Thomas, an architect working in the city's Office of Emergency Management to meet us nearby for lunch. Fortuitously he works blocks away from the newly reopened Armando's, which we had spent the summer designing. Ostensibly we invited him to chat about quarantine but really we just wanted to grill him on the fascinating world of working for a city department who has its hands in every single "incident" occurring in the five boroughs. A great conversation in a great restaurant with a pretty tasty burger, gorgonzola and french fries.
Armando's Restaurant, 143 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (btwn Henry & Clinton)

4:00pm fruit tart

noreply@blogger.com (Front Studio) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:49:00 +0000

After our stunning lunch earlier we really wanted something light and perfect. Normally the fruit tarts from Cafe Select more than fit the bill, and while today's was decent enough, it was the tiniest bit stale.
Cafe Select, 212 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)