LUNCH STUDIO

3:50pm doughnuts

2012-06-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

Today is a National "Fill in the Blank FOOD ITEM" day worth celebrating, National Doughnut Day! M. picked us up two stellar ones from the Donut Pub and we leave you with doughnut-centric links this cool Friday afternoon:

I have not tried a doughnut burger, but apparently it does exist, it's a thing. Has anyone had one and lived to tell the tale?

Huffington Post with the quick recap of where you can find a free doughnut in honor of this great and wonderous day.

Of course no doughnut celebration is complete without a list of the most unusual Dunkin Donut flavors around the world. Of course there is a kimchi donut.

If that's too scary for you, try this slideshow of what other people in other countries call donuts.

And now if you're sufficiently grossed out, we wish you a merry weekend.

Parm, with Harvest

2012-06-01T16:31:00.001-04:00

Despite the lovely weather outside, we were feeling a bit lazy today so when Patrick offered to include us in on the office lunch order from Parm, we did not hesitate. One roast turkey on a roll for M, one small Italian on a roll for me. Love those Italians.
Parm, 248 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

5:25pm peanut butter cup

2012-05-31T17:25:00.002-04:00

The nicest thing happened the other week. We posted about Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cups and they followed up offering to send us more cups to make sure we were eating the freshest possible ones. Not to be greedy, I asked for one package of 2 cups for M and I and one package of 2 cups for our lovely friend over at CPB Gallery. A couple days later a box shows up. Inside are two full containers, one of a dozen milk chocolate and one of dark. The office mates were informed and I swear to you the entire contents were gone in less than an hour. Good thing we grabbed 2 for ourselves beforehand! Justin's Nut Butter, we heart you here on Lafayette St.

Toby's Public House

2012-05-31T17:14:00.001-04:00

It took Toby's Public House a long time to set up shop on the corner of Kenmare and Mulberry but they made it. Lunch service just started the other week so we stopped by on a perfect day, windows wide open to a slight breeze. I liked the low key vibe, totes casual. We couldn't decide, in the end, if the DOC pizza was on par with L'asso, slightly better or slightly not as good. They seem of a similar level of quality, which is to say good to eat on a regular basis but not necessarily blow your mind fantastic.
Toby's Public House, 86 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Mulberry)

4:05pm apple and quince tartlet

2012-05-30T18:52:00.000-04:00

It was just a tiny bit soggy, but everything else about the apple and quince tartlet from Grandaisy Bakery was super nice. The flavor of the fruit, the texture and taste of the pastry, yum yum and more of that. This is where our oven-twitter alert would come in handy so that the next time a fresh batch comes out, we would be notified.
Grandaisy Bakery, 73 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Broome and Spring)

Ba'al Cafe & Falafel

2012-05-30T16:38:00.003-04:00

It's been two months since our last lunch at Ba'al and I'm happy to report the 3 sides platter is still $7.75. Combined with a Boylan ginger ale, that came to $9.90. A rather filling and satisfying $9.90. I'm always really boring and get a combination of humuus, falafel and fatouche salad, while M. likes beets.
Ba'al Cafe and Falafel, 71 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (above Broome)

4:09pm chipless wonder

2012-05-29T19:20:00.003-04:00

I followed my stomach to the Red Hook food trucks this weekend where we ran into Saha and Co. After a lot of food and a couple passes of a frisbee, we gave them a lift to the water's edge by Fairway. We were nearly to Atlantic Ave when I realized we had forgotten to return the frisbee. Back to the water's edge where I looked fruitlessly around for a gang of 4 friends. I gave up after a short while and headed into Fairway instead. There I found Saha's brother and our favorite Tate's cookies, the chipless wonder. Success.
Fairway, 480-500 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (at the pier)

La Esquina Cafe

2012-05-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

We love the pollo rostizado torta from La Esquina but I must have had a so-so one last time because I haven't felt the craving. M. was in the mood though so we went anyway. And it's good again! They changed the spices a little, it's a spicier than we remember, and every bit just as tasty. The tacos dorado we got to supplement our sandwich half was so-so.
La Esquina, 106 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Cleveland Place)

4:15pm doughnuts

2012-05-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

The sun came out just in time to herald the procession of horns making their way out the Holland Tunnel on Broome. It's official, summer time! Bring on the beach, we are ready.

This week we've been obsessed about trash, including pneumatic systems like the one they have installed on Roosevelt Island.

Have you seen Shay Aaron's miniature food sculptures? They are stunning. And tiny. Stunningly tiny.

We like how John Scalzi tries to describe the privilege of straight white men in our society as starting out on the lowest difficulty setting in role playing games.

Some lunch time humor from Pret a Manger USA.

The weather has been in constant state of flux this past week, I got caught inadequately prepared in downpours more than once so hopefully the sun will hold out for a beach day tomorrow. Happy Memorial Day!

Cocoron

2012-05-25T18:26:00.003-04:00

The weather cleared up by lunchtime, making it the perfect day for a short stroll over to Cocoron where we were rewarded with a table right away. There are some new cold soba's on the specials menu, it is summertime after all! M. tried the one I really wanted, the yude dori, though mine, the ban ban ji, was delicious anyway.
Cocoron, 61 Delancey St., NY, NY 10002 (btwn Eldridge and Allen)

1:50pm salted caramel apple pie

2012-05-24T17:54:00.001-04:00

Maybe my disappointment about lunch at Untitled really stems from the Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie we had for dessert. After all, lunch wasn't all that bad, but the pie, alas the pie. A fresh Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie is one of the most divine things you can consume, but a not so fresh one is not worth mentioning.

Untitled

2012-05-24T17:45:00.000-04:00

My expectations might have been too high for Danny Meyer's cafe at the Whitney, Untitled, because I wasn't that impressed, but M. thought it was as expected. It's better than most museum cafes I suppose, and I love the setting and atmosphere. But the lauded pastrami sandwich was just alright and the kale salad nothing particularly special. Still, for a museum, it's pretty nice and for a diner, it's very, very nice.
Untitled at the Whitney Museum, 945 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10021 (at 75th St)

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookies

2012-05-23T17:35:00.000-04:00

For no particular reason, I have this little guideline for buying cookies at Eileen's Special Cheesecake, I always ask for 2 for the 2 of us, but if they tell me it's 3 for $2, then I take 3. If they don't tell me that, I leave with just the 2 for $1.50.
Eileen's Special Cheesecake, 17 Cleveland Pl, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Kenmare)

Prince St Pizza

2012-05-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

There's nothing spicy about the spicy spring square pizza at Prince St Pizza, it's a fancy name for what seems to be regular pepperoni pizza. But who cares what it's called when you can point to it in the window and when it's decidely delicious - having that crack-like quality of bad junk food that is just so good you can't stop eating. We got 3 slices to share, but that last half we could have easily done without. I especially love the chewiness of the dough followed by dense crunchy crust.
Prince St. Pizza, 27 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Elizabeth and Mott)

Madison Square Eats

2012-05-22T17:53:00.000-04:00

After walking past the first 5 booths at Madison Square Eats, I wanted to stop. The sheer number of awesome sounding choices was overwhelming. In the end we paired a lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound with sandwich and fries from Ilili. It was a good pairing, the sumac fries are crack-like in nature, we could have eaten just that alone. I continue to enjoy the Maine style lobster roll, though one of these days we should really try a Connecticut one. We went at 1:30 so the lines were not too bad though it was still crowded enough. I can't even imagine what it's like at noon.
Madison Square Eats, 24th St and Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10011 (west of Madison Sq. Park)

4:05pm red velvet cake

2012-05-21T22:34:00.000-04:00

This is more funny if you know my last name is Ha. It's also funny if you heard M. trying to explain to the girl behind the counter what she wanted on the cake, which I didn't, but her retelling of the tale was funny enough. The red velvet cake was dense, not cloyingly sweet and all around pretty damn good. Lulu's changed their name to Empire, for reasons unknown to us, but so far the baked goods seem unaffected. We will, of course, keep you posted.
Empire Cake, 112 Eighth Ave, NY, NY 10011 (btwn 15th and 16th)

Fiat Cafe

2012-05-21T16:32:00.003-04:00

I was having one of those classic everything goes wrong rainy Monday mornings so I knew I should have let M. pick instead, but no, I had to go and suggest Cocoron. Which is, of course, closed on Mondays. Which, of course, we didn't remember until we were standing outside the shuttered gate. We headed back west with no particular destination in mind and found ourselves at Fiat Cafe, cozy and comfy with large piping hot bowls of pasta.
Fiat Cafe, 203 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Kenmare and Spring)

4:50pm strawberry cheesecake

2012-05-18T18:40:00.000-04:00

It's going to be a glorious weekend, followed by showers on Monday, so I hope everyone has plans to be outside. Some things we have been talking about here at LUNCH over the past week:

Neither of our mother tongues is English, which may explain our fascination with language and translation, or we're just funny that way. If only we could learn these 25 handy words that don't exist in English, how helpful that would be in expressing ourselves.

Sometimes when I need a pick me up, we take a walk up the street to McNally Jackson. M. peruses books and I smell them. Though, as much as I love the scent of books, I'm not sure the "In the Library" perfume by CB I Hate Perfume is going to do it, though I'm tempted to try.

I'm a sucker for New York stories, like this brief one by Montea on cowbird or this long one about 5 girls in the late 50s starting in the publishing industry, The Best of Everything, by Rona Jaffe.

What will happen to us when the old grandmothers making varenykys in the basement depart this world? Who will fill us up with dumplings and stuffed cabbage?

There is only one week left to the Whitney Biennial so do put it on your list! We're trying to fit a visit and a meal at Untitled for sometime next week.

Have a fabulously sunny weekend!

Nyonya, with the NYPL

2012-05-18T16:51:00.000-04:00

There is something about the NY Public Library that floods our hearts with love and reverence, so when they recently contacted us about an upcoming exhibition, Lunch Hour NYC, we were in seventh heaven. It turned out to be a mutual love affair. They were super excited to get away from the paucity of lunch options in midtown, and we were thrilled to be talking to someone who works in the stacks daily. And, our favorite kind of people! - will eat anything and have no allergies. We ordered some Nyonya favorites, roti canai, stuffed fried tofu, mee siam noodles, the hainanese chicken and a dish I hadn't had there before, the very delicious spinach in a preserved bean curd. We left filled with smiles and happiness.
Nyonya, 199 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

Miss Korea, with BB and Gordon

2012-05-17T19:55:00.001-04:00

Something about Miss Korea BBQ today, more than other Korean BBQ joints, seemed like it was sucking all the volume out of me. I could barely hear Bionic Bites across the table and it was an effort just to talk with Gordon next to me. Still, we all enjoyed a lunch where Tia orders for the table, we trust her judgement so. I love Korean lunches where the entire table is completely covered in a myriad of dishes, large and small.
Miss Korea BBW, 10 W. 32nd St, NY, NY 10001 (btwn Broadway and 5th Ave)

1:50pm rhubarb upside-down cake

2012-05-16T18:23:00.000-04:00

Maybe all the waiters at Locanda Verde are trained in the art of food recommendations. We had already decided on the spumoni when somehow he convinced us to add the rhubarb upside-down cake. Again, he was right! We're partial to rhubarb desserts anyway but this one was especially nice. If I hadn't already stuffed my face five plates earlier, I would have kept eating.
Locande Verde, 377 Greenwich St, NY, NY 10013 (at N. Moore)

Locanda Verde, with Mags and David

2012-05-16T18:15:00.002-04:00

We had an indulgent two hour lunch today at Locanda Verde with some very close friends to celebrate life events. After a champagne cork pop, we told the waiter we'd take one each of the antipasti (appetizers) except for the ricotta and the salad, one pasta, one secondi and all three contorni (side dishes). After he adjusted a bit for some gluten intolerance, he furthered advised us to definitely order the ricotta (he was right), drop the grandmother's ravioli (too boring) for a recently debuted spaghetti and try the roasted chicken instead of the sea scallops. I'm glad we listened, it was a beautiful meal, perfect for feting life events.
Locande Verde, 377 Greenwich St, NY, NY 10013 (at N. Moore)

4:26pm lemon cookie

2012-05-15T16:53:00.001-04:00

The cookie I picked up from Cafe M was so crumbly, M. didn't dare take it out of the bag for a picture. We gently slid it onto a plate and reluctantly picked at the pieces. It was so good! Despite falling apart in our fingers, the texture was really nice and the lemon a pleasant surprise. Now we will definitely have to try another or at least find out if it's meant to crumble as eaten.
Cafe M, 315 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10016 (on 32nd near 5th Ave)

Rubirosa

2012-05-15T15:46:00.003-04:00

Rubirosa is really making inroads into my lunch heart. $10 is such a reasonable price to pay for a small but filling braised beef panini accompanied with a salad, perfectly dressed. I get the best of both worlds, hearty and hot sandwich, light and lovely greens. The spaghetti, which M. had, is unassuming with a pleasant tart sauce and at $12, well priced.
Rubirosa Pizza, 235 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

3:50pm peanut butter cup

2012-05-14T18:38:00.002-04:00

I love Reese's Peanut Butter cups but processed candy bars tend to be rough on those of us intolerant of lactose. So when I came across Justin's organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups at Jack's the other morning, I couldn't really resist. Especially when the ingredients are so straightforward. M. felt like the peanut butter interior got a bit lost but I was quite happy with this organic alternative.
Jack's Stir Brew Coffee, 222 Front St, NY, NY 10038 (btwn Beekman and Pike Pl)