Sooooo… 10 years ago today this happened.  It’s kind of hard to believe.

Sorry there hasn’t been a lot of action here lately.  I’ve been busy with a new job helping Smorgasburg (yes, that Smorgasburg) launch a market in Los Angeles on June 19th.  I also have a 4 year old weekly podcast called Food is the New Rock that some of you may or may not listen to.  I talk to chefs about music, and musicians about food… a combination of Midtown Lunch and the full time job I had when I started Midtown Lunch (shout out to Sirius Satellite Radio on 48th and 6th!)

That is to say there are a lot of exciting things going on with me personally that probably never would have happened if it wasn’t for this website you’re reading right now. And I wanted to take a moment to say that I’m enormously appreciative to all of the people who have ever read or contributed to this site in any way.  The fact that it still exists at all is because of the community of Midtown Lunch’ers that have used this blog as a place to commiserate over the shared misery that every office worker in this part of town shares.

I have spent a lot of time trying to decide what to do with Midtown Lunch since moving to live on the other side of the country 6 years ago and slowly becoming more and more busy with other things. (Did I mention I have three kids?  AND a Snapchat account?  I’m very busy!)  There’s been talk of shutting the site down, selling it, giving it to one of our longtime contributors (I’m looking at you Jamie!) or maybe even handing it over to you guys… the community.  Of course that would require relaunching the forums, and those of you who have been here awhile know how crazy an idea that is!

Anyway, I still don’t know what’s going to happen with Midtown Lunch in the future, but I couldn’t let this day go by without posting something.  Thanks again for sticking with us all these years!

Zach

The post Happy 10th Anniversary to Us first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

The new underground food court Turnstyle is a bit different from places like Urban Space and The Pennsy. While there a handful of somewhat exciting food options in this big walkway, it’s really a subway concession stand more than a place to have a sit-down meal.

Some of the food kiosks have a table or so inside their makeshift storefront and there are a few standing only tables, but mostly this place caters to take-away, commuters, and people who like to eat and walk.

And I wouldn’t even call this a court. It’s pretty much just a walkway and if you’re exiting the Columbus Circle subway station this way, it’s nearly impossible to bypass these shops.

The options are fairly diverse. You could get vegan wraps or bowls from Blossom du Jour, sushi and dumplings from Yong Kang Street Food, a number of rotating Italian flatbreads from Casa Toscano, and dozens of doughnuts from Doughnuttery.

I was most excited about the inclusion of Smorgasburg favorite (and Vendy nominated) Bolivian Llama Party. There’s not much in the way of Bolivian food up in these parts, so their gutbomb sandwich de cholas are a welcome addition.

In an effort to keep my spending down and try more than one food option, I chose to try one of their salteñas. It’s explicitly stated that these are not an empanada, but they’re not too dissimilar.

They look more like a calzone but are stuffed with Latin American flavors. I picked the Beni, which is stuffed with stewed beef, aji panca pepper, and bits of chewy hard boiled eggs. The crisp dough was firm and slightly sweet. I really liked the rich meaty stuffing, but wasn’t crazy about the green sauce which was way over-packed with cilantro (and I like cilantro).

For $6, it’s not a bad hearty snack but would probably not be enough for a full lunch for most ML readers.

From there, I went across the street to check out Meltkraft. Here they specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches with cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery. They have a few other locations around the city, but they’re new to me and it’s been a while since I’ve checked out one of the hip grilled cheese purveyors.

We all know that those grilled cheese businesses charge way too much for something we can all do pretty easily at home. So not exactly sure what I was expecting.

I ordered their Valley Thunder, which sounded like there was a fair amount of ingredients crammed into an $8.75 sandwich. Cheddar, brisket, and macaroni and cheese. There was potential here.

Unfortunately, it didn’t completey work out. First off, the brisket was not good. It was greasy and chewy and I actually pulled the meat out and decided to concentrate on the cheese. I was relieved there was only one piece of meat in each half. That’s definitely not supposed to happen.

I didn’t think the macaroni and cheese added much to the sandwich either aside from more richness and the excellent aged cheddar provided enough of that already.

I appreciated that the sandwich came with a bag of chips and somehow I managed to finish the entire thing (except for the brisket), but Meltkraft is still an over-priced grilled cheese shop.

Has anybody else been by Turnstyle yet? There are some other food options coming soon (Semsom and 2Beans) and a few of the other choices looked interesting (although mostly over our $10 budget). We’ll keep our eye on this, but based on my one visit, Bolivian Llama Party is still the most exciting choice here for our purposes.

Turnstyle, 1000 Eighth Avenue (between 57th and 58th Street), underground in the Columbus Circle subway station

The post TurnStyle Has a Few Interesting Options for On-the-Go Lunching first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

We certainly are not lacking for ramen options here in Midtown, but it was only a matter of time before Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto jumped into the ramen game. And it’s pretty cool that he decided to choose Midtown for Momosan Ramen & Sake Bar

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But what does it mean for us? I checked it out last week and managed to snag a seat at the bar rather quickly. The dining room was packed and the hostess was quoting parties of two about a 20 minute wait. Unless you’re eating solo or you come early, I imagine this will be tough to make a quick lunch.

The food also took a while to come out once I ordered. I started with a kakuni bun (one was $4), which looked a little lonely. It was a small piece of pork belly, lettuce, and a smear of mustardy mayo.

I actually found the pork a little tough and chewy. It didn’t have the plump fattiness I expect from pork belly for. The bun itself was more sweet than I was used to but it was tender and sopped up the bit of grease nicely.

The ramen soups come in two sizes – the smaller of the two is right at the ML limit of $10. I thought it might be worth pushing it if the ramen was extra good. There is also a lunch set of $16 for you big spenders out there that includes a small ramen, a small don, and a side of pickled cabbage.

When the tonkotsu arrived, I was bit turned off that the seaweed was stamped with the logo of the restaurant. I felt like it was a cheap shot to make sure everyone tags their Instagram photos. I asked the bartender what it was and she wasn’t sure exactly but she assured me it was safe to eat.

I chose the traiditonal tonkotsu and I was pleased with the portion size. The broth had good flavor – super garlicky and salty. The pork chashu was sliced very thin (almost like bacon) and had an earthy peppery flavor. The noodles were expertly cooked – as springy as you’d expect.

It was a decent ramen. Not the best I’ve had in Midtown, but perfectly acceptable. I am a bit curious about the more exotic Tantan soup featuirng a spicy coconut curry broth. Wonder how it compares to Tabata.

It was a filling and mostly satisfying meal. And I’m sure it will draw huge crowds for quite a while. What else is new in the world of Midtown ramen spots?

Momosan Ramen & Sake, 342 Lexington Avenue (btw 39th and 40th St), (646) 201-5529

The post Morimoto Gets into the Ramen Game with Momosan first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

It’s inevitable that people start jumping on the poke band wagon and charge ridiculous prices for a small amount of food. And it has already begun. We now have our third Midtown haunt dedicated to the Hawaiian-style raw fish bowls.

It opened last week and is called Poke Kitchen. I stopped by in their first few days open and I had a very strange experience. I was the only person in the restaurant. Considering it’s set back a little bit on quiet East 39th Street and then up a set of stairs, I wasn’t overly surprised. The only other people in the space were the employees and people who must have been the owners. They were checking out the exterior and watching my every move.

There are no choices here. Poke Kitchen only serves an “omakase.” It’s $15 and you can add anything you want from their menu. But whether you get one thing or everything, it’s still $15.

I almost walked out right then and there. This is almost double the ML budget of $10. Quality fish is certainly at a premium, but the other poke spots have managed to offer a more budget option. I also think this price is way too high considering it feels like any other fast food place. It’s not like I am actually getting an omakase meal with multiple dishes and table service.

But I stuck around and ordered a bowl with everything – which included endamame, avocado, ginger, and fish roe. If I was going to pay $15, I was going to get as much as possible.

They did not have salmon because the cashier told me it wasn’t fresh. I appreciate that they don’t serve less than fresh fish, but why did they receive an order of something that wasn’t fresh? I thought it was actually TMI.

The bowl ended up having many ingredients, but I wouldn’t say there was enough of any one thing to be worth the price. I was also disappointed that it seemed overloaded with spinach and light on the rice. Not a very filling meal for this price.

As for the flavors, they were ok. I got the yuzu pepper aioli and it was nice and brought out the flavors of the tuna and albacore. While the fish was fresh, I can’t say the same thing for the limp cucumbers.

I do want to point out that this was only the first week of their operation. Hopefully, kinks will get worked out and the portion sizes will improve. But we really can’t ignore the price point. Not even buzz words like omakase or poke can justify this $15 lunch.

Poke Kitchen, 127 East 39th Street (btw Park and Lexington Ave), 917-388-2664

The post Careful Your Wallet Doesn’t Get Poke-d at Poke Kitchen first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

I guess it’s been a while since I’ve walked down 35th Street because the woman who was working the window called Costas told me they’ve been open for 10 months. But I saw a tiny little window with a menu of arepas and I had to stop in my tracks.

They are selling South American arepas (what other kind are there??) and the prices at first glance look to be in the ML range. Each arepa is listed as $3.75, but then I noticed that you have to pay for everything added in to the corn patty. So if you choose things like short ribs, black beans, queso, and avocado, it can get quite expensive. If my math serves me, that traditional combo would cost $9 for one arepa. That better be one filling areapa.

The online reviews are positive and I do love a good arepa, so perhaps it may be worth a try, but I’m still skeptical. Has anybody been by here? What’s the verdict?

Costas, 30 West 35th Street (between 5th and 6th Ave), (646-564-3545)

The post Costas, a Newish Trendy Window on 35th Street Sells Arepas first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

We keep writing about Urban Space because the vendors keep changing. Is that their secret plan – to have an article every few weeks on Midtown Lunch?

First we thought Delaney Chicken was the most noteworthy thing that could come out of this hipster food court. And then we learned about ramen from the folks behind Totto Ramen. And now by far the most exciting (yes, even more exciting than the new Liquiteria) is the addition of Hard Times Sundaes.

This might be the most noteworthy of all since it comes from a highly-acclaimed food truck that spent its days in the far reaches of Brooklyn. The closest most of us got was when they were nominated for a Vendy Award this past year.

Now they are in the heart of Midtown and selling their fast food burgers. They also have deep fried hot dogs and grilled cheese.

The burger menu is simple – you just choose a single, double, or triple patty. Each order comes with a choice of three toppings or you can get the works for $1 extra. I stuck with a single since I was trying to keep it somewhat affordable. And I ordered some $4 fries.

It’s a great burger. It really is. The patty is thin but charred nicely and with deep meaty, peppery flavors. The American cheese is melted nicely and if you choose the right (or enough) toppings, you get a a classic lunch.

The only problem is a single might not be enough for most of us and unfortunately a double starts pushing our midday meal into the double digits.

The thin crisp greasy fries were also pretty good, but not necessarily worth the extra $4.

What can we say? This is trendy, expensive Urban Space. It’s a good exciting burger option, but you might want to get your drinks and fries somewhere a bit cheaper. But let’s take a moment to thank the burger gods for one of the neighborhood’s best new options.

The post Hard Times Sundaes Grills a Killer Burger at Urban Space first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

Danish coffee and juice import Joe & the Juice gained a big NYC following when they opened two locations in Soho last year. Earlier this month, they debuted their third storefront right in the middle of Midtown across from Bryant Park.

The new location is in the Grace Building on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. I’m sure there are plenty of workers who will go crazy for healthy afternoon fruit and veggie pick-me-ups or a variety of morning coffee drinks like a ginger latte. But for the rest of us, they also offer a small selection of sandwiches, which all manage to stay under the $10 ML price point.

Sure it’s a hit in Soho, but will it last in Midtown? Only time will tell.

Joe & the Juice, 1114 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue)

The post Joe & The Juice Opens Across from Bryant Park first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

First there was Maple, now there is MealPass. Could the face of lunch change forever?

The newest online lunch platform started a month or so ago in Union Square and has now become available in Midtown. Eater has the details, but the way it works is lunchers subscribe to the service for $99 per month and then they get to choose each day from 45 restaurants located between 30th and 40th Street who will provide a meal ready to be picked up every single weekday lunch. Plus, subscribers get to skip the line when they show up to get their food.

Restaurants in Midtown include Sarge’s Deli, Uncle Sam’s, and The Lobster Press.

On paper, it sounds like it might be worth trying out. If you break it down, that comes out to around $5 per lunch. That’s half the ML budget. Even when they rise the price to $119 per month, we’re still making out ok. The question remains: are the meals provided tasty and filling? And is it worth the time to go pick up each meal? We’d love to hear feedback from anybody who has given it a try or is thinking about it.

You can sign up for a membership and see a list of participating restaurants on their website here.

The post Another Lunch Start-Up Tries to Change the Way We Eat Lunch first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

If you’re one of those who enjoys eating your lunch on the subway, you’re in luck. The newest food court opened last night in the Columbus Circle subway station tunnels. It’s called TurnStyle and will feature 20 food and drink options along with retail shops. The roster has been curated by Susan Fine, who was involved in the food court design at Grand Central.

Aside from the disappointing inclusion of Starbucks and Pressed Juicery, there are some pretty good potential Midtown Lunches on the list. See the full list of food shops here, but we’re most excited about a pop-up of Smorgasburg favorite Bolivian Llama Party, Middle Eastern grub at Semsom, fried-to-order doughnuts at Doughnuttery, and dumplings and noodles from Yong Kang Street Food.

Has anybody stopped by yet on their way to or from work? We’ll have a first look soon, but in the meantime, leave reactions in the comments below.

The post TurnStyle, the Columbus Circle Subterranean Food Court Opens Today for Lunch first appeared on Midtown Lunch.

Join us at City Kitchen on Thursday, March 31st for a birthday celebration!

New York City’s favorite food hall is celebrating its first full year of operation with the patrons that made it all possible. Each City Kitchen vendor will be passing out complimentary appetizer that will include Luke’s Lobster mini shrimp rolls, Gabriela’s mini tacos, Whitman’s upstate sliders, Dough’s mini doughnut holes, and an assortment of Azuki sushi samples. Vendors like Kuro Obi will also be creating specials in honor of the big day. Come to City Kitchen to taste them before they are off the menu! Guests who attend the event will enjoy cake, entertainment and more!

We hope you can make it!

WHO: City Kitchen & Row NYC
WHAT: City Kitchen’s 1st Birthday
WHERE: City Kitchen at Row NYC
700 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
WHEN: Thursday, March 31st
5:00-9:00pm

Freeloaders, engage!

The post City Kitchen Celebrates Its First Birthday! first appeared on Midtown Lunch.