Midtown Lunch

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 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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

From my inbox, open to the public:

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!