Bukkake Udon from Chiyoda Sushi (on 41st btw. Mad+5th.) Photo by Food in Mouth

• Chiyoda Sushi makes a good bowl of cold udon noodles with toppings poured over it, known in Japanese as bukkake udon (seriously) [Food in Mouth]
• Chai Home Kitchen on 8th Ave. is a good lunch choice for thai food [Man Eat Food] 
• Kim from the Treats Truck says compared to other areas of the city, the workers of Midtown love the treats with peanut butter in them [Cakespy]
• Compared to Joe and the Art of Coffee, Machiatto Espresso Bar is terrible [Tremble]
• Carrie Underwood ate lunch in Midtown on Wednesday [The Boot]
• If you want the spaetzel at Hallo Berlin Express, make sure they don’t hear “pretzel” [Ramen & Friends]
• They serve Peets Coffee at the ING Cafe, and here is a coupon for a free beverage [Blondie and Brownie]

A lot of good looking snapshots have been posted to the ML Flickr Photo Pool lately. Feel free to use them for a little lunchtime inspiration today…

Roast Duck from Ying Du (on 38th btw. 7+8th.) Photo by bionicgrrrl

Indian food from the cart on 53rd & Park. Photo by 52 Projects

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Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.)

La Nueva Conquista Restaurant has been in the same spot for 50 years and although ownership has changed hands over that time, the food and atmosphere have stayed pretty much the same. And almost as important, the prices have held steady as well.

Located on Lafayette street near the corner of Broome, you will find a long ass line during lunchtime containing mostly a latino population. When I first moved to NYC I lived in Washington Heights for 4 years and got quite sick of eating the same food all the time, as back then there wasn’t much variety uptown (not sure how much the hood has changed since I left). On occasion though, I get that craving of a hearty meal of yellow rice and beans; the kinda lunch that sticks to your ribs. 

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I try my best not to be too negative on this site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to vent. Every once in awhile I’ll share some of the more angry useful emails I get in a post called “Airing of Grievances”. (If the Eater Complaints Dept. would like royalties, I’ll be happy to pay up…)

“I just went to Cafe Duke yesterday and I bought a mini black forest cake for $5.50!! I went home and wanted to surprise my husband with a little cake for dessert and what happens?? We bit into the cake and it tasted like sour bleach! The whole cake layer inside was alive with greyish blue mold! Needless to say, it not only ruined my evening but it spoiled my appetite for anything Duke in the future!!”

Ooops. Not sure if this was the Cafe Duke on 51st btw. 6+7th (which is one of the few generic Midtown delis I will eat in) or the one down on Broadway and 41st, but either way, it may be a good idea to stay away from their baked goods. If you’re headed to the one on 51st, stick to the by the lb. buffet, and the Korean food in the back left hand corner.

After the jump, a Tad’s complaint you knew would come eventually… Read more »

For years the chicken and rice cart on 43rd just East of 6th Avenue has towed the line of relative annoynymity and street meat fame. Often referred to as the “Trini Pak Boys” the cart has always served up a popular Indian/Pakistani tasting version of chicken over rice, but their sign has always been pretty crap-tastic. Hand scrawled, with no real indication of what they wanted to be called, the original sign has finally been replaced. The cart is now officially known as the Trini Paki Boys Halal Food, and the full menu is layed out in an easy to read format.

In our Street Meat Palooza post, the cart scored surprisingly low- but we were criticized for getting the yellow rice instead of the white basmati rice. I’ll make sure they get their fair shake in Street Meat Palooza 2!

I was hoping the space vacated by Yum Thai (on 44th btw. 6+7th) would be occupied by another Midtown Lunch, but instead it has been replaced by an art gallery? Weird… I have no idea who Monika Bravo is, or what aka is- but it’s not thai food. And I’m sad.

Oh no!  From Bossman: “I’m not sure why anyone would care but Printon 56 (on 56th btw. 5+6th) is closed due to ‘water line damage.’” Well that is terrible news!  Now Frogurt fans will have to trek all the way to Forty Carrots inside Bloomingdales.

UPDATE: I didn’t notice before, but Bossman included a photo with his email (I’ve posted it above).  Apparently “water line damage” is code for “A Visit from the DOH.”

I have never met a piece of fried chicken I didn’t like. Sure, there have been some transcendent fried chicken moments. My first visit to Roscoe’s Fried Chicken and Waffles in L.A. comes to mind (although you may say the waffle had a little something to do with that.) And of course there was Dunbar’s in New Orleans, which is still the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. Hopefully the rumors of its return are not exaggerated. But I don’t mind slumming it either, and it doesn’t take much to please me. Hot Oil + Chicken (+ Salt & Pepper) = Good.

There is some damn good fried chicken in Midtown. I’ve mentioned Cafe Cello as one of my favorites (on 46th btw. 5+6th) and even KFC has gotten the obligatory mention on the site. But if you want to be at ground zero for NYC fried chicken there is only one place to go. Eighth Avenue. The stretch of that road between the Mid 30’s and Mid 40’s is jammed packed with fried chicken goodness. Here is your guide to navigating the corridor. (A Fried-Chicken-Palooza if you will)

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