4:00pm gingerbread cookie

Spicy! Damn, this gingerbread cookie has got some kick to it, and we like it.
Olive's, 120 Prince Street near Wooster

Il Buco, with Eugene

Il Buco has been producing fresh delicious food on Bond Street long before the block turned upscale. A fortunate coincidence of time and place found us sharing some plates with Eugene for today's lunch. The menu is noted for changing frequently, in keeping with the seasons. We imagine everything to be tasty no matter the time of year, but the grilled king prawns were particularly delightful today.
Il Buco, 47 Bond Street btwn Lafayette and Bowery

4:00pm chocolate cookie

We couldn't decide which cookie to pick today so we got two, one for tomorrow. Today's chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries is a WINNER! What a pleasant Wednesday we're having - super tasty lunch with good friends followed by a delicious dessert.
Olive's, 120 Prince Street near Wooster

Aurora, with Iridesco and 5-1/2

Following this tasty debut, we've been waiting to try Aurora again. We had just the occasion today - Iridesco's informal 5-year anniversary, perfect! Between the 5 of us we shared the wild boar sausage and polenta appetizer, three pasta dishes and two paninis. What a great way to have lunch, a little bit of everything delicious.
Aurora Ristorante, 510 Broome Street west of West Broadway

4:00pm financier

Racking our brains for something to say about the financier from Ceci-Cela but over the past year it seems we have said it all already.
Ceci-Cela Patisserie, 55 Spring Street near Lafayette

Food Cart at Spring & Lafayette

We must admit that one of the only times we are envious of midtown lunchers is when we're craving street food. We make do with our local halal cart at Spring & Lafayette where $3.50 buys us a pretty satisfying gyro but boy oh boy we dream of midtown gyros.
Halal Food Cart, on Spring near Lafayette

4:00pm apple tart

It's a bit of an insider secret, but Claude's Patisserie is THE place to go for the closest thing to a French croissant you will ever taste on this side of the Atlantic. So who would have guessed that his pastries are as equally divine? Well it's true. His magic extends to desserts as well. Amazing.
Claude's Patisserie, 187 West 4th Street btwn 6th and 7th Aves

Taim

No matter how tasty our local falafel joint could get, it still cannot compare to Taim in the West Village. Whether you opt for traditional green or Harissa (Tunisian), the ingredients are supremely fresh and the falafel perfectly fried. We particularly like the addition of pickled cabbage salad as condiment.
Taim, 222 Waverly Place, just west of Seventh Ave

4:00pm peanut butter cookie

We were so surprised by the sandy texture of this peanut butter cookie that we called Birdbath Bakery to confirm their intentions behind the crumbliness. And sure enough the cookie is supposed to feel like you're eating pure peanut butter in cookie form. It melts in your mouth. A tall glass of milk, not a short shot of espresso, would be a most appropriate accompaniment.
Birdbath Bakery, 223 First Avenue btwn 13th and 14th

Penang

For a most basic and cheap lunch try Penang's $4.95 Express Lunch Special Menu. Each "entree" comes with 2 egg rolls and a container of soup. There's nothing particularly special as far as Malaysian food goes but the portions are large, making it very good bang for buck.
Penang, 41 Elizabeth Street btwn Hester and Canal

4:00pm sweet potato donut

A monchhichi key chain and a sugar glazed sweet potato donut. The donut is dense and delicious.
Cupcake Cafe, 18 West 18th Street btwn 5th and 6th Aves

Chat 'n' Chew, with Chieko and Genevieve

We've been trying to organize a lunch since we worked together on this project with Miller Advertising. Apparently Chieko and Genevieve do not go out much for lunch so a food-coma inducing lunch was in order. And Chat 'n' Chew delivers food comas with aplomb. Between today's special of fried green beans to the fat ole grilled cheese and a plate of meatloaf with mashed potatoes, we pretty much rolled out of there.
Chat 'n' Chew, 10 East 16th Street btwn Union Square West and 5th Ave

4:00pm apple crumble

It's probably too soon to try out a new dessert place just opened and just listed in the NY Times today but we could not resist the temptation. Based solely on the apple crumble, Oro Bakery promises to be a tasty addition to the neighborhood.
Oro Bakery & Bar, 375 Broome Street btwn Mott and Mulberry

Thịt Kho and Nộm

Thịt Kho is classic Vietnamese comfort food, not often found in restaurants but always in the home. The effect of slow cooking cut-up pieces of pork belly in caramelized sugar mixed with nước mắm (fish sauce) and shallots is unbearably delicious. Throw in a hard boiled egg, add a side dish of nộm (cabbage salad) for contrast and you have yourself one wonderful meal.
Thịt Kho and Nộm, homemade

4:00pm cupcakes

Some friends came over for dinner the other night bearing cupcakes from Buttercup Bake Shop. The sizing of them is so nice and reasonable. Each one looks like a bite of fluff and air but in reality they pack a wallop of a sugary sweet punch. Some quick internet sleuthing reveals the creator of these cupcakes to be one of the original founders of Magnolia Cupcakes. Ahso, that explains the sugar overload.
Buttercup Bake Shop, 973 Second Avenue btwn 51st and 52nd

Hoomoos Asli, with Akiko

Hoomoos Asli is back and possibly better than before! When we stopped by last fall, we were pretty disappointed, prepared to shun it forevermore. But today, oh glorious lunch!, they've turned everything around on us.
We owe this discovery to Akiko - because on her list of things to do while in NYC is eat hummus. Without her list it might have taken much longer for us to discover the renewed delights of Hoomoos Asli. It looks like the menu might have changed a little but more importantly the falafel sandwich is as tasty as before and the chicken shawarma sandwich, a dream.
Hoomoos Asli, 100 Kenmare Street at Centre

4:00pm butter cookie

Irresistible Something Sweet, that little neighborhood bakery in the East Village, is captivating for both its old world charm and its delicious desserts.
Something Sweet, 177 1st Avenue at 11th Street

Bread

Chilly winter days call for steamy noodle soups or warm filling stews or piping hot pastas. Today we opt for pasta from Bread but mostly because we're just out of Pepe Rosso's delivery range.
Bread, 20 Spring Street btwn Mott and Elizabeth

4:00pm peanut butter cookie

Critics may not rate W. Somerset Maugham as first-class but his stories are really very captivating. Even though The Painted Veil was recently made into a movie, it's worth trying the book first. It's not too long, easy to follow and a fascinating journey into China of a shallow British woman who discovers her own depths.
W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil
Knopf Vintage International Series 2004

Lahore Deli

I think Lahore Deli is making a strategic business move by changing their containers from rectangular to circular. The slight reduction in portion size is barely noticeable. And the food hasn't changed at all, it's still tasty Pakistani food, available instantaneously and fairly cheap.
Lahore Deli, 132 Crosby Street below Houston

4:00pm taiwanese desserts

More gifts from the collaborators behind this, that, another thing, not to mention this one, don't forget this and oh yeah, that too. Busy, busy, busy!

Công Lý, lunch with Dan

There are many variations of this lesser known Vietnamese seafood noodle soup, hủ tiếu , but it's almost impossible to find any of them in New York. Much to my delight, Công Lý, Dan's favorite place, not only has several versions, but my favorite one, Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho (dai). Typical ingredients include thin slices of pork, ground pork, shrimp, crabmeat and dried shallots. What makes Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho (dai) so wonderful is the 'dai' addition - chewy tapioca noodles. It's a great alternative to the more ubiquitous egg noodles or rice ones.
Công Lý, 124 Hester Street btwn Broome and Chrystie

4:00pm taiwanese desserts

Friends bearing dessert treats from abroad are always welcome in our office. Surprises made all the sweeter.

Acme Bar and Grill

Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap when really they're quite tasty, and in such a neat little package. Plus they're so good for you! Gram for gram, brussels sprouts have 50% more vitamin C than an orange! To satisfy our brussels sprouts craving, we head over to Acme Bar and Grill, where they are a seasonally featured menu special.
Acme Bar and Grill, 9 Great Jones Street near Lafayette

4:00pm apricot tart

Mmm, this apricot tart was a surprise in textures. The crunch from the almonds added a nice counterpoint to the sponge-like tart base. With the tartness of the apricots, we were pleasantly pleased with today's dessert choice.
Pain Quotidien, 100 Grand Street btwn Mercer and Greene

Saha Thai Cuisine, with Mike from Dwell

It's not just the food that makes a good lunch, but the company too. Today we ate with Michael from Dwell at the Thai place down the street, Saha. On both accounts a very good lunch! Over some massaman chicken curry we covered airlines meals, the flexibility of the times and the impact of instantaneously available information. Thumbs up for Saha and a thank you very much to Michael.
Saha Thai Cuisine, 227 Centre Street btwn Grand and Broome

4:00pm lemon bundt

If only desserts came with a sweetness rating, then we could have foreseen that this lemon bundt from Joe's would have been way too sugar sweet for a mere espresso. A dark strong black coffee might have been more fitting.
Joe, 141 Waverly Place near Sixth Ave

Pinche Taqueria

The picture is rather unremarkable as the food is far better than our photo conveys today. Pinche Taqueria's menu is made of 100% natural, fresh daily ingredients. We can attest that the tortilla shells are made to order, each one pressed by hand. We tried three tacos: de carne asada (charbroiled steak), al pastor (spit-grilled pork) and de carnitas (braised pork). The al pastor was the tastiest but we have yet to try the rest of the delicious sounding menu.
Pinche Taqueria, 227 Mott Street btwn Spring and Prince

4:00pm icebox cookies

We're going to try a new Friday afternoon feature, because lately we've been enjoying our local book club so much that we literally leave each time with a dopey happy grin. We couldn't live without reading the same way we couldn't bear a life without kimchi.
If you're looking for something to read, check in every Friday every other Friday. For the first one, something short but brilliantly written about a young man's first love. A description so intense and accurate that everyone will recognize the story. Although the ending may surprise you.
Ivan Turgenev, First Love
Penguin Great Loves 2007

Central Buffet, with Danny

It's outrageous, they raised the prices at Central Buffet to $4.50! Just kidding of course, $4.50 is still dirt cheap for 4 entrees, a side of rice and a container of hot broth water. As mentioned previously, the trick to eating here is to select non Chinese-American dishes. Their best ones are the types of food you might find mom making at home for dinner - fried omelet, stir-fried cabbage, pork stews, etc.
Central Buffet, 195 Centre Street at Howard

4:00pm pear pastry

A recommendation from Columbus, Ohio! It's not the first time someone's recommended Grandaisy Bakery in the former Sullivan Street Bakery location, but we just haven't had a chance to try yet. Elizabeth from Ohio State, perhaps you (or your sister) could tell us what to call this dessert? It's not really a tart and it's more than a pastry but the precise name escapes us. Regardless of what it's called, it was pretty dang tasty.
Grandaisy Bakery, 73 Sullivan Street btwn Broome and Spring

Grey Dog Cafe and Poggen Pohl, with Jim

Poggen Pohl treated Jim and us to lunch from Grey Dog's Coffee today! Not only did we have freshly made sandwiches and delicious coffee but Enrico gave us a very lovely presentation about European kitchens and we received one continuing education credit out of it. All around win-win.
Grey Dog Coffee delivery 212-462-0041

4:00pm raspberry custard/tart

Corrado's is a little mini chain of bakeries - there used to be a location near Union Square, there's now one in the Upper East Side. Today's selection was ok, nothing special but nothing bad either. Don't go out of your way but if you're nearby and need something sweet, Corrado's will not disappoint.
Corrado, 960 Lexington Ave at 70th

Ping's Seafood

Everyone has their favorite dim sum place in New York, one of our regular haunts is Ping's Seafood down on Mott Street. It's not the most divine, but it's pretty good and a particularly indulgent choice for a Wednesday lunch. Dim sum often starts early in the morning, on into lunchtime and is seldom available after 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It's a bustling type of eating, first because it's best to go with a larger group so you can sample more dishes. And then the atmosphere - passing carts filled with a variety of choices, waiters rushing back and forth pouring tea, clearing plates and the shared round tables.
Ping's Seafood, 22 Mott Street near Mosco

4:00pm madeleines

Today's madeleines take us back to the memory of these.
Once Upon a Tart, 135 Sullivan Street btwn Prince and Spring

Once Upon a Tart

If you live anywhere near our lunch walking radius you're experiencing 65-degree weather on the 7th of January. Which is just bizarre! It puts us in the mood for a summer time lunch. When combined with a recent craving for the roast loin of pork sandwiches from Once Upon a Tart, we get a perfect storm of lunching.
Once Upon a Tart, 135 Sullivan Street btwn Prince and Spring

4:00pm oatmeal

City Girl Cafe caught our eye this afternoon on the walk back from lunch, apparently they have "trained" baristas and homemade desserts. We can't vouch for the coffee but this oatmeal raisin cookie was pretty damn tasty.
City Girl Cafe, 63 Thompson Street btwn Spring and Broome

Palacinka

Sunny weather must put us in the mind for Palacinka for the afternoon light just pours into the space. A classic lunch today of a ham, guyere and egg crepe followed by a butter and sugar one. The butter and sugar crepes have, of late, been a little hit or miss. Today's was too light on the butter and too heavy on the vanilla essence.
Palacinka, 28 Grand Street btwn 6th Ave and Thompson

4:00pm vanilla cupcake

Despite having just had a vanilla cupcake yesterday, we could not resist our proximity to the Cupcake Cafe earlier this afternoon, where vanilla frosting on vanilla cake is the only way we will go.
Cupcake Cafe, 18 West 18th Street btwn 5th and 6th Aves