4:00pm strawberry shortcake

Another day of strangely shaped desserts, although still tasting pleasant enough. This slice of strawberry shortcake suffered transportation woes as it was schlepped from the Upper West Side down to our office on the inside of a paper plate folded in half.

Nyonya

This bowl of clay pot pearl noodles soup is as refreshing as it appears on your screen. A Hong favorite, the combination of chewy thick pearl noodles, minced shrimp, pork, squid, bean sprouts and eggs reminds us, although with an Asian twist, of a hearty chicken noodle soup.
Nyonya, 194 Grand Street btwn Mulberry and Mott

4:00pm apple cake spillover

This may look like bits of fried chicken but it couldn't be further from the reality. In keeping with an unintentional German theme today, the bits and bobs above are actually the baked dough spillover from trying to put too much of a 10" German Apple Cake recipe into a 9" bundt pan.

Loreley

Traumatic national affairs aside, today turned out to be a perfectly wonderful day for an outdoor garden lunch of weisswurst (white sausage) and potato pancakes via our local German beer garden, Loreley. Evenings are probably crowded and loud but lunches at Loreley are always serene and peaceful, tucked away under a white tent canopy.
Loreley, 7 Rivington Street btwn Bowery and Chrystie

4:00pm blueberry banana yogurt bread

Finally! Friday! Have a fantastic weekend.
Ess-a-Bagel, 831 3rd Avenue btwn 51st and 52nd

Baluchi's

As much as we espouse leaving the office for lunch everyday, on rainy gray days like today it's hard to motivate. Which makes the power of the interweb a wonderful thing, a couple of simple clicks on Baluchi's online site and a short half hour wait later, a bag bursting at the seams arrives. It's filled with two lunch specials with the following selection: 2 samosas, 2 tikiyas (potato cakes), chicken curry, lamb saag (spinach and lamb), 2 pieces of naan and 1 container of basmati rice. A hearty and fulfilling lunch as we eagerly await the end of this work week.
Baluchi's, 193 Spring Street near Sullivan

4:00pm 2 cookies

A favorite afternoon dessert of ours, cookies from Hampton Chutney. Just the right density and flavors for a little, but not too much, sweetness.
Hampton Chutney, 68 Prince Street btwn Crosby and Lafayette

Pinche Taqueria

The Mott location of Pinche Taqueria does not exactly languish for attention but their recent takeover of the former Sparky's space at the triangle of Lafayette and Bleecker is a solid gold move. The small space fills up quickly, everyone is waiting - waiting for orders, waiting for a seat, waiting for take-out. But it's all worth it. The taco de pescado (fish taco) is precisely as Ed says, a killer fish taco. The huevos con chorizo comes piled atop a plastic plate overladen with rice, beans, two tortilla shells and a generous serving of eggs and chorizo sausage. Excellent bang for buck, especially if you don't mind a wee bit longer for the freshly prepared meals.
Sparky's, 333 Lafayette Street below Bleecker

4:00pm jam on toast

In college we and our housemates would often spend mornings eating an endless array of toast. We could have eaten toast forever - marmite, orange marmalade, raspberry jam, slices of salami, maggi, honey, everything tasted better on buttered toast. Recently we scored a free Hello Kitty toaster which means toast is available in the office anytime we want. That's practically like saying here's a bit of heaven for you to keep on hand.

Parisi Bakery

Not too many days left of lunching in the park but 70° weather is pretty pleasant as long as you're sitting in the sun and there's a brightly wrapped scarf around your neck. We'll have to get in all of our sandwich-in-the-park eating done in the next several weeks to tide us over till next summer. Today we start with tried and true, Italian hoagies from Parisi.
198 Mott Street btwn Kenmare and Spring

4:00pm carrot cake

The 3.5" long mini-carrot cake from Cafe Select interestingly had fresh grated carrot bits all throughout the batter. Which made it more savory than sweet. We liked it better with butter.

And now onto a rare moment of shameless begging completely unrelated to food. Our recent competition entry into the White House Redux Competition made it onto the short-list of entries available for voting on by the public. As they say in the blog world, dear readers, won't you help us out? Click here and vote for our American White House.

Cafe Select

We are total suckers for new lunch options in the 'hood although it's often a crapshoot since the service can be spotty and the food questionable. Today, however, Cafe Select proves us wrong with their opening lunch menu. Well not the service part (still a little spotty), but we left feeling very happily satiated. It's unusual for a place to open serving only lunch but Cafe Select has no shortage of patrons. We cannot resist the bratwurst, a grilled white veal link served with a ketchup-y onion sauce and delicious fried spaetzle (dumpling bits). The entree worked nicely as separate pieces, a bite of bratwurst, a taste of dough, or altogether in one lovely mouthful. The large salad select was no sloucher of a salad either. We're looking forward to trying other parts of the menu as the staff gets alittle more comfortable in their space.
Cafe Select, 212 Lafayette Street at Kenmare

4:00pm plum brioche (danish?)

Both brioches and danishes evoke breakfast thoughts, but this looked too tasty to resist and when we heard Joe's stocks their desserts from Sullivan, well we couldn't say no. And rightly so.
Joe @ Alessi, 130 Greene Street btwn Prince and Houston

Central Buffet, with Katie

Since $4.50 at Central Buffet gets you 4 entree options from an endless array of selections it's always fun to see what everyone ends up with. Today we were all rocking the brown and green vibe with choices ranging from fried fish or chicken, cool cucumber salads, different versions of tofu and stir fried chinese greens. Katie popped up to meet us on break from jury duty, making it not only a cheap alternative but convenient too.
Central Buffet, 195 Centre Street at Howard

4:00pm spicy mexican chocolate cookie

Um I wish we could tell you what this homemade spicy mexican chocolate cookie from City Girl Cafe tasted like but it dropped rather unceremoniously onto the sidewalk below during the photo shoot. Next time then.
City Girl Cafe, 63 Thompson Street above Broome

Hiroko's Place, with Thu, Hong and Cristina

They have ever so slightly changed the flavoring at Hiroko's Place but the overall Western-style-with-Japanese-twist comforting nature of the menu has not changed. As usual the service was slow, today almost excruciatingly so, but there is always plenty to talk about among siblings. Hiroko's Place is seldom too crowded, perfect for larger groups when we are meeting Hong coming from work and Thu and friend Cristina from school.
Hiroko's Place, 75 Thompson Street btwn Broome and Spring

4:00pm chocolate chocolate chip cookie

Chocolate chocolate chip cookies are not normally high on our selection list of cookies but they were half off at Porto Rico today and that's just irresistible. When asked why these particular cookies were on sale, the guy claimed they were trying to make room for the new ones, almond cinnamon. I guess we believe him since the chocolate chocolate chip cookie was pretty damn good.
Porto Rico, 107 Thompson Street btwn Spring and Prince

Aurora

We usually order the octopus appetizer at Aurora for some guaranteed goodness but it was simply not up to par today. Fortunately the "rare roasted, milk fed veal tenderloin" more than made up for any deficiencies the octopus bore. The close to raw, tender slices of veal were pleasantly accompanied by a tuna mayonnaise and occasional fried caper. Meanwhile the hamachi dish was unremarkable but a refreshing entry point into lunch, which ended on a positively mushy (read overcooked) gnocchi. Aside from the unusually prepared but very tasty veal, our first disappointing meal at Aurora since we started going last fall.
Aurora Ristorante, 510 Broome Street west of West Broadway

4:00pm chocolate mints

A day full of goodies, Danny brought us back some sweets from a recent trip down south.

Cafe Zaiya at Kinokuniya Bookstore, with friends

Iridesco, 5.5 and Saha came over today with lunch from midtown, more specifically bento boxes from Cafe Zaiya in the new Bryant Park located Kinokuniya Bookstore. Bento box lunches are such a nice concept for those of us used to Western style lunch bag lunches. They're always nicely presented, well balanced and seemingly healthy. As an added bonus, Iridesco brought us some of their new swag, which also happens to some of our favorite type of collectibles - personalized clicky pens! A happy lunch day.
Cafe Zaiya in the Kinokuniya Bookstore at 1073 6th Ave btwn 40th and 41st

4:00pm dark chocolate truffle

A surprisingly affordable and pleasant tasting chocolate truffle from Whole Foods of all places! $2 for two 1.25" square "hand cut and rolled dark Manhattan chocolate truffles". Not bad.
Whole Foods, 95 East Houston Street at Bowery

Subway

Ever have a brand-specific craving? Like wanting a bibb salad, but in particular the one from Ed's, or needing ramen but only in the way that Menkui-tei makes it or craving a roast pork sandwich but specifically the from Once Upon a Tart. Being in the mood for an Italian sub from Subway does not mean you are looking for a deliciously concocted Italian hero but more that you want the characteristically constructed and rather artificial taste of an Italian BMT, made only in the way that a minimium wage employee can slap dash together.
Subway, 113 Lafayette Street below Spring

4:00pm sponge cake

It is impossible for any photo to capture the airy lightness of Fay Da's sponge cake just as the cake itself looks rather unassuming and kind of ugly. But take a bite and you will find yourself floating in a fluffy wonderland of goodness. Just enough sweetness to make it dessert and not bread, this is 95¢ well spent.
Fay Da Bakery, 191 Centre Street at Hester

leftovers

We've been burning the midnight oil with a competition entry handed in today so for the past week and weekend there's been a lot of ordering in, which also means a refrigerator full of leftovers and take-out containers. Contents include: pad thai from Saha Thai, rigatoni ragu from Frank's, young chow fried rice from Nyonya, homemade pork buns from mom, argentinian sausage empanadas from Ruben's and endless munchies and refreshments. Lunch today comprised a little bit of all of that.

4:00pm munchkins

What better way to end a week of bologna sandwiches and mac and cheese than these 100% genuine American donut holes, or rather, munchkins, from Dunkin Donuts. Thoughtfully brought in by our Head Intern in Charge of All Architectural Interns, Kim.

Little Giant, with Lauren

We had a blind lunch date today at Little Giant with a long time reader and now new friend, Lauren. Lunch companions aside, today's dining experience could not have been more different than yesterday's disappointing one. Friendly service, good and fresh food and reasonable prices does not seem to much to ask for. Perfect for lunch, the side dish serving of grafton cheddar mac and cheese with bacon more than amply filled our bellies while today's kitchen sink pasta (orecchiette pasta, ricotta and tomatoes) was irresistible with the addition of a fried egg. No question, when looking for fresh American cuisine, there is no need to trek over to the West Village when Little Giant provides it right here in our backyard.
Little Giant, 85 Orchard Street at Broome

4:00pm apricot tart

The greatest thing about lunching outside of our normal walking radius, especially when it's in the West Village, is that we get to stop by old favorites, like Claude's. As usual, his apricot tart does not disappoint. But then again, it never does.
Claude's Patisserie, 187 West 4th Street btwn 6th and 7th Aves

The Spotted Pig, with Thu and Tam

Lunch at the Spotted Pig is not as charming as it should be. The warren of rooms and assorted pig paraphernalia could have made for a lovely ladies' lunch, but somehow the dining experience was a little lacking. Maybe it was the surly wait staff or the overpriced yet unadorned bibb salad or the half an hour of waiting between appetizer and entree, who knows. It could have been our high expectations dashed to reality with overly salty deviled eggs or a too ordindary cubano sandwich, or maybe that we didn't have any celebrity sightings to brag about? Regardless, we still have a great time with Thu and Tam, who are always wonderful lunch companions.
314 West 11th Street at Greenwich Street

4:00pm bologna sandwich

I don't think there is a world where a bologna and american cheese slice sandwich could ever be considered dessert, but it sure does make a great afternoon snack.

Fu Wong

Thanks to New York Serious Eat's comprehensive guide to soup noodles in Chinatown, we happily discover a more peaceful and slightly less greasy alternative to our usual go-to for roast meat noodle soups. A cousin of Big Wing Wong, Fu Wong is just around the corner on Bowery but miles more calming. There is no frenetic shouting nor any hustle and bustle, just a large open room filled with tables and quiet diners having a variety of soup and rice dishes. The noodle soups seem a trifle less heavy and come lined with chinese broccoli, a welcoming green addition.
Fu Wong, 100 Bowery btwn Grand and Hester

4:00pm Apricot Crumble

We wonder sometimes if some of the desserts from Le Pain Quotidien are not mislabeled. This apricot crumble was no crumble. Instead, we might have called it Apricot Almond Cake. It was a bit too sweet and syrup-y; left us reaching for the potato chips afterward.
Le Pain Quotidien, 100 Grand Street btwn Mercer and Greene

Fanelli's Cafe

Fanelli's Cafe may show up on every tourist guide but it's pretty genuine as far as old school bars are concerned. The weathered, checkered red tablecloths, the waitresses calling everyone by 'hon and of course the patina of years and years of cigarette smoke are part of its charm and authenticity. I was craving a Philly cheese steak earlier, but it is a bit far for a workday lunch, so we settle for a generic steak sandwich topped with gobs of melted cheddar cheese hiding grilled peppers, onions and slivers of steak. It does the trick for now but Philly is a callin'.
Fanelli's Cafe, 94 Prince Street at Mercer

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookie

Picked up some promising looking oatmeal raisin cookies at la Madeleine in Bethesda, MD this weekend but alas they are not as good as the previous ones we'd been noshing on.
La Madeleine, 7607 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, MD

Saha Thai

Everyone should have a deli downstairs for morning egg sandwiches, quick lunches or afternoon coffee, but in lieu of a local deli we'll settle for some reliable Thai food instead. Saha Thai is nothing particularly special, both in decor and cuisine, but for less than $10 you can get a decent lunch across a variety of options. Today we tried the duck noodle soup and the pad see eiw (stir fried broad flat noodles with black soy sauce).
Saha Thai, 227 Centre Street above Grand

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookie

Day 2 of Tate's tastiness.

Ajisen Ramen, with friends

Even though Ajisen Ramen is Japanese at origin we can't help but think of it as Chinese produced ramen. Could be it's Chinatown location or surly Chinatown staff but honestly it doesn't matter either way, sometimes a change of pace from the traditional is nice. Today the selections varied from the chicken teriyaki ramen that Kim and Michelle ordered or the vegetable curry ramen that Josh picked or even the spicy spring onion one that Rich opted for. Everyone left satiated and content, which should be anyone's bare minimum expectation of lunch.
Ajisen Ramen, 14 Mott Street near Bowery

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookie

The smaller and more expensive packaging of the Tate's cookies is not good news, but it cannot be helped. Tate's just happens to make one pretty nice pre-packaged product. The oatmeal raisin cookie looks crunchy and crispy but is, in fact, properly chewy.

Red Egg, with Tasha

Sorry Michael for we had not too long ago tried to arrange a lunch together at our new local dim sum restaurant but then it had not yet materialized when Tasha called asking to have dim sum for lunch. And since she's here only temporarily, we had to oblige. Our second visit to Red Egg proves as satisfying as the first. It's a strange atmosphere, many lunching Chinese ladies in a ultra modern decor with no carts but a paper menu and servers rushing around to refill tea and clean up plates. The steamed juicy buns were not juicy enough and maybe too meaty but the stuffed tofu (above) was deliciously fresh. As usual most everything we tried, we enjoyed. Of particular note were the stuffed green peppers and the steamed shrimp rice roll.
Red Egg, 202 Centre Street above Hester

4:00pm chocolate cookie

Our new found love of the chocolate cookie at Eileen's continues unabated. Today we cannot even tell you what is in this cookie since we both enjoyed it so much we neglected to dissect its constituent parts.
Eileen's Cheesecake, 17 Cleveland Place at Kenmare

Spring Street Natural

It's pretty rare we have salads for lunch - despite the alleged health factor of a leafy green lunch, they're rarely fulfilling and we're always hungry a couple hours later. It's also pretty rare we have lunch at the Spring Street Natural, even though it seems to do well enough, attracting both a tourist crowd and some local lunchers. Today we do both and end up, as expected, kind of unsatisfied.
Spring Street Natural, 63 Spring Street at Lafayette

4:00pm strawberry tart

Mmm a pleasant surprise from Caffe Falai where we have not previously been overly impressed with their pastries. Apparently the last time we tried this strawberry tart it rated a mere decent. Today, however, it's actually very nice.
Caffe Falai, 265 Lafayette Street below Prince

The Stage

For good pierogi, we fondly recall a Polish meal at Kredens, open these several years now. But the trip to Ridgewood, Queens is a long one, so instead we head up to our favorite Ukranian diner, the Stage. Where we are equally and happily satiated with a cup of cold borscht to counter the hot summer weather, followed by a small plate of mixed meat and potato, homemade, fried pierogi with caramalized onions. The Stage, and its always satisfying comfort food, has not changed in the decade since we were introduced to it, and we hope it never does.
Stage Restaurant, 128 Second Avenue btwn 7th and 8th