4:00pm raspberry financier

I'm not really sure how the naming of desserts happens at Balthazar Bakery, because this raspberry "financier" felt a bit too airy for a typical financier. It did, however, have the requisite almond flour so maybe that's all that matters.
Balthazar Bakery, 80 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (near Crosby)

4:00pm ginger cookie

Now normally, if you had asked me, I would say I love my ginger cookies with a bit of crisp and crunch. Until I was reminded of the deliciousness of the gingerbread cookie from Olive's that is. Slightly yielding texture, bits of spiciness and a not too sweet smattering of sugar crystals.
Olive's, 120 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Greene and Wooster)

Fiat Cafe

The first time we tried Fiat Cafe we didn't order any pastas but it had occurred to us since then that Fiat Cafe could well be our local Pepe Rosso. Which is to say, decent dishes for a reasonable price, tart sauces and properly cooked pasta. Happily our expectations matched the meal and we're certain to return for more.
Fiat Cafe, 203 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Kenmare and Spring)

4:00pm rice crispy bar

I was in LA for a quick jaunt this past weekend and ended up out for some molecular gastronomy at The Bazaar by Jose Andres. Dinner was experiential and experimental, dessert more mundane. But rice crispy bars travel well and make for a lovely afternoon munch.
Patisserie at The Bazaar, 465 South La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

KyoChon

All fast food is not created equal, KyoChon being one of those exceptions. Earlier today I happened to be in K-Town around lunchtime, conveniently next door to KyoChon. I practically ran from the restaurant to the express N train down to Canal, but even so the freshness factor may have suffered a little from time of order to time of eating. We still managed to enjoy it. The sauce seems lighter than our downtown spot, Bon Chon, but that could be my imagination.
KyoChon, 319 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10016 (at 32nd St)

4:00pm cookie

I always forget how close I live to the Momofuku empire, so while running some errands, I decided to pick up a dessert for today.  Whoa expensive!  Maybe that's why I forget it's so close to my apt.  Though more accurately the cookie was an acceptable $1.75, but the bagel bomb was too much of a good thing and an inedible $6.  Others may disagree.  Actually, while I'm gaga for the banana cake, much of what I've had there seems to fit into the 'too much of a good thing' category.  Compost cookie included.  Again, others may disagree.
Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, 207 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 (entrance on 13th)

Banh Mi Saigon

On a rainy mildly yucky day like today, I didn't want to walk too far for lunch.  Banh Mi's sounded easy and tasty. Once in line, I felt compelled to try something new, so decided to go for the meatball banh mi.  Meh.  Not exactly bad, actually much fresher tasting than I could have possibly expected, but simultaneously slightly on the bland side.  And also, it's kind of annoying that they stuck all the cilantro on top of the sandwich and not inside, making it a bit of a chore to eat.
Banh Mi Saigon, 198 Grand Street, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

4:00pm graham cracker

Yesterday, on our walk back from Peels, when the graham cracker slipped out of the top of the brown paper bag that I was holding horizontally, I was not regretting the third of the cracker that fell on the sidewalk and had to be thrown away. Today I kind of wished that the 5 second rule overruled my aversion to NYC sidewalks. That's a damn tasty homemade graham cracker.
Peels, 325 Bowery, NY, NY 10003 (at 2nd St)

Despana and Paris Sandwich

A bit of running around today, M. went to Paris Sandwich for banh mi but I forgot to leave her a camera and I was in the UES but got back too late for a real lunch. Instead I picked up a half sized chestnut flauta from Despana which M. photographed before I quickly devoured the sweet salty combination.
Despana, 408 Broome St., NY, NY 10013 (btwn Lafayette and Cleveland Pl)

4:00pm yellow cake

Like Kathy we had a hard time deciding which delicious sounding dessert to take back with us after lunch. Today the yellow cake with chocolate won but next time who knows. We should have maybe left it out at room temperature instead of sticking it in the fridge but the flavors were still classic American yummy, and not  overly sugary.
Peels, 325 Bowery, NY, NY 10003 (at 2nd St)

Peels

If only the bar stools were a bit more comfortable, Peels would be a wonderful spot to linger, but I suppose that's the point of a casual downstairs. Grab your lunch and go! But who wants to eat quickly when the fried chicken sandwich is a thoroughly satisfying concoction of fried chicken, squishy roll and honey mustard sauce? Although, confessedly, I would not have minded a gravy sauce instead. Still many things to try on the menu, including a tempting list of breakfast dishes.
Peels, 325 Bowery, NY, NY 10003 (at 2nd St)

4:00pm vanilla cream puff and a strawberry slice

We've been trying to have a cream puff from Panade for the past several months or so but first they were closed for renovation, then it was Monday. We finally made it for a vanilla cream puff, served with a freshly cut strawberry half. Yum, yum. The sweet cream puff is not the only thing we picked up, a ham and cheese puff went into the bag as well. More yum, yum. Mental note to self: remember that savory puffs make for a good, quick nosh when you need something on your way to meet friends for drinks after work.
Panade, 129 Eldridge St, NY, NY 10002 (btwn Broome and Delancy)

Les Enfants Terribles, with Lauren

We could have stayed all afternoon with Lauren, basking in the warm sun through the open doors of Les Enfants Terribles. Except for the constant flow of Chinese walking by, I could have sworn we were in Paris, having delicious merguez sandwiches and nonchalantly ignoring the passing of time. Lunch with Lauren is no rushed affair, we are all there to enjoy the company, relish in the food and converse wherever our minds may lead us.
Les Enfants Terrible, 37 Canal St, NY, NY 10002 (at Ludlow)

4:00pm petunia o

We're on day 2 of the our personal sweets delivery from yesterday, no less delicious for the wear. @picklepetunia impressed not just us, but the entire happy dessert eating office.

Big Wing Wong

Our current love affair with Shanghai Cafe is leaving us little room for other options once we've turned the corner from Hester onto Mott. But today we set out firmly for a roast duck noodle soup for me and some fish congee for M, no deviations in mind. We allocated 45 minutes for lunch but it only took 20. So we stood, satiated and content, on a sunny street corner for awhile.
Big Wing Wong, 103 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (below Hester)

4:00pm boxes of treats

Oh my deliciousness, if only every Monday was greeted by hand deliveries of handcrafted sweets and yummies. We opened up two lovingly beribboned boxes to an amazing array of treats, way too many for us alone. But before we opened up the goodies to the office, we made sure to take our fair share of brownies, cookies, biscotti and some signature Petunia O's. I've been munching all afternoon and plan on continuing straight into tomorrow evening. Thank you @picklepetunia!

La Nueva Conquista

We were headed out for a pollo rostizado torta, which has been lingering in our heads for weeks now but then, as we hit the stairwell, the memory of the scent of Dominican roast pork overwhelmed us. I wish we had a Taza de Oro down here, and maybe there is and we don't know yet. We love the Conquista but they don't really have any tables for a cozy lunch out. Today they also had none of our usual favorite order, instead we improvised with a heaping platter of white rice, red beans and stewed salami. Delicious if you love salami, overpowering if you don't. Strangely it reminded us of Eastern European kielbasa, without the potatoes.
La Nueva Conquista, 236 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:00pm lemon caramel chocolate

It's San Gennaro and I was a little dreading walking down Mulberry but strangely the block between Prince and Houston was half empty. Barren enough that I noticed a new little chocolate shop tucked away below some scaffolding. Inside a mother behind the counter and a daughter doing her homework up front greeted us very kindly. The cutely named, Eat My Chocolate, boasts mint green walls and an array of chocolates, cleverly named dishes and macaroons. We took home a lemon caramel chocolate for starters.
Eat My Chocolate, 284 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Prince and Houston)

Cosi, with Toto

Another lunch and learn today, brought to us courtesy of Toto and Cosi. And even though a one hour presentation about toilet fixtures and water efficiency might sound utterly boring to you, this one was actually quite entertaining and very informative. For instance, did you know that before the big Maximum Performance testing project in 2003, one of the ways to test a toilet's performance was to flush 100 packing popcorn peanuts and if 75 went down then you passed. I know, awesome right?

4:00pm sponge cake

Squishy, spongy, soft and sweet sponge cake from Fay Da down the street. It takes like cotton candy, but without the coloring and a trifle more dense. But barely.
Fay Da, 191 Centre St, NY, NY 10013 (at Hester St)

homemade vietnamese noodle soup

Bringing in leftovers of any Vietnamese noodle soup is a complicated affair. First you don't want to have already cooked noodles because reheating those in the microwave is a tasteless affair. Secondly, the broth should be next to boiling, another feat not easily accomplished in the microwave. And finally there are the herbs, which need to be stored separately from the meats so that they can be properly layered on top. With the aid of an electric hot plate and a lot of plastic storage containers to house the different ingredients, we were able to have a rather satisfying, homemade noodle soup for lunch. I don't think this will be a regular occurrence.

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookies

On twitter today, out of the corner of my eye, which is pretty much how I feel about anything I read on twitter, I caught something like "baked goods" and then "delightful" and finally "straight from the baker". In my head I imagined this woman named pickle petunia handing out baked goods on a serving tray. Naturally there was no such person at McNally Jackson, but her nice oatmeal raisin cookies were decidedly present.
McNally Jackson Cafe, 52 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Lafayette and Mulberry)

Cafe Select, with Greg and Christine

Our new neighborhood lunch buddy, Greg, brought his childhood friend, Christine, to lunch so that she could continue her breakfast themed day with fried eggs and rosti for lunch. We sat by the open windows at Cafe Select, enjoying the fresh air. We originally met at La Esquina but didn't feel like waiting the 20 minutes for table. I had a brief scare that we would end up on another epic lunch fail like last time but fortunately Cafe Select saved us from ourselves.
Cafe Select, 212 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)

4:00pm olive oil cake

We're still working on desserts from yesterday's potluck including this delicious olive oil loaf cake that Karen made. She served it with whipped creme fraiche and sea salt but I could have easily polished off half the pan without.

***update!***
Per popular request, Karen has kindly provided the recipe she used here:

Olive Oil Cake with Creme Fraiche Mousse
Yield: 2 ea 9" cakes
KAREN'S NOTES: I just used 1 large pan, and it was fine, though it sunk in the middle, perhaps because the pan was too big? Also, the recipe says to line pans with parchment paper but I didn't and it wasn't been a problem, the people I got the recipe from didn't bother with parchment either. In my version, I substituted maldon salt for grey sea salt.

For Cake:
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup maidera
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

For Mousse:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup creme fraiche
2 Tbsp. sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Gradually add the olive oil, milk, and maidera.
Sift the dry ingredients together.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Whisk together.
Pour batter into pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees until done, 20-25 minutes.
For mousse, whisk together the heavy cream, creme fraiche, and sugar until medium peaks.
To serve, slice a wedge of cake and serve with creme fraiche mousse. Sprinkle maldon salt on the mousse to garnish.

Shanghai Cafe, with Hong

It's Hong's last lunch before she jetsets back to Berlin and per her request, we had our perfect meal for three at Shanghai Cafe: soup dumplings, shredded pork, pickled cabbage over rice cakes and dry sauteed string beans. Everything was a solid and satisfying good. The soup dumplings were not as spectacular as last time, the rice cakes were better than the time before and the string beans were tasty but a tad over cooked. All in all, still one of our favorite lunches.
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:00pm cupcakes

An impromptu weekend trip to Ikea calls for a wee detour to Baked for some baked goods. These cupcakes are rather intense - we couldn't even eat one wee one ourselves. The coffee cupcake (pictured) didn't really taste of coffee, but the sweet & salty, was really as the name describes, and a nice accompaniment to our afternoon coffee.
Baked NYC, 359 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (at Dikeman)

Office Potluck

It's that time of month again, the first non-holiday Monday of the month, which is dedicated to our office potluck. Dishes are starting to get heartier, corresponding to the cooling weather. Everything was tasty, from the pasta dishes, to the Vietnamese curry and roasted veggies. We both agreed that non-salad-y potlucks are much more fun.

4:00pm nutty bars

I have this sick addiction to suburban grocery stores, probably because we've been living in the city too long. Whenever I'm in one, regardless of the occasion, I find myself wandering the expansive aisles, picking up too many things that I probably don't really need. Like Nutty Bars. Although come on, who can resist the peanut butter with chocolate, wafer crunch? Impossible!

Shorty's .32, with the sisters

We had always automatically put Shorty's in the too expensive for ordinary lunch but today when I checked their website I saw those magic words, "$12 lunch special". I must be overly influenced by fast food combos because I just assumed it would mean a salad starter or a dessert finisher. But what it means at Shorty's .32 is that there are a number of dishes available for $12. Not exactly a deal, but still not out of the world expensive either. The cavatelli and mushroom ragout was rather tasty, I kind of wished I had order that instead of the steak sandwich.
Shorty's .32, 199 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Sullivan and MacDougal)

4:00pm tsuya (dorayaki)

How sweet life is when you are surprised with a lovely box of dorayakis, because your boyfriend passed by a Wagashi shop and thought of you! I'm not sure why they call their dorayakis "tsuya" - but that's what they go by. Now if I could only accompany dessert with some good green tea..
Minamoto Kitchoan, 608 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10020 (on 49th street)

Central Buffet

When in need for cheap, fast, and decently tasty food, there's nothing like Central Buffet. The rice was a bit overdone today, and the eggplant not as tasty, but the green beans were ace. I've been sticking to the vegetarian items there of late, and it seems that it ups the success rate.
Central Buffet, 195 Centre Street, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Howard and Hester)

4:00pm macademia nut cookie

It's very important to measure your cookies before eating. We decided the title of our Hobby talk should be "How to Start A Lunch Journal in 15 Easy Steps".
Tate's Bake Shop, 43 North Sea Rd., Southampton NY 11968

Hoomoos Asli

Saha was entirely correct, the falafel sandwiches at Hoomoos Asli are good again. Which is such a relief, the place was teetering on the edge of inconsistency. We had ours with aside of mixed white and red cabbage salad, (I was quite smitten with this), and their "famous" (so they claim) limonana. What exactly makes it famous I wonder.
On an administrative note, we are drawing some distinctions between our architecture and our lunching so if you're on twitter, the twitter feed is now @lunchstudio. Old, soon to be forgotten tweets remain @frontstudio. The lunch blog also feeds to foodspotting and facebook so feel free to pick your lunching poison.
Hoomoos Asli, 100 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Centre St)

4:00pm macademia nut cookie

M picked up some Tate's cookies from the source this past weekend and while I applaud her strength of will to choose something new to try instead of our favorite chipless wonders, I am already looking forward to next summer.
And speaking of looking forward, we'll be speaking about lunch at Harvest's monthly Hobby event next Tuesday. Tickets are free but in limited quantity.
Tate's Bake Shop, 43 North Sea Rd., Southampton NY 11968

Emporio, with Sarah

We had a last minute lunch with Sarah today, my favorite kind of meeting of friends. And just as I sat down to write a little about the summer ravioli dish that she gets every time (she loves it) or the burger that I tried (not bad), I realized this was not the first time we met Sarah at Emporio for lunch. The space is nice like that, sunlit with a touch of moody atmosphere and a menu that encompasses all sorts of tastes.
Emporio, 231 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

4:00pm strawberry shortcake

Biting into a strawberry shortcake from Zaiya is like eating slightly strawberry flavored air. Another light summer treat from those seasonal Japanese peeps.
Cafe Zaiya, 69 Cooper Sq, NY, NY 10003 (near Astor Place)

Menkui-Tei

We started walking up Lafayette, feeling uninspired, until we ended up many blocks further north than we had intended. But Menkui-tei is like that, capable of drawing us out on a hot summer day. It's great, straightforward Japanese, every dish is solid eating. Like this classic Japanese summertime plate, hiyashi chuka.
Menkui-tei, 63 Cooper Sq, NY, NY 10003 (near Astor Place)

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookie

It's a scorcher today! We thought we'd take a little walk to go get our dessert, but we only made it two blocks until we changed our minds. Luckily for us, whatever we would have gotten couldn't be much tastier than the super freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies from Eileen's.
Eileen's Special Cheesecake, 17 Cleveland Pl, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Kenmare)

Dallas Jones Bar-B-Q

Just around the same day Y was lamenting about the departure of Tennessee Mountain (now a Crocs boutique), I noticed a delivery menu from Dallas Jones Bar-B-Q near our office. With the monstrous heat wave resurgence, we agreed that it was indeed a "order in" kind of day. There was nothing special with anything we ate, but we'd certainly be willing to go eat at the restaurant, and for now, a sufficient replacement for a long lost restaurant.
Dallas Jones Bar-B-Q, 178 West Houston Street, NY, NY 10014