Fancy pants

If you're looking for a slightly more upscale lunch to ring in the new year, try these fine dining establishments of refined tastes and impeccable service. For nibblers and lovers of small tastes, the menu at Casa Mono will satisfy any cravings you might have. Don't be overwhelmed by the abundance of offerings, just order anything that catches your eye and you will be well rewarded. The prix fixe lunch at the Gotham Bar & Grill will hit the spot with its rarified atmosphere of quintessential New York City in the 80s. Despite the outdated decor, the menu is current with the times, and completely satisfying. Finally for the ultimate in civilized lunches, Maialino is the place to be. We shared a bevy of plates here and agreed everything single one was worth ordering again and again.

for a more indepth look:
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, NY, NY 10003 (at 17th St)

Gotham Bar & Grill
12 East 12th St, NY, NY 10003 (btwn University and 5th Ave)

Maialino
2 Lexington Ave, NY, NY 10010 (at 21st St)

We heart Chinatown

Chinatown is a vast land of cheap and tasty dining options, where we balance between the hassle of walking through small crowded streets and the food waiting for us at the end. For when we don't mind the walk, Noodle Village is our number choice for light and fresh noodle soups adorned with fish cakes and dumplings. Another walk worth taking is to the back alley of Doyers for freshly pulled noodles at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. The soup is a thing of great substance, eat for days but never quite get to the bottom of the bowl. Shanghai Cafe, as you know if you know us, is what we recommend to anyone who asks for something good to eat in Chinatown. It's worth going for the soup dumplings alone although we never go without ordering the rice cakes and string beans too. Finally for when we have no time to fight our way through crowds, we pop down the street to Wah Mei for instant gratification in the form of a fried chicken leg over rice.

more from our Chinatown hearts:
Noodle Village
13 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mosco St and Chatham Sq)  


Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles
1 Doyers St, NY, NY 10038 (at Bowery)

Shanghai Cafe
100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

Wah Mei
190 Hester St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Baxter & Mulberry)

Wish you were here

What is there to say about this category except we wish you were here. Sausage Inc looks like it could be another well designed hole in the wall, but don't let that fool you, the pretzel bun and array of sausages are simply yummy. We like our Chinese buffet here at LUNCH but boy wouldn't it be fantastic to have an Indian option as well? Tiffan Wallah makes a damn fine vegetarian buffet, all you can eat style. And finally who wouldn't want a Num Pang in their neighborhood? Sandwiches of beautiful colors, we love the balance of Asian ingredients done supremely well.

the full scoop on those we wish were here:
Sausage, Inc.
106 University Place, NY, NY 10003 (btwn 12th and 13th St) 

Tiffan Wallah
127 East 28th St, NY, NY 10016 (btwn Lex and Park)

Num Pang
21 East 12th St, New York, NY 10003 (btwn University and 5th Avenue)

Welcome the newcomers

Several newcomers this year to the lunch roster have already started becoming regulars in our monthly rotation. The falafel platter at Ba'al Falafel in West Soho is delightfully fresh, quick and inexpensive. The best part is you can choose your own sides, satisfying all picky and non-picky palettes. Forcella is new only to Manhattan, having been a Brooklynite for much longer. We adore the chewy crust and for its addictive deliciousness are willing to overlook the slightly soggy centers. Finally, we cannot stay away from the soba at Cocoran, whether it's dipping soba into hot broths or eating it straight up cold.

More from our favorite newcomers:
Ba'al Cafe and Falafel
71 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (above Broome)

Forcella
334 Bowery, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Bond and E. 3rd)

Cocoron
61 Delancey St., NY, NY 10002 (btwn Eldridge and Allen)
 

Most Improved

Most improved lunch spots go to Tacombi and Rubirosa. They have taken leaps and bounds beyond our initial lunches and are rapidly becoming great places to go with groups of friends. At Tacombi we like the huevos con chorizo while Rubirosa is great for sharing a sandwich or pasta with a big bowl of salad.

more of the most improved:
Tacombi
267 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

Happy Everything!

We're winding down here, M's already been gone since Wednesday and I'm wrapping everything up before the city shuts down. I didn't manage to get around to lunch yesterday but next week we will be posting some of our favorite meals, the lunches we will miss the most and other interesting collections of lunches.
Have a merry merry everything and see you in the New Year!

5:30pm brown sugar sticky pecan bun

I wasn't really thinking about the wisdom tooth I had pulled last Friday when the ever so coveted sticky pecan bun called my name at Oro this morning, but I probably should have. I couldn't resist! It was delicious! I managed to eat half this morning before the stickiness overwhelmed me, but then I polished off the rest of it for afternoon dessert, pleasantly pleased with my good fortune this morning.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Big Wing Wong, with Hong

There have been some winter colds floating around the office and life, so when Hong wanted to go to Big Wing Wong for chicken congee, I was not going to complain. Their noodle soup is nothing spectacular, and, as you can see, way heavy on the meat, but I like it there anyway. And for a total lunch bill of $10 for the both us, there ain't nothing to complain about!
Big Wing Wong, 102 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester and Canal)

5:00pm chocolate chip cookie

For when we are lacking brilliant ideas, there is the reliable goodness of chocolate chip cookies from Lafayette Espresso Bar downstairs. What a great world we live in.
Lafayette Espresso Bar & Marketplace, 189 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10013 (below Broome)

Balaboosta w/ Karen

We had our long overdue lunch with Karen today, and the Mediterranean flavors of Balaboosta was a perfect backdrop to us inquiring her about her not-so-recent recent solo trip to Morocco. Funny how you don't necessarily get to properly chat even when you see each other everyday. Either way it was a conversation worthy of some serious wanderlusting. I went for the Chamusta soup (Grass Fed Beef Meatballs in a Swiss Chard, Fava Bean & Lemon Broth), which I've been curious about ever since seeing it on Restaurant Girls list of best soups in NYC. It was indeed delicious, but what I was not told was that for $14, and though it's hearty, it's not even a meal sized soup. Aside from the disappointment of leaving still hungry, I thoroughly enjoyed our tasty lady lunch!
Balaboosta, 214 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:54pm donuts

After we were seriously outraged by Balthazar Bakery's $5.75 financiers, we're back to Dreesen's donuts which are always reliable, and a bit lighter on the wallet. Yum, super yum, always yum. 
Balthazar Bakery, 80 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (near Crosby)

Hiroko's Place

Omu-raisu or Omelette-Rice is a  popular Japanese Western dish, favored especially by children (and adults alike). The one place you can get this in New York City is Hiroko's Place in Soho. They serve all sorts of strange Japanese versions of Western foods, which in modern times is considered comfort food. And comfort food it is even for the non-Japanese. The service, while nice, is admittedly slow here; too long perhaps for a weekday lunch. But we are all rewarded for the wait by feeling comforted, indeed, by the food. If you are curious as to how they prepare this, watch this amazing video!  
Hiroko's Place, 75 Thompson St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Broome & Spring)

4:02pm lebkuchen

When Serious Eats posted about these lebkuchens by NYC based Leckerlee, it went on my immediate MUST buy list. Lebkuchens which surface around Christmas time have been a favorite of my mothers (and mine) for ages, even though we have no obvious ties to Germany. I think we bought a pack of these which you can find in many gourmet-ish markets, and got hooked. Naturally, I was excited to try a real bakery baked one.  Even though it might be a bit sweeter than I'd like, these are pretty amazing, and worth seeking if you like spicy gingerbread. The very distinct cake texture (dense yet airy and chewy - combined with the communion wafer like bottom) and spiciness of lebkuchens are all heightened in Leckerlee's version, and is a pleasure to eat.  They won't be around for long, so go find them fast!

La Nueva Conquista

We initially set out to get sandwiches from La Esquina, but we had so much trouble placing an simple order, we gave up and went to La Nueva Conquista instead.  Always packed, always friendly, we went for the beef stew we saw someone else get, instead of our usual roast pork.  I don't know if it was the right decision, but the stew was just as you'd imagine your mom would cook, even if she never made such a dish.
La Nueva Conquista, 236 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

Shanghai Cafe, with Hong and Mika

Of course Hong would want to take Mika to Shanghai Cafe so before we met up with them, M. and I poked around the interwebs for a recommended 4th dish to add to our standing order of 3. Someone on yelp liked anything salt and pepper so we tried the squid, and it was fine, but nothing at all close to the delicious crack-like addictiveness of the salt baked shredded squid with cashews at Congee. It's fine, our usual 3 were good as always and while it's true the string beans never taste exactly the same as the time before, they still somehow manage to be plate licking yummy.
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:50pm yule log

This photo is deceptive because the "yule log" was a proper cake for many, not a little dessert for two. It's hard to describe what Almondine's "yule log" is. There is chocolate mousse, vanilla pudding, something crunchy inside, some edible candy outside and two chocolate covered crunchy things holding it together on the ends. The entire thing is not in the form of a log but a rectangular box. I'm not really sure how else to describe the whole occurrence.
Almondine Bakery, 85 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (btwn Main St and Dock St)

BCD Tofu, with Gordon and Bionic Bites

At this very moment I am munching on a cold leftover piece of galbi and boy is it deeeelicious. Tia kept admonishing us to eat more, like any proper Korean would, but now I'm glad for the leftovers as they make the perfect pre-dinner snack. There is little else on the menu at BCD Tofu other than varying versions of soondubu (tofu stew); we did all have different ones. But what I love about BCD Tofu is that ban chan starts with a fried fish each. Each! That's one whole 8" fried fish for each one of us. Nice.
BCD Tofu House, 17 W. 32nd St, NY, NY 10001 (btwn Broadway and 5th Ave)

5:15pm assorted cupcakes

The rage in office Christmas game these days seems to be all about the white elephant style gift exchange, as opposed to the Secret Santa of yesteryear. What the wikipedia also informed those of us not in the know, it can be known as: Yankee Swap, Chinese Gift Exchange, Dirty Santa, Thieving Secret Santa, Parcel Pass, Christmas Swamp Thing, or Pollyanna. I like the prejudice against northerners and Chinese both. We added a batch of cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine to accompany the swapping.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine, 126 Rivington St, NY, NY 10002 (near Essex St)

Tiny's Giant

The signature spicy rizzak sandwich at Tiny's Giant sandwich shop instantly transported us both back to the west end of Shadyside in Pittsburgh. Because even though the spicy rizzak is a hot sandwich with turkey, spicy mayo, onions and bacon bits, it totally and absolutely reminded us of the Gondola, basically the most delicious Italian hero heated in an oven until the cheese melted. We've never had anything that came close to replicating that experience until today's rizzak sandwich. Which is strange because aside from being served warm the two have virtually nothing in common.
Tiny's Giant, 129 Rivington St, NY, NY 10002 (at Norfolk)

Nyonya

I've been feeling a little off-kilter lately and I was kind of hoping it would go away with modern medicine but according to the doctor I'm just going to have to wait this out. In the meantime it makes me crave strange things for lunch like congee without the smell of Chinatown (an impossible feat) or the roti canai accompanied by bacon wrapped shrimp puffs at Nyonya today. M. decided not to partake in my madness of tastes and had the surprisingly delicious tofu Thai style lunch special instead.
Nyonya, 199 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

4:23pm chouquettes

Why haven't we gotten these before?? While I personally never knew such things were called chouquettes, I assumed correctly that the "chou" in chouquettes is part of choux (pastry) which is one of my favorite things. And at 35 cents each? I could easily eat half a dozen, but had only picked up three. Almost like a French counterpart to those oh so irresistibly delicious Hong Kong egg cakes. Happy happy. 
Financier Patisserie, 90 Nassau St, NY, NY 10038 (at Fulton)

Central Buffet

Is it the best chinese food around? No.  Does the restaurant get an "A" or "B" grade? No.  But what it does have is cheapness and seemingly decent quality, and lots of variety.  For a mere $4.25 for takeout, or $4.75 for dine-in, you get to choose 4 items with your rice.  It's easy peasy to find things you want to try.  And while sometime I stick to my usual, with 4 choices, it's easy to try a new dish or two whenever you go.  The eggplant was a bit cold today, but you can't go wrong with the deep-fried meatballs or the sauteed greens. 
Central Buffet, 195 Centre Street, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Howard and Hester)

Dos Toros Taqueria

A quick and late 4pm lunch today. I had some an errand to run around Union Square at 2pm, which I thought gave me plenty of time to eat beforehand.  It just didn't work out that way, so by the time I got back to the office, the phone was ringing and..  Anyway if you haven't tried it, this delicious pollo asado quesadilla is not to be missed. Aside from the standout chicken, the beauty is in the paper thin yet chewy tortilla. Though today the beauty proved to be the downfall, though I take full responsibility for its super sogginess, I just didn't get to eat it immediately.
Dos Toros Taqueria, 137 4th Ave, NY, NY 10003 (btwn 13th and 14th Sts)

Parm

The chilly rain was really making me crave warm hearty meals so we reluctantly left the comfort of the office for 8 Mile Creek, only to bump headfirst into a locked door. Looks like there will be no more fish and chips for us at lunchtime. Good thing it was so yucky out because there was no line at perennially crowded Parm down the street, an unusual circumstance we know. The brussel sprouts were sub-par today, way too mushy, but everything else was stellar as usual.
Parm, 248 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

4:31pm pineapple cake from Taiwan

I'm not sure I "get" the big fuss about pineapple cakes in Taiwan.Well apparently it's a big fuss, and people take their pineapple cakes very seriously. I just don't find them all that exciting. It's not something I would have returned from a gastro-culinary experience to Taiwan raving about. And mostly I think it has to do with the shortcake portion; at least from the one's I've tried (which are apparently some of the good ones) they border on dry and bland. But I'm also prone to believing that if I don't like something a mass of people go crazy for in a far away land, it's probably my taste buds at fault for not having developed the palate for it.  Either way, these cakes from Sunny Hills are very much the rage right now, and indeed the pineapple filling is nice and fruity without being overly sweet.

Brinkley's Pub & Kitchen

Brinkley's is probably the second closest place to go eat near our office.  But we don't often find ourselves there because it's rather expensive for pub grub.  But when we saw this post today (btw, happy 5th Birthday Serious Eats!), we remembered that they did indeed have a good, but too massive for lunch, burger.  Then we thought it would be great to share the burger and split a salad, genius.  However, things weren't so easy.  All their salads were meal sized and entree priced - not what we were looking for.  Luckily the kitchen was accommodating and gave us an extra plate of a side salad.  Mission accomplished.
Brinkley's Pub & Kitchen, 408 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (at Centre St)

4:00pm cookies

There were treats galore on the kitchen table this morning. We tried some from a pretty tin of cookies from Konig, courtesy of Danny's recent trip to Taiwan.

HK Wonton Garden

If only HK Wonton Garden were above Canal and a little further west, it would be the perfect noodle soup place. But mostly to avoid the particularly harry corner situation at Mott and Canal. It took us awhile to extricate ourselves from the pile up of an old woman with a cane, lost tourists and distracted guy on his cell phone. As Bionic Bites suggests, don't go for the restaurant namesake wontons, try the roast duck or pork. And spring for the extra dollar's worth of greens. All in all, a very acceptable and decent bowl of noodle soup.
HK Wonton Garden, 79 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Canal and Bayard)

5:45pm oatmeal raisin cookie

The hiss of steam has not sounded for awhile. Our office is getting chillier and I am huddled up in a big winter scarf. I think the already darkened sky and slight bite to the air is telling us something, like you know, LEAVE ALREADY.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Epistrophy Cafe

I don't know what's wrong with me but lately, as the weather turns to winter, I'm craving cold lunches. Good thing for M. that most places serve a little more than just salads, today's particular craving. The avocado e bresaola salad at Epistrophy used to be a heap of arugula and avocado with super thin parmigiano slivers, but seems to have been downgraded to a small mound of mesclun salad and a bit of avocado instead. M. did enjoy her Cotoletta Di Maiai Alla Milanese (breaded pork cutlets) so at least my cold craving did nothing to diminish her lunch.
Epistrophy Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Kenmare & Spring)

4:15pm cream puffs

We had a brief moment of panic when we crossed Broome and realized we were not seeing any Panade on Eldridge. We turned back north and realized we had passed it because it was shuttered, oh no! But fortunately, at that precise moment when we started sobbing with sadness, M. looked across the street and realized Panade had moved back to the west side of the street. We promptly went over and ordered one classic vanilla and one chocolate. The chocolate was super yummy, more like vanilla pudding with a hint of chocolate, the way we like it.
Panade, 129 Eldridge St, NY, NY 10002 (btwn Broome and Delancy)

Cocoron

I'm not sure what compelled me to order cold soba at Cocoron instead of the hot that M. wisely chose. I even found myself blowing on the noodles to cool them down until I realized there was no need at all for that. Unlike other times when we've had to wait or they were closed, today we went over a little after noon and smoothly slid into a two top against the wall.
Cocoron, 61 Delancey St., NY, NY 10002 (btwn Eldridge and Allen)