Dos Toros

137 4th Ave, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 2 - Super Happy
Visit #: 8
In brief: Even in take-out form, the pollo asado quesadilla from Dos Toros is solid happiness.

Boy do we love the polla asado quesadilla at Dos Toros. It's everything put together in one stellar bite, the warmed tortilla, the thin slice of melted cheese, grilled chicken bits, a tomato salsa and our two personal preferences - salsa verde and guacamole. If you haven't tried this particular combo before, do go ahead. You're welcome.

Takahachi Bakery

25 Murray St, NY, NY 10007

Rating: B - Above Average
Visit #: 1
In brief: Friends brought in this beautiful mocha cake from Takahachi for dessert after dinner last night, enough to feed M. and I for the rest of the week I suspect. I really like this one, the mocha cream especially.

Mighty Quinn's BBQ, with Jason

103 2nd Ave, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 1
In brief: I get the long lines on the weekend at Mighty Quinn. Affordable and delicious barbeque brisket? We are down with that.
I would not have minded more pickled things to accompany the intensity of flavors, and Jason is definitely right in recommending the sandwich option over the plain hunk of meat version. M. and I were pretty satisfied with Mighty Quinn, considering the brisket is on par with Hill Country's fatty brisket at half the price.

homemade cookies

Gahm Mi Oak

43 W. 32nd St, NY, NY 10001

Rating: 2 - Super Happy
Visit #: 13
In brief: I can never say no to Gahm Mi Oak.

What a beautifully sunny day for a walk to K-Town, especially when sul long tang and kimchi awaited us. The kimchi at Gahm Mi Oak was particularly fermented today, the second batch, because we ate through the first batch, made me squee it was so tart.

Bread's Bakery

18 E. 16th St, NY, NY 10003

Rating: B - Above Average
Taste #: 1
In brief: Amazingly impressed with this day old cinnamon roll, though it was still obviously a day old, it was still really good. Will have to go back for a fresh one soon.

Schnipper's

23 E. 23rd St, NY, NY 10010

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 2
In brief: Better the second time around

The french fries were much better this time, almost worth going back to. At any rate, we ran into two different friends there, illustrating that maybe Schnipper's is, in fact, the place to lunch. The hot dog is ok, not fantastic, if they buttered the bun it would be stellar though. And the chicken fingers I liked enough to go back for another time.

Magnolia Bakery

Rating: B - Above Average
Taste #: 1
In brief: Chocolate cakes may not be our favorite thing but it's fair to say Magnolia Bakery makes a rather good one. The cake is moist, the frosting not too heavy. All in all, a satisfying way to celebrate an office birthday.

Osteria del Principe

27 E. 23rd St, NY, NY 10010

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 2
In brief: The first time was a charm, the second time we're withholding further judgement.

No more accompanying soup/salad pasta lunch special, making the pasta prices slightly more expensive than desired for an everyday lunch. I coveted M's carbonara from last time, especially after I tasted the perfectly done non-creamy sauce she had. This time a heavy hand added too much cheese or dairy or something and the sauce came out overly creamy, not at all the lightness carbonara should be. Ah well. Next time.

RedFarm

2170 Broadway, NY, NY 10023

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 1
In brief: I guess the trick to RedFarm is to go for lunch at the expanded UWS location. Be prepared to spend some serious dough on some serious dim sum.

I did not realize lunch at the uber popular RedFarm would involve some deeper pockets than usual. At $14 for one dim sum dish, that's not something for the faint of heart. Still we had to try. The lemon-yuzu oysters were a swallow of deliciousness and we loved the stuffed jalapeno poppers. The pac-man dumplings, as recommended by the server, tasted standard though what an adorable presentation. And then the soup dumplings. They were much larger than usual, making it almost impossible to eat from a soup spoon without making a huge mess. The meat was especially mushy, but when you take it as a whole I could see an intention to make a soup dumpling that felt like you were taking a bite of solid soup, which is interesting as a concept but not so sure it succeeds in making a dish worth ordering again.

Laut

15 E. 17th St, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 4
In brief: No trouble getting a table today, but underwhelmed with the Mee Hoon Goreng (too salty) or the Pad See Ew (too sweet).

I haven't been impressed with Laut at lunch, but I also can't complain about the extremely affordable lunch options. What do people get here? It's always packed.

homemade Toll House cookies

Rating: A - Excellent
Taste #: 1
In brief: The walnuts make a huge difference and I love the lumpy shapes. The brown sugar must really contribute to the overall taste, because I don't remember the Toll House cookies of my youth quite as tasty. These are pretty nice! In short, I am a fan and M.'s hubby can bake these anytime he desires for our office consumption.

Carta Azul (Pinche Taqueria?)

103 W. 14th St, NY, NY 10011

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 2
In brief: Fish tacos, fish tacos and fish tacos.

It's Friday! Time for fish! And Pinche Taqueria, I mean, Carta Azul (what's with the name change!?) thinks so too. For not very much money we got an extra fish taco each. Three tacos, $11, including tip. Win-win!

Ashby's

64 W. 22nd St, NY, NY 10010

Rating: B - Above Average
Visit #: 1 
In brief: $1 for 2 reasonably good peanut butter cookies is ok in my book any day. I can't remember the last time I took out one dollar bill and received two anythings for it.

Sala One Nine

35 W. 19th St, NY, NY 10011

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 3
In brief: $10 lunch special? That's worth a visit.

We like this place, though there is nothing especially remarkable about Sala One Nine. But a $10 lunch special is not to be taken lightly, even if we didn't take that option and split two sandwiches instead. I still love the lomo (pork loin) one, and paired with the tuna makes for a nice self-made combo platter.

Olive's

120 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012

Rating: B - Above Average
In brief: Almost everything at Olive's is above average, but also nothing that has me clawing my way back for more. This cookie was precisely that, and oh I think they had a little mishap with the sugar?

Olive's

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 3
In brief: We never came here when our office was in the neighborhood, so why would I come now? Because there's really nothing else around to grab a quick lunch.

I had a showroom to visit around the corner, and I was really trying to get back to the office as soon as possible, so while part of me wanted to lazily wonder the streets of Soho and have a nice relaxing lunch, I opted for a quick one instead.

Lindt Chocolates via Switzerland

Rating: A - Excellent
In brief: I feel like all Swiss people bring their famed chocolates as gifts. Almost all visitors to Switzerland bring chocolates back as souvenirs. I guess it's easy being Swiss when it comes to bearing gifts. But whether you like Swiss chocolates or not, what makes these chocolates so wonderful is not the quality or flavor, but the sheer thinness of the pieces. It makes all the difference and absolutely enjoyable.

Ennju

20 E. 17th St, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 2 - Super Happy
Visit #: 4
In brief: Even in take out form, this dish holds up. It's so good, with all the contrasting textures, the salty salmon and crispy skin, the salmon roe that pops in your mouth. Salmon roe is not my favorite fish egg, but it really works here.

I was surprised Y came here a few weeks ago while I was away, considering she rarely wants to eat here when I suggest it. Yeah the atmosphere is less than ideal, and not comfortable at all. But with this tasty dish how can you refuse it?

Maison Kayser

921 Broadway, NY, NY 10010

Rating: D - Disappointed
Visit #: 13
In brief: Most things from Maison Kayser are good, but there are some duds.

The very outer layer which I sampled while photographing was flaky light and delicious. But somehow in its entirety, it is heavy dense, hard and practically candied. Not exactly what I was looking for in palmier, boo.

Republic

37 Union Sq West, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 4
Visit #: 2
In brief: Even though it's far from our ideal asian lunch spot, it's nice to be able to add Republic on our rotation list, especially in this ethnic eats starved neighborhood.

Republic's strongest trait may be its consistency. You get the exact food every time no matter how many times you go. That is more than you can say about a lot of places. I got one of my go to dishes the glass noodles plate. It's a little on the bland side, but simple and nice when I'm not in the mood for anything in particular.

Dunkin Donuts

I can't say no to donuts, no matter where they come from. And especially when they magically appear in the common eating room.

Zero Otto Nove, with Van Alen

15 W. 21st St, NY, NY 10010

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 5
In brief: Zero Otto Nove has not yet disappointed us, we share an insalata tonno and pizza every time.

We had a studio visit from Susannah and Sarah, our next door neighbors at the Van Alen Institute, and afterward we crossed through the parking lot to Zero Otto Nove. They took our advice and shared their own tuna salad and pizza. We tried a new one today, the la Carmanuccio, which I absolutely loved. No mozzarella to weigh down a stomach at lunch time, but just enough of a sprinkling of grated cheese to be tasty. Happy happy me.

Dig Inn

17 E. 17th St, NY, NY 10003

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 1
In brief: A fresh approach to the choose-your-own-ingredient, but still the same bowl.

I find this whole make your own bowl concept so quintessentially American. It's about fast and efficient eating but at the same time completely customizable! Amazing! Total freedom of choice AND faster than fast food! Wow! But at the end of the day, no matter if it's American farm, Mexican made or barbecue smoked, all bowls taste the same to us. I wonder what that's all about.

Maison Kayser

921 Broadway, NY, NY 10010

Rating: B - Above Average
Visit #: 2
In brief: Every time I have a chouchette, I am happy. Then I want a cream puff.

Millesime, with Anik

92 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10016

Rating: 4 - Just Fine
Visit #: 1
In brief: A spacious dining hall and yet secluded, Millesime is tucked into the Carlton Hotel which we reached though a street level entrance. A perfectly fine place for a peaceful afternoon meal.

When I wrote Anik to have lunch at Millesime, I only thought it was about halfway between our offices and not that it would be a hotel restaurant. I have a soft spot for hotel restaurants, the diners are often transitory and the mood can be relaxed. M. and I both ordered the salad nicoise. I left a handful of cherry tomatoes, olives and some potatoes. She left more olives and a big leaf of lettuce.

Poilane, from Hotel Esprit St-Germain

22, rue Saint-Suplice 75006 Paris, France

Rating: B - Above Average
Visit #: 1
In brief: What a thoughtful thing to give me 2 bottles of water and a bag of sable cookies as I'm rushing out the door to catch a taxi to the airport. Hotel Esprit St-Germain, I like your style. I also liked the breakfast spread in the morning and the afternoon self-service cocktail hour. You make work trips to Paris a breeze.

Lenny's

16 W. 23rd St, NY, NY 10010

Rating: 2 - Super Happy
Visit #: 3
In brief: If you can ignore the hectic line, the long wait, the bland atmosphere and focus instead on the absurdly good Italian hoagie, you will have a killer lunch.

The Italian combo hoagie (#2) is so engrossingly good that we forgot to be annoyed by the 15 minute wait, the crowded wait in line, the girl who stood in front of the stairs to the upstairs dining area, the lack of napkins and the completely sad dining area. Of course our expectations were rather low to begin with.

homemade chocolate chip cookie

L&W Oyster Co.

254 5th Ave, NY, NY 10001

Rating: 2 - Super Happy FOOD but way offended by the service today
Visit #: 2
In brief: The oysters are always delicious here, and today we discovered the salads are as well.

Thank goodness the meal at L&W Oyster Co. was so incredibly delicious or we would have been much more offended by the service than we already were. In an empty restaurant it should not take 45 minutes from order to entree. And they should not apologize, offer a shot (haha is that a joke?!) and tell us the salad is coming out split on two plates but not for another 5 minutes. It shouldn't take the server an additional 3 minutes to walk from our table 10 feet to the register to print out the check that should have been delivered long before we had to ask for it. In short - exceedingly bad service today, extremely satisfying food.

Birreria @ Eataly

200 Fifth Ave Fl 14, NY, NY 10010

Rating: 3 - Feeling Good
Visit #: 3
In brief: If you want an excuse to wear sunglasses while lunching, head up to the rooftop dining room of Birreria at Eataly. I always get the anchovy insalata but feel free to eat something else.

What a perfect day to eat bathed in sunshine, though initially they sat me next to an open window in the shade and when I asked if the windows could be closed against the still brisk wind, they claimed the windows could not be closed. Odd right? Anyway I moved like a cat to a spot in the sun and thoroughly enjoyed my solo lunch.