Amazing how Midtown continues to be a desert when it comes to decent (more than decent) lunch options. So Naya Express, a spinoff of the Lebanese restaurant Naya, is a welcome addition. Line up for better-than-most shawarma sandwiches, falafel, chicken shish taouk with garlic sauce, babaghanoush, manakeech (zaatar-topped flatbreads) and more. [...]

In a strange world where hotels are attractions unto themselves, you’ve no doubt found yourself heading to the new-ish Ace for a drink or a Stumptown coffee in the lounge, or for a sandwich at the hotel’s No. 7 Sub Shop, or for a gander at the Manhattan-Portland design mashup. Or for arguably the biggest draw of all: The Breslin, where It chef April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig spins out even more inventive, artery-garnishing dishes [...]

With Ma Peche, David Chang’s NYC-dominating Momofuku empire—so far ensconced in the East Village—stretches to midtown, specifically to a subterranean space in the Chambers hotel with an X-shaped communal table, a slightly disjointed suits-meet-hipsters crowd, and a menu that is unmistakably Changian. [...]

Not too many luscious lunch options around Bryant Park and the central branch of the library–which is why Szechuan Gourmet was so madly welcome when [...]