salmaland.com » Midtown East/West

Midtown West: Ma Peche

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:12:21 +0000

Photo courtesy of Ma Peche

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. Find wickedly conceived pork, lamb, beef, and seafood dishes with unexpected flavor jolts—crispy pig’s head; grilled trout with almond and chili jam; smoked chicken with jalapeno and pine nut—and an order-in-advance group feast called Beef Seven Ways ($85 a head). For dessert, hit the midtown branch of Chang’s already-seminal Milk Bar sweets shop, just outside the Ma Peche dining room.

Ma Peche: 15 W. 56th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves. (212) 974-5656

For the other Momofuku locations, see here.

Prices/Features: Moderately Priced/Drink Destination/Good for Groups

Midtown West: Szechuan Gourmet

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:01:19 +0000

Pic courtesy of Szechuan Gourmet

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 it opened a couple of years ago. But this place would brighten up any neighborhood with its unflinchingly spicy—but nuanced-spicy, not just tongue-thrashing—rendition of one of the spiciest Chinese regional cuisines. Try the blazing dan dan noodles or the stir-fried pork belly with chili-spiked leeks—and come for dinner, too, not just lunch. It’s worth heading to midtown for this, even on a weekend night. Not the sexiest of interiors, but the food makes up for it five times over.

Szechuan Gourmet. 21 W 39th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves.; (212) 921-0233.

Prices/Features: Moderately Priced/Vegetarian-Friendly

Midtown East/Naya Express

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:05:15 +0000

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. You can grab a spot at one of the communal tables, though during the lunchtime rush you might rather take your lunch out for a stroll (or, gulp, to eat at your desk—though honestly that chafes against the whole concept of Mediterranean-style food love).

Naya Express: 688 Third Ave. between 33rd and 34th Sts.; (212) 557-0007.

Prices/Features: Cheap/Vegetarian-Friendly

Midtown West/The Breslin

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:57:25 +0000

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: smoked lamb ribs with cucumber and dill, seafood sausage with beurre blanc and chives, mussel soup, pig’s foot for two, in an appealingly noisy, bistro-style room. (Though the waits at prime time are somewhat less appealing; no reservations taken, sorry). For breakfast, there’s fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches with bourbon and vanilla—among less death-defying day-starters, like grapefruit with ginger sugar and mint.

The Breslin: 16 W. 29th St. between Broadway and Fifth Ave.; 212-679-1939

Prices/Features: Moderately Priced/Good for Groups/Drink Destination