SOHO Lunchtime Adventures
As some of you may know, I recently changed jobs. I had previously been working in the Empire State Building on 34th st and 5 ave. Now Midtown Manhattan isn’t really known as a great location when it comes to mealtime choices. I did manage to find a few gems, Tina’s was a nice authentic Cuban joint with amazing breaded chicken sandwiches, No. 7 Sub was a sub place that concocted some pretty hair-brained and delicious combinations, zucchini parm with fontina, sweet onions, pickled jalapeno and BBQ potato chips anyone? Of course there was always Korea town a couple blocks south on 32nd st. But I always felt like I was a little limited in my selection. Then about a month ago I got a job offer down in SOHO. Talk about polar opposites, I’m having a hard time deciding now, and I haven’t repeated my selection once in a months time. So I wanted to share some of my escapades with you, should you ever find yourself in my neighborhood, I suggest you give these places a shot.
Joy Burger Bar - 361 Avenue of the Americas, New York - (212) 414-9500
This place is nothing short of awesome, building your own burger can be one of the most rewarding experiences there are. Here’s what I came up with, a Maxi burger (8 oz) cooked med. rare with, tomato, sautéed onion, fresh mozzarella, spicy mayo and pesto. Sorry about the pic, got too excited and starting om nom-ing before I thought about photos! 
Alidoro - 105 Sullivan St, New York 10012 (Btwn Spring & Prince St)
This place I found while researching the 101 best sandwiches in NYC, this placed thirty-something I don’t remember, but it was chock full of prosciutto. The cashier had an old-fashioned meat slicer next to the register and was constantly slicing paper-thin pieces of prosciutto into a pile on each sandwich. Heaven. Anyway, I chose the Pinocchio, prosciutto, sopressata, fresh mozzarella, sweet roasted peppers and olive spread on foccacia.
Banh Mi Saigon - 198 Grand St, New York 10013 (Btwn Mulberry & Mott St)
This place ranked a wee bit higher on the list, if memory serves me right it was in the top 10 best sandwiches in NYC. I can’t say I would argue with that assessment. Fresh, fresh, fresh is all I can say. Fresh ingredients, prepared on the spot, you can’t get better than that. I sprung for the Banh Mi Pate Cha, which was Vietnamese ham and pate, with the usual fixin’s, julienned carrots, pickled cucumber, cilantro, pickled jalapeno and a dash of sriracha. Delish.
Pho Bang - 157 Mott St, New York 10013 (Btwn Grand & Broome St)
Last but by no means least, Pho Bang is a great little Vietnamese noodle house that lives up to its name. The flavor they’re cranking out of that kitchen should have an explosive warning label, so fresh, so clean, it hits all the right buttons. While the pho looked enticing, I went for the Bun Thit Heo Nuong, or grilled pork over rice vermicelli. With the standard condiments at the ready, I fixed up my heaping bowl of noodles to my liking and dug in, luckily I had the wherewithal to snap a photo before-hand. Along with some nice pork spring rolls, it turned out to be a tasty time, and all for under $15!
There will be many more to come, so stick around!
