New Yorkers know full well to avoid East Midtown Manhattan around mid-September. During those few weeks, when the United Nations General Assembly opens its annual session, multiple street blocks go into a major security gridlock in this part of town. Despite the increase in crowds and traffic, the world leaders, diplomats and international policy influencers … Read more
Six years ago, hungry staff members at the United Nations’ New York headquarters thought big changes were afoot in the cafeteria, and not a moment too soon. Toward the end, the provider, Aramark, a publicly traded firm best known for its catering at prisons and baseball stadiums, replaced silverware with plastic and got rid of all trays, … Read more
Sure, you could check out The Pho 5 for its oversized bowls of beefy pho, its slurpable vermicelli and its tempting summer and spring rolls. But don’t snub the tacos. As slick nouvelle-Vietnamese cooking is trending, The Pho 5 offers simpler, more straightforward fare, in a sliver storefront on Third Avenue near 39th Street. The … Read more
Little Tong wants you to fall in love with its rice noodles, known as mixian in Yunnan province, their place of origin. But don’t ignore the big draw at this diminutive Turtle Bay restaurant — as if you could: incendiary spice blends that make your mouth sting and eyes tear up the moment you plant … Read more
Some people at the United Nations remain in mourning since Matisse shut down in February after serving as the corner cantine to hungry diplomats and their friends and neighbors for nearly nine years. If you are still feeling a void in your lunchtime routine, there’s good news: a sister restaurant called Rose Hill opened recently … Read more
It’s a balmy summer evening, but the United Nations neighborhood has few places where you can grab a beer and a burger or a salad under the glow of office towers. So it was a pleasant surprise to be invited by old friends for drinks at Tuttles Bar & Grill, where two well-concealed outdoor terraces … Read more
It started out as a health food store. Maybe you never went inside, but it was easy to spot for its eye-catching sidewalk signs touting Bladder Control Tea. Then a tiny lunch counter appeared, displacing a few of the shop’s bright-green racks piled high with vitamins. The menu: sushi, smoothies and noodle soup. UN staffers, … Read more
Looking for a place to eat while you’re in New York for the the Commission on the Status of Women? PassBlue’s UN Eats relieves the trial and error of finding a good place to eat around the United Nations. Below is the top 10 list of UN Eats reviews, chosen by PassBlue’s critic Irwin Arieff, … Read more
Tres Carnes, a New York mini-chain with a new branch in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan, touts its food as a marriage of Tex-Mex and Texas-style barbecue. The wedding may spice up your lunch hour, but the pairing does not dazzle. While some of the dishes stand out, it’s mostly just Mexican fast … Read more
Alidoro is the sandwich shop of my dreams, and that’s a problem. Other people seem to feel the same way. Drop by between 11:30 and 2:30 and you may get so hungry waiting in line to order your lunch you’ll be tempted to put in a call to Domino’s. Situated on a nondescript stretch of East … Read more
Fusion is the fashion these days, but the concept is fairly fuzzy. It can just mean that an Italian and an Argentine got married and decided to share a stove. But if you’re lucky, it will really mean that some great minds with good cooking skills have pooled ingredients and techniques from different parts of … Read more
If you didn’t know it was there, you could easily walk right by the new Luke’s Lobster, just east of Third Avenue on East 43rd. Scaffolding next door has left the double glass doors at the front of the restaurant in the dark, and there’s only a small blackboard sign to let you know you’re … Read more
Should you go to a health-food restaurant just because the food is good for you? No, you should go there because the cooking is healthy and tastes great. Now, a related question: If you call your place “Kale” and add chopped bits of it to nearly every dish on the menu, will they come? To … Read more
At the Blue Olive Market, a new casual restaurant and carryout service in the United Nations neighborhood, you can be out the door in minutes with a lunch of rack of lamb — four lovely rare-cooked chops — along with two vegetable side dishes, all for the princely sum of $13.95. The market, on East … Read more
At Paname, a new restaurant that bears the French slang name for Paris, it’s not just about what’s cooking but making it good looking too. A bit of a hike from the UN, just north of 56th Street on Second Avenue, Paname offers a $20 prix-fixe lunch. If you can spare the time for a … Read more
New York is a city of contradictions. On the one hand, there is kale. But it takes both hands to raise a big and greasy grilled-cheese sandwich that starts falling apart the moment you try to pick it up. Which brings us to The Pullman Kitchen, on Second Avenue near 51st Street. Capitalizing on a … Read more
Has the United Nations never had a hangout? It does now. Drop by Pennylane Coffee just about any time of day and you’ll see that nearly everyone is sporting the blue UN badge. The storefront bears no name or street number, so take a walk down 45th Street between First and Second Avenues and look … Read more
One of the great things about New York’s restaurant scene is its diversity. You don’t have to look very far to find seductive fare from Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa — not to mention New Orleans, Cape Cod and Texas. So why is it that when you’re looking for lunch in … Read more
At long last, there’s a burlesque hall right down the street from the United Nations. I just go there for the food, of course. “From live music and always plenty of room to dance, to Dinner Theatre featuring Coney Island Side Shows, Burlesque and Soulful Singing, our entertainment is always eclectic and fun!” boasts the venue’s … Read more
Dag Hammarskjold never had it so good — the plaza, that is, and not the late great United Nations secretary-general. After years of putting up with mediocre cafes in one of the city’s most pleasant outdoor spots, a tree-shaded stretch of 47th Street between First and Second Avenues, members of the UN community and other … Read more
