Today's Lunch Break: Chinatown Comes To Midtown

Try a true Italian panini, an all-around great diner, or authentic Chinatown in Midtown: great options to end your week of lunches strong. By Yvo Sin.

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Salumè

330 West Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 226-8111
salumenewyork.com

Somewhere along the way, the panino in America became simply known as panini (the plural form of panino), and had to be pressed flat in order to be known as a panini.  At Salumè, though, they stay true to the panino as it is in Italy; lightly toasted bread that allows the quality ingredients to shine on their own, every component melding together without being smashed, coming together to form the perfect union as you taste the sum of its parts equalling more than the whole.  Salumè doesn't mess around, and this shows in the care and attention paid to creating these fantastic panini.  Try the langhirano (prosciutto di parma, buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and extra virgin olive oil), which positively sings in your mouth, or the cortina (speck, fontina, roasted peppers and tartar sauce) (pictured), another winner.  Bonus: though it's cold outside, it's still sunny, and the giant front windows will let in plenty of light to help you forget just how unseasonably cold it is right now.

Tower Diner

98-95 Queens Boulevard
Rego Park, NY 11374
(718) 459-7000
towerdiner.com

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As far as diners go, Tower is pretty special.  The building was once a bank, has very high ceilings and large windows that along one side, face Queens Boulevard so you can people watch as you eat.  The menu is pretty standard for a diner, but you'd be hard pressed to order something that doesn't come to the table made with great care.  Neighborhood locals love Tower for this very reason; no matter what you are in the mood to eat, Tower delivers - both figuratively and literally.  Their online ordering system makes ordering a snap when you're in a rush; you can even schedule delivery for later if you need.  Try the burger (pictured, with bacon) - always juicy and satisfying, or the zucchini sticks, crisp on the outside, tender zucchini on the inside.  Or have a salad: the Greek salad comes crisp, fresh, with stuffed grape leaves, olives, and a light vinaigrette that dresses it perfectly.  Tower really has it all.

Hing Won

48 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 719-1451

In a sea of generic delis, sandwich shops and salad places, Hing Won sets itself apart easily by offering authentic Chinese food for those who miss Chinatown but need to stay in Midtown for work reasons.  Sure, there's a steam table of items for purchase that will satisfy those of your coworkers who only eat sweet and sour chicken, and think chow mein is crispy strips of wonton dough that is dipped into duck sauce as a bar snack, but the smart ones head straight to the cashier to order food that is as close as you're going to get to Chinatown on your lunch break.  There are noodle soups, meats and veggies over rice, which are all tasty, but those in the know ask for "roast pig over rice" (pictured) - not on the menu but scrawled on a scrap of paper taped to the wall, nestled among many similar scraps of paper, and note that it is not the same as roast pork over rice (which is on the menu).  Bite-sized chunks of fatty pork with crispy skin still attached, drizzled with a bit of hoisin sauce and served over fluffy white rice with a small scoop of cooked cabbage and glass noodles... what could possibly make a better Friday lunch?  Perhaps a cup of their housemade soy milk for $1.50?  Your wish is granted.

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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of Feisty Foodie.