I walked into “NY Lunchbox” located at 255 W. 36^th St. and immediately felt like I was in a hot spot on Ben Yehuda St.  Being that I eat in non-Kosher restaurants, I don’t always get the Jewish experience I did on that cold winter day. 

Let me set the scene: 

I walked in, there was a crazy long line leading to the register and a woman standing near me was talking on her cell phone; asking her friend, Rifki, what she wanted for lunch.   Before the woman placed her order (and Rifki’s), the woman in front of her studied the soups of the day and loudly asked, “Is the soup hot?”  I mean, where else on Earth do people ask if the soup is hot other than in a kosher place? I felt my grandmother’s presence with me at that moment.  She liked soup – HOT – too. 

The place itself is no frills.  I sort of felt like I was in a Jewish office and this was our commissary.  Or that I was in an airport and this was the one and only kosher kiosk.  The way it works when you get to Lunchbox is you stand in line, order and take your food out the door.  Or, you put your food on a tray and take it upstairs.  There is no so sign indicating where the line starts and the place is organized chaos at its best.  Soups, sandwiches, sushi, salads and amazing lunch deals are some of the things you’ll find on the menu.  You’ll also find a several people washing their hands, saying Birkat or davening Mincha — things I always appreciate and truly cherish when I’m in a kosher restaurant.  For that, I loved the place; however, I’m not rushing to pack my lunchbox there again anytime soon.  For under $10 I got their signature wrap, a drink and small salad.   I wish they let you mix and match your wraps because there were a few I wanted to try.  Whatever wrap you choose, you have to take both halves of it, which seemed silly to me.  In any event, the wrap itself was amazing.  It was sweet and soft and just out of this world.  What was inside it (tofu and veggies) was just so-so.   Overall, the experience was pleasant and their prices won’t break your break the bank.

On a day I didn’t feel like going anywhere to grab something to eat, I ordered in from Gan Asia.  I was really in the mood for chicken pad thai, so I ordered the dish their Web site claims to be a Thai favorite and steamed vegetable dumplings.  The dumplings weren’t cooked enough, so they were disappointing.  The pad thai was OK, but nothing special.  It was sweeter than I’ve had before, but it didn’t send me over the moon.  I’ve had other dishes from Gan Asia before (like their lemon chicken and chicken and broccoli — both were amazing!)  So, next time, I’ll skip the pad thai are go for what I know is great.  They’re lunch deals are awesome, though, so check it out in case you’re not into pad thai to begin with.

KK

Click here for the Lunchbox listing

Click here for the Gan Asia listing