Our NY office is on 5th Avenue and 30th Street. (I never know what to call the neighborhood… since we’re ON 5th I guess just Midtown, but we’re also close to Flatiron). Pretty much everyone says this about their neighborhood (and I say it about my apartment neighborhood, too), but there are very few places to get a good lunch around here.
I want something quick and flavorful. Typically I try to lean towards healthy.
Sure, there is a “make your own salad” place with a hot buffet bar (those things creep me out) and any number of other things… but that gets old after a while. And how many variations can I make on a salad? Truly.
This morning I was walking on the other side of the street than I usually do and spotted a new place (on 5th Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets, East Side of the street). I had no idea if it was just new to me, or new to the neighborhood. According to their Twitter feed, MyDanoz Fine Foods opened July 5th. (And call me a grammar/spelling nerd, but their website needs some fine tuning. Though “Diary” instead of “Dairy” is kind of cute in an “awww… so close” kind of way.)
I was really impressed walking in. It just felt like somewhere I want to be. Fresh bread on the shelves.
Delicious sounding sandwiches (lots of fig and fig jam on the menu!)
A grocery store with high-end, nice food. A lovely looking dessert case. And an illy coffee bar. (I’m a big fan of illy coffee)
And in the back there is fresh produce, a sushi bar, and soon-to-be salad bar station.
Upstairs they have a nice place to eat lunch and a wine bar, which will be opening soon.
And even a roof terrace!
On my way through the cafe (store? shop?), a woman was making awesome looking crepes, and the woman next to her was offering samples. One bite and I was hooked.
I chose a smoked turkey, fresh tomato, gruyere, spinach, and basil crepe. And it was quite a hefty crepe!
Some crepes are really just a plain conduit for fillings, but this crepe was really flavorful on its own and the fillings were fresh and very, very good. It was a very filling lunch, actually! (Which I never expect from a crepe)
As I was walking through and taking pictures, a man approached me who I assume is the owner. His English was a bit tough to understand, but his pride in his business was clear and warm. He mentioned how excited he was to bring fresh, good food to the area and we lamented about how much it was needed. He said that they are only part of the way there and new things will be coming soon, such as the wine bar and more deli stuffs. I’m excited to have this place so close and looking forward to trying more!
