be'wiched

Midtown Mahattan is a culinary black hole at lunch time -- it has some of the most over priced and boring lunch food around. Everyday it's the same thing -- Cosi, Pret a Manger, Hale and Hearty Soup, Europa Café, the occasional street vendor, and when I'm feeling like mixing it up (like today), I head to 'wichcraft in Bryant Park. Because it was so sunny and warm out today, I decided to walk the 3 blocks from my office to Bryant Park where the 'wichcraft kiosks are located. Tom Colicchio (the main judge in what BF and I think will be the soon to be cancelled Top Chef on Bravo and owner of Craft and Craftbar) has 4 food kiosks there. One sells only coffee and pastry, another sells sandwiches, another ice cream and desserts, and the one that is furthest away from me and that I have never tried because I am too lazy to walk the extra 15 steps to get there, serves soups and salads.

I've had a few of the sandwiches at 'wichcraft and they are all really good, not what you would call cheap ($9.50 for an upscale Reuben), but much better than what you find at Cosi. Today, I finally ordered one of their salads. For only $8 (less than a dollar more than the Cosi classic salad), I had an endive and frisee salad with poached pear, gorgonzola (real gorgonzola, not bad blue cheese), candied walnuts (not too sweet, and oh so good), with a smoked bacon vinaigrette that was made with really good olive oil and truly "smoky" tasting bacon. I can't believe I never tried this salad before. Damn. It was really good. I think I will go back tomorrow -- the beet salad looked really good too.