Grand Central Place

This place use to have really good everything bagels. Today I went and ordered an everything bagel with butter and got something that vaguely looks like a cross between a bagel and a plain ol’ sandwich roll. I’ve uploaded the sad looking bagel to the photos. Yes, the picture shows a bite missing; I was hoping it would taste better than it looked and unfortunately, it tasted like a plain roll.

It’s a bit concealed really. I walked passed this place for months before I realized that it was a deli. Since then I’ve mainly come here to grab coffee and a bagel de choix with cream cheese – my morning fuel. The service is fast, and there’s ample seating, especially on the second level.
Just one hitch – getting in may require that you are either «pumping iron» or (in my case) entering the store when a handsome, strong guy just happens to see you struggling with the door (score!) In any case the glass doors to the deli are surprisingly heavy – considered yourself informed. But that won’t stop me from trying out their Mongolian BBQ bar (as other reviewers pointed out) for lunch.

Grand Central place is a solid lunch spot if you’re in the mood for Mongolian BBQ. The meat and veggies are fresh and the sauces are tasty. Be careful about the weight of your choices — it’s easy to accidentally spend $ 15+ (I’ve seen my coworkers do it more than once).

Grand Central is a really cool spot. You catch a train to leave NYC. It’s great for pictures and seeing history. What makes it even better is the Gourmet Place downstairs. There are a lot of food options such as Junior’s, Magnolia and much more. It makes your visit to Grand Central more better. You can take in the sights and grab a drink downstairs. The only drawback is that it tends to be a place where most of the homeless people tend to stay, and it gets a bit crowded, but other than that it’s a cool place to check out.

Since I’ve moved from midtown to the East Village for work, the only thing I’ve missed so far is a good salad place.
Grand Central Gourmet is another one of your run-​of-​the-​mill delis that dot the streets of midtown and the financial district, specifically catering to the rat race 9 – 5 workforce with overpriced hot food buffets, salads and sandwiches.
I can’t say much for most of the food at Grand Central Gourmet – they were mostly expensive and unmemorable. However, they do have one of the best, freshest, and cheapest toss-​your-​own salad bars in the area. My usual salad consisted of the mixed greens base, with shredded carrots, cherry or chopped tomatoes, and balls of fresh mozzarella with a balsamic vinaigrette – and the total would come out to about $ 4.85! You can’t get ANYTHING for under $ 5 in midtown! I would also throw in some mixed nuts/​raisins from my own stash, and it was the perfect meal. The guys working the salad bar were also quick, efficient, and pretty nice guys.
I also used run into a coworker there during the lunch rush. We both discovered it independently and she also swears by that salad bar. We’re both still in search of a comparable salad bar in the East Village/​Union Square area but to no avail so far.

This place looked a bit hidden. If you walk by here you can easily miss it. That’s what happened to my co-​worker, who walked up and down the block not realizing this was the place we chose for lunch. I came here for lunch with a few co-​workers. I went to the Mongolian food bar and filled my tray with various veggies and meats. Then presumed to the sauces station and loaded it with a mixture of different sauces. Then went to the back and put my food on the waiting counter for the two men with giant chopsticks to cook up my food on a giant hot plate. It was quite fascinating watching them cook the food. While watching the food being sauteed, you smell the different foods and sauces mixing in with each other. Plus there are plenty of spaces to sit upstairs.
I would definitely come back here. I feel you can be as healthy as you want with the type of meat and veggies you want to pile onto your tray. I also think it is a nice place for vegetarians too.

A series of of buffet style steam tables filled with an assortment of different foods. About 7.50 a pound (i don’t remember the exact price). They have everything from fruits to lasagna to chow mein to fried rice to baked fish. The food is as you would expect. Good for a quick bite and worth the price, but nothing amazing. The potatoes were ok, a bit dry and mealy.
There is also an area for Mongolian grill, but I’m not a big fan of Mongolian grills in general.
A good work lunch spot.
review 1÷27÷2008
I.M.Y.

Come here for the Mongolian BBQ bar. Go to the BBQ bar. Go directly to the BBQ bar. Do not pass go. Do not collect $ 200. Do not look left, right, or upwards. Go to the back left (that’s southeast for all of you fancy directional people) corner and take in the trays and trays of wonderful do-​it-​yourself food combinations.
From little straw mushrooms to lo mein to asparagus sprouts to baby bok choy to tofu to mussels to scallops to thinly-​sliced beef, chicken, pork, salmon and on and on and on and on, the BBQ bar is a control freak’s wildest dream. YOU control how much pickled radish you put into your tin tray (which you pick up from the shelf to the back left/​southeast corner). YOU control how much thinly-​sliced beef you include. YOU decide how much leafy greens you want. (FYI, the leafy greens grill down to next-​to-​nothing, so if that’s your flavor, I recommend piling them on hardcore — don’t be afraid to have it overflowing.) Anyway, it’s all about YOU. YOU YOU YOU. Wow, aren’t we getting a little big for our britches?
After you’re done at the bar, go to the little sauces bar (located where the tin trays are) and load up on your marinade. Honey ginger, garlic sesame, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, peanuts, sesame seeds, and more than you can ever imagine. All at your fingertips. Then you hand it to the BBQ/​grill guys waiting at the back counter with gigantic cooking batons, and they BBQ it up on the grill for you. It’s awwwwesome.
After you’re done, you emerge from Mongolian BBQ heaven to take your tray of deliciousness to the front where they will weigh it (and it’s seriously inexpensive, too). And there’s also plenty of seating upstairs if you cannot wait to indulge yourself in your creation.
P. S.: The rice pudding here is also fan-​freaking-​tastic, and at $ 2 for a cup, it’s well worth it. Oh! And another plus — no expiration date duplicity. Yes, Café Metro (see previous review), I’m looking at YOU!