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Lunch Break: Grown-Up Fish Sandwiches

A classic sandwich updated to grownup tastes, an inexpensive Thai lunch menu, or BBQ to make you drool - it's all in today's Lunch Break. By Yvo Sin.

Van Horn

Van Horn
(credit: eattoblog.com)

231 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 596-9707
vanhornbrooklyn.com

See Also: NYC's Best Fish & Chips

Remember when you were a kid, and fish sandwiches were squares of some unidentified fried whitefish, with a perfectly even crunchy breading – sometimes with a slice of cheese right inside it – along with a plop of tartar sauce, some lettuce, all on a squishy bun? You can still get those sandwiches of your childhood of course, but your grownup tastebuds will thank you for giving Van Horn's version a go: cornmeal-breaded fried catfish, pickle, slaw and tartar sauce, all on a soft hero. Other treats on the menu included variations of pimento cheese sandwiches (bacon, smoked sweet potato, or just pimento cheese), a North Carolina pulled pork sandwich, or a fried chicken sandwich, but you know what you really want. Add on a side of roasted beets or hush puppies with honey butter, because that's what adults do. Indulge… reasonably.

Rain Thai

Rain Thai
(credit: Rain Thai)

220 E 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 752-3333
rainthainyc.com/

Rain Thai has a lunch menu worth examining. For $8 or $8.50 (depending on your choice of protein), you get to choose from ten appetizers and fifteen main courses. Considering Thai food's reputation as rather expensive, this is more than a bargain; it's a downright steal. For a lighter option, start with the summer roll or tom yum soup – or any of the three salads offered, but go all out with your main course option with pad thai, pad see ew, or any of the multiple curry choices. At this price, you really can't go wrong with eating your way through the entire menu.

Daisy May's BBQ

(credit: feistyfoodie.com)

623 11th Avenue
New York, NY
212.977.1500
daisymaysbbq.com

See also: The 8 Best BBQ Restaurants In NYC

You want meat, and lots of it. Well, you've come to the right place. At Daisy May's, you can order Memphis dry rubbed ribs (pictured), or a jumbo beef rib that's been described as Fred Flintstone's brontosaurus-rib-big and chow down on such sides as the cheesy corn, the mashed potatoes, or the delicious beans with burnt ends. You can also order the chili, which will stick to your ribs and surely help cure what ails ya… or any of their saucy, messy sandwiches, with the meat (pulled pork, chopped Texas brisket, or BBQ chicken) coming in a separate container to prevent your sandwich from sogging up… but what you can't miss is the sweet tea with mint sprigs. Served in a Mason jar, it's the only thing you can wash all this 'cue down with.

For the latest on where to eat in the Tri-State, follow us on Twitter!

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

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