This place is actually way more appetizing than it sounds. I mean the name Lenny’s doesn’t exactly say “gourmet” to me. It would be like naming a high-end dress store “Bertha’s” or a trendy club “Sid’s.” Luckily for all of us lunching drones the clumsy name belies the plethora of goodness inside. Their stock and trade is sandwiches, lots and lots of sandwiches. While a lot of the lunch joints in the city have gone the lunch smorgasbord route, trying to be everything to everyone, Lenny’s really concentrates on sticking meat between bread. Sure they have the requisite salad bar, but it’s more an afterthought than anything else. I went for the teriyaki grilled chicken combo on a wrap. It had teriyaki grilled chicken, obviously, melted fresh mozzarella, grilled onion, lettuce, tomato and an extra spritz of teriyaki sauce to boot. The thing was deeeeelicious–warm in all the right places, cool in others. Soft in spots, and sometimes toothy and sometimes crunchy. It was a bonanza of climates and topography. And then I actually realized that this thing was going to cost me what the average Nebraskan family of five spends on dinner at a “casual dining restaurant.” Of course this is Manhattan, where the milk, judging by the price of a quart, must flow from golden utters. I guess at $7.99 pre-tax, it’s not exactly going to set your wallet aflame, but you could get like a really big beer or two at Dallas BBQ for that kind of scratch. In the meantime, I’m gonna save my nickels and get after that wrap again soon. [MF]
613 9th Ave.
212/957-7800
lennysnyc.com