Mid City Kitchen

Among downtowners' favorite quick breakfast, lunch and dinner-to-go hotspots, this one ranks high. Mid City calls its cuisine "fast casual," and reminds us of the coolest Manhattan diners on Broadway. There's an organic coffee bar and, better yet, a hot soup bar that always offers both creamed soups and hearty, more standard fare like Chicken Noodle. On the sandwich front, the best include the cold Mr. Beef, roast beef with cheddar cheese, balsamic onions, lettuce and tomato on a kaiser roll, or the Virginia Ham and Swiss, spiked with sun-dried tomato-basil relish, lettuce and tomato on a hoagie roll. Hot items worth trying include the Sage Chicken Sandwich, a grilled breast with red onion, tomato and sage aioli on a Kaiser roll; and the Wisconsin bratwurst smothered in beer-braised onions and peppers and served with spicy mustard. Amazing!