Openings

Soledad O’Brien’s Favorite Sandwich Comes to Midtown

Photo: Kyona Watts

Between this and the Oren’s flagship, the Times Square area just got a major coffee upgrade: A tipster sends in a camera-phone shot of midtown’s new Piccolo Café. It’s the second ecofriendly location of the Gramercy original, which opened in March, and we’re told the menu of pasta, panini, sandwiches, and salads (below) is already packing in workers at the New York Times Building across the street.

The diminutive café, built with reclaimed barnyard wood and all that jazz, is the offshoot of an Italian roaster that’s been in business since 1938, and the organic, low-acid coffee comes from beans that are shipped from Trieste in small batches. So what should you order for lunch? CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is a big fan of the mozzarella, tomato, and olive sandwich.

Piccolo Café Menu [PDF]

Piccolo Café, 274 W. 40th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-302-0143

Soledad O’Brien’s Favorite Sandwich Comes to Midtown