New York - July 13, 2004

'Wich Way From Here

Starwich Opens

Remember the Automat?

Of course not. You were barely a zygote. Well, those stylish vending machines made lunch a no-brainer. Quarters in, sandwich out.

Now you stand in line obsessing over which of the eighteen varieties of aged balsamic you should toss into your mesclun, fingers crossed that no one sneezed near the spread.

Starwich, recently opened on 42nd Street, puts the fun back into takeout. The sandwich and salad shop’s menu includes pomegranate chicken, spicy skirt steak, softshell-crab BLT, and braised short ribs on challah. And this being 2004 and not 1964, there are low-carb, organic, and, macrobiotic options (so just pipe down, fussykins). If you don’t want it to go, you can always sit back in a sleek leather couch and try to forget you have a 2:00 meeting.

Speaking of memory, Starwich’s handy Profile Card remembers your last ten orders, as well as your three faves, so you won’t have to.

Leaving you to focus instead on what to have for dinner at the hot new retro diner around the corner.

Starwich, 525 West 42nd Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues (212-736-9170).