Originally Posted by
c_stanley
And then what? An hour at the least-desirable-in-the-city neighborhood of midtown at 34th street and a Tad's Steak or similar? All the while stressing about making it back in time for your flight?
That neighborhood is indeed pretty uninteresting - but as
Analise suggests, there are some good Korean places a (relatively) short walk from Penn Station. For a quick bite, Bon Chon Chicken has great Korean fried chicken (in a completely different league from KFC and such). For a sit down meal, Madangsui is excellent, and right by the Empire State Building.
But, yes, only consider doing this if you can have your bags checked through. And keep an eye on the time!