Midtown Lunch

"Hey Chef Garces, mind if I snap a picture?"

Yesterday was the big opening of Garces Trading Co. I know I was not the only one frothing at the mouth in excitement over this (I am looking at you Luncher Matt).

I won’t embarrass myself by going on about how my favorite part of the lunch was getting that dimpled smile directed my way for a moment… But it was nice to see Iron Chef Garces managing the sandwich station on opening day.

The rest of the staff is equally warm and knowledgeable; though I can’t help my extreme jealousy of knowing they all got to try every menu item, including all of the cheeses.  They are happy to share though, I snagged a sample of sheep’s milk cheese and house made chorizo (both were outstanding).

Upon arrival you are warmly greeted and can choose to either be seated for a meal, you can head to the left for the cheese, meat, bakery, and take out counter, you can pick up pastries and coffee in the back, or you can purchase wine in the cellar on the right hand side. Out of walnut oil? You can grab some in the center aisle.

Is this budget friendly? Not a chance. Lunch options that are $10 or less are limited to the soups, salads, all but one of the sandwiches, and the fusilli carbonara. For my first trip, I tried the cubano sandwich.

Lots of eye candy, after the jump, I promise…

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As is customary at Philly Lunch, every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Philadelphia. This week it’s Emre, a public financial consultant with a frighteningly endless appetite…

Name: Emre

Age: 24

Occupation: Municipal Financial Consultant

Where in Philly do you Work?: Public Financial Management at Two Logan Square (18th & Arch)

Favorite Kind of Food: Seafood is definitely the king of all things I love. Oysters and mussels take the cake, but almost all animals or plants from the sea are welcome. Other favorites include beans, all types of nuts, spinach, broccoli, peppers, squash, cheese, mushrooms and okra. In general, if it’s edible, I’ll eat it and probably love it. Beer is also one of my loves and you can easily win me over with it. Caveat: It has to be real beer, not fake schwill but in fake schwill’s defense, it makes a great cheap pre-game. Dark Chocolate is my dessert of choice; I prefer 85% and above, which includes 99%. Some general rules of thumb for impressing me in terms of flavors otherwise: 1) The spicier the better. 2) Add garlic, yogurt, olive oil, maple syrup, honey, tomatoes or BBQ sauce in whatever you are cooking and I will probably love it. 3) I love animals; both when animals are alive and when animals are in my belly. 4) The more the merrier, both in terms of people and the amount of food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Overly fatty foods. No, I’m not a health nut and in fact I like it for the most part! I just didn’t grow up with it so its the newest thing to my palette and has to compete with all of my other food loves. In full disclosure, fatty foods are gaining ground on brussel sprouts. Mustard and mayo are also working their way in there as they are also new to the party.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:

Chicken Pizza Steak at Tony Jr’s on 18th between Sansom & Chestnut, however I must recommend anything there is usually pretty good. It is savory and has an awesome marinara sauce. Plus the chicken and onions add a great flavor and the bread is pretty nice.

The Shrimp and Scallop in House Sauce at Square on Square on Chestnut between 19th & 20th; it has plenty of kick and has seafood hence the smile on my face right now.

The Lunch Burger Deal at Butcher & Singer at 15th & Walnut will give you a foodgasm. It is the pinnacle of execution in terms of what you can do with a patty and a professional quality grill.

The California Burrito at Hot Tamales at JFK & 18th. 2 pounds of burrito. I feel like that should be enough except that I love it so much that I have had 2 in one sitting. You can ask any of my co-workers and they will attest to it.

There are many others but I’ll stop there.

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A few friends had raved about the buffet Indian lunch at Palace at the Ben.  At $9.95, it falls right under budget. I was hesitant about heading over there on such a snowy day; I was concerned that less traffic would affect the variety and freshness. While it was true that the traffic was way low (there were few other parties during prime lunching time), I was luckily proven wrong regarding my hypothesis. The Palace still put out their quality wares for the few of us there to enjoy it.

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Photo Courtesy of Drew Lazor at Meal Ticket

• A new thread about favorite lunches in Reading Terminal [Chowhound]
• Falafel Factory opened in Rittenhouse. Hawaiian Falafel?  [Meal Ticket]
• The flounder hoagie at 16th St Seafood sounds great [Drawing for Food]
• What makes good “blizzard food”? [Serious Eats]
• Craig LeBan talks lunch trucks [Philly.com]

How about some hearty Indonesian food to warm up? Hardena is a bit off the beaten path, but close to the Broad & Morris Station,  so it is perfectly feasible to make it there for lunch. While on a bus to NYC, a former Philly resident overheard my food related conversation and joined in to tell me I must visit Hardena. Inside the little restaurant is a steam table with Indonesian home cooking to choose from.  Hardena does not have much to offer in terms of ambiance, but the food served is quality.  For $6 you get 3 choices over rice. The nice ladies who work there are happy to explain what is in each dish that you point to and they are more than happy to slap on some hot sauce on top of your selections. I tried many of the options and came up with my ideal plate…

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Yes, our city looks gorgeous and magical under all of this snow, but can we get lunch?? Here is what’s going on with a few of the recently posted lunch spots:

Yummy Yummy, 52 N 10th  St (btw Filbert & Arch St), 215-625-9188 : open

Coup de Taco, 40th btw Locust and Spruce St, 917-817-4715: closed

Varga Bar, 942 Spruce St. (at 10th St.), 215-627-5200: open

Dim Sum Garden, 59 N. 11th St. (btw Filbert and Arch St.), 215-627-0218: no answer

Argan, 132 S. 17th St. (at Moravian St.), 215-873-6552: open

And as for hot chocolate, the Rittenhouse location  of Naked Chocolate is open for now, while the University City location is closed.

As is customary at Philly Lunch, every Tuesday we turn over the site to a different lunch’er for his or her recommendations for the best lunch in Philadelphia. This week it’s Erik, who does marketing for our great city and thinks that living and eating in Philly is the bees knees.

Name: Erik

Age: 28

Occupation: Database and E-mail Marketing

Where in Philly do you Work?: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, 17th Street between Market and Chestnut.

Favorite Kind of Food: Traditional Philadelphia Italian hoagies, roast pork, and chicken cutlet sandwiches on seeded rolls are like heaven.  Also, just about any kind of Asian food.  Different variations of chicken, rice and veggies seem to be the most satisfying lunches for me.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This might come off as a little snobby and holier-than-thou but I really try to avoid eating at large national chains for lunch in Center City.  I’m sure there is nothing drastically wrong with the taste or quality of food at these places per se, but I prefer to spend my hard-earned dime on local establishments.  We have so many unique options here…why get Subway if you can get Primo’s?

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:

Giwa (16th and Sansom) Awesome Korean. I love, love the dol sot bibimbap which is a sizzling stone bowl of rice, veggies,  egg, and choice of meat (I normally get chicken) with Korean BBQ sauce.  Absolutely perfect on a chilly winter afternoon.  A little pricey at $11+ and the place can get cramped but well worth it.  Looks like the critics agree with me on this one.

Wrap Shack (18th St. @ Sansom)  I started eating these wraps years ago when it was literally a “shack” in Old City.  Same great wraps but now with a roof over your head.  My favorites are the Thai Peanut Chicken and Southwest Ranch wraps.   They’ve expanded recently to include a full bar with some taps if you feel like enjoying an adult beverage with your lunch.  The owner is a really nice guy too.

Dibruno Bros (Chestnut St. or Comcast Center Market)  For Italian sandwiches and pre-made salads.  Good people watching in here too.

Moshi Moshi (18^th St. @ Chestnut St) Cheap sit-down sushi and bento box lunch specials.  Very quick and tasty sushi to get your fix.

El Fuego (Chestnut St. @ 20th St)   I come for fresh and delicious California-style burritos and the occasional Mexican beer.  My favorite is the chorizo burrito.

Mix (Chestnut St. @ 21st St) Pizza place across the street from El Fuego with really great garlicky crust and inventive pizzas. My favorite is definitely the BBQ chicken pizza.

Coventry Deli (Market St. btw 20th and 21st St)  I go here for large deli sandwiches with a variety of sides for reasonable prices.  The outside table area is the perfect office retreat on a nice day.

Cafe Spice (Liberty Place food court)  Indian takeout outpost of the popular Old City restaurant.  I really enjoy the chicken tikka masala and naan.

Also, I am fan of just about any food cart for quick and cheap hotdogs, soft pretzels, chicken cheesesteaks, egg and cheese, etc.  They are a great part of working in the city.  Where else can you get a full meal for just a few bucks so easily and quickly? Also, the folks manning these carts are great to chat with as they make your food.

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