Midtown Lunch

Yummy Yummy would be easy to pass by, that is unless a batch of waffles is cooking up, because you will be completely powerless to resist that smell. And this is a good thing really, because inside you can pick up a few tasty snacks to make up your own dim sum lunch to take back to the office.

Yummy Yummy gets dumplings and other snacks from the Chinatown Noodle Factory across the street.  All of the small dishes are packaged  to make transporting them easy. If you are lucky, you can catch them while they are hot. Otherwise, reheat in the microwave using the wet-paper-towel method* so nothing dries out.

Check out some of Yummy Yummy’s yummy options after the jump…

*wet-paper-towel method involves draping a wet paper towel on top of all of the items before popping in the microwave

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Photo Courtesy of Hawk Krall at Drawing for Food

• The Tuscan Tony hot dog at Paesano’s is wrapped in sopressata and covered in bolognese [Serious Eats]
• Good to know for next time, Restaurant Week lunch at Zahav is a great deal [Phillyist]
• Suggestions for a fancy lunch downtown [Chowhound]
• Cichetteria 19 opened in Rittenhouse serving panini and pizza with toppings like sausage and prosciutto [NBCPhiladelphia]

Coup de Taco opened over in University City last fall. Everyone loves a food truck, especially when the food they serve is unique. Coup de Taco had a good gimmick going, but it goes beyond that. The atypical taco fillings are very well done. The three original tacos were Sweet Thai Chicken, Indian Tikka Masala, and Southern BBQ, then the Caprese was added, and now they have Raul as a special.

According to their blog, the Thai chicken taco was the first experiment. This one happened to be my favorite.

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Varga Bar has a great beer selection and is a good spot in the summer to sit outside and have brunch. They also serve lunch, including an “Express Menu” with a choice of soup and sandwich for $9. It comes with the claim that it is served within 30 minutes to get you back to work/class quickly while still allowing you the experience of a civilized mid-day meal. The ambiance it kitschy but enjoyable; they are all about the Varga pin-up girls over here, and I can’t complain about the sexy ladies painted on the ceilings or pictured on the walls.

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As is customary on 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 Ashley, a cheese loving sales assistant looking for any new lunch suggestions.

Name: Ashley

Age: 27

Occupation: Brokerage Sales Assistant

Where in Philly do you Work?: Center City East

Favorite Kind of Food: I love everything but am partial to food with tons of flavor, particularly Thai (just discovered Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai @ Race and Vine), Chinese (Terryin @ E Snyder and 4th St has amazing Orange Chicken), Vietnamese (Vietnam @ 11th and Vine), and Indian (Palace at the Ben @ Chestnut and 9th, Ekta). I love pasta, it’s a comfort food I make all the time, especially fettuccini carbonara (Pietro’s Pizzeria makes the best!). I’m also a huge cheese addict and find myself buying as much manchego cheese that I can afford at Downtown Cheese Shop in Reading Terminal. My boyfriend and I recently discovered Quince Fine Foods. They make a cured pork loin and manchego sandwich on fresh baguette with a fig jam to order! I wish I worked in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown area. Lots of wonderful places to eat around there. Oh, and raw avocados with a little salt and pepper. I just bought a handful from Iovine’s. They were on sale for $1!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This would have been a much easier question to ask if I was younger, for I was such a picky eater growing up. Nowadays, I’ll try anything. I’ve become such a foodie. But if I had to name a least favorite, I guess I would say raw celery? Something about it still makes my stomach turn. Perhaps it’s the texture. I’m not sure.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: The burrito specials at Santa Fe Burrito are great. Freshly made and affordable ($5, including drink). Falafel and Feta wrap from Sahara Grill (on 13th and Walnut). Amazingly fresh and flavorful falafel with yummy hummus and feta. Homemade soup from Grocery. Chicken and Potato Curry from Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai. The lunch specials at McGillin’s (on Drury St, near 13th) are great. Last time I lunched there, I had a stuffed chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans. It was like eating something my mom would make. Inexpensive as well. And the Volcano roll at VIC (on 20th and Sanson). Simply amazing!

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This weekend,  the little Shanghai spot near the Chinatown bus stop updated their menu.  Dim Sum Garden is maybe most known for their xiao long bao (soup dumplings) but I have found them not soupy enough for me. Their handmade noodles, on the other hand,  are outstanding. You have a choice between noodles in soup or “dry”, and while I am a soup chick, the dry saucy noodles are where its at.

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