Midtown Lunch

The pictures on the walls of Hamifgash caught my eye as I walked by recently, with promises of both Israeli and Turkish food and some intense giant pictures of shwarma. Unfortunately for me, it was Shabbot and the kosher restaurant was closed. I vowed to return on a less holy day.  On my return trip, the waitress, who must have also been an owner, told me she was Israeli, while her husband is Turkish- explaining how the combo restaurant came about a few years ago.  The menu leans more towards the Israeli influence, though  the main courses of grilled meats are typical to Middle Eastern cuisine in general. A few Turkish appetizers are squeezed in there, but I wish there were more. I was hugely disappointed when I found out they no longer sell lahmacun (Turkish meat pizza). The waitress explained there was just no real customer interest. That is a real shame- so I urge all Philly lunchers to get down to Hamifgash and request for lahmacun- dough, meat, spices, what is not to like about that? Great lunching potential that we are missing out on.

But on to the food they do serve…

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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 Hawk, from Drawing for Food. I absolutely love his hot dog drawings, sooo cute! I am seriously considering a print for my bedroom. Hawk’s loves include durian popsicles (really?) but he dislikes artichokes (boo!).

Name: Hawk

Age: 32

Occupation: Illustrator

Where in Philly do you Work?: Center City West / Graduate Hospital

Favorite Kind of Food: Sandwiches of all kinds. Hoagies, cheesesteaks (whiz), roast pork, braised tripe with longhots from 9th street, tortas, cubans, puerto rican pressed sandwiches filled with shredded pork. Jewish Deli sandwiches, po boys. Real BBQ and southern food, fried chicken. Pretty much anything pickled, smoked or cured. Indonesian, Vietnamese, Szechuan tongue & tripe salad. Durian popsicles. Meatballs. Tomato Pie. Frisee salad, anything with an egg on top. Creamed chipped beef on toast. Biscuits & Gravy.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: artichokes, muenster cheese, cupcakes

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Savoy (now Mexico On The Square) tacos; Little Pete’s Reuben, Hot sausage w / pepper hash from 25th & Passyunk truck, Cheesesteak from Philips (24th & Passyunk), Hoagie from Cosmi’s, Fried Green tomato and bacon hoagie at Chickie’s, Pretzel Dog from Reading Terminal. RTM in general is just a great place for lunch in Philly, at one point I ate there 2 or 3 times a week. Everybody loves Dinic’s and I have to agree, roast pork, pulled pork, they are all terrific. There’s another Dinic’s in the Navy Yard, great breakfast sandwiches and amazing chicken cutlet. Anything from LaRosa Pizza on Broad & Snyder. Fish cake combo at Moe’s Hot Dogs on Washington or Gus’s cart on 5th & South. Anything from Village Whiskey, or pretty much any Garces restaurant. Fried Oysters with Chicken Salad at Sansom Oyster House is out of this world. Also Su Xing House near 15th & Sansom, awesome vegetarian Chinese, for maybe 5 or 6 dollars you get the whole 9 yards, soup, egg roll, rice, tea, and a giant entree. Their Chinese cabbage (kale or something very close to it) with chilis is terrific.

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It was the thought of a pork lunch special that brought me to Chung King Garden. The extensive menu is trimmed down for lunch time, but even their lunch special menu has tons of options, all for $6 or $7 dollars.  Chung King Garden is one of the bigger restaurants in Chinatown and the service is fast, so you will likely be able to get seated and get served quickly. Expect Szechuan fare, though the last few pages of the menu are devoted to “American Chinese food”. If you are reading this site, you are probably somebody who knows to stay away from that section.

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Photo Courtesy of Foodzings

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