Midtown Lunch

It had been about 8 months since my last visit to Beck’s Cajun in Reading Terminal to try the po’boy and a friend had pointed out that I missed one of their best dishes- the bread pudding. I had to return to try it, plus some other snacks I didn’t get to the first time. Some might criticize the authenticity of Beck’s, having never been to New Orleans I am not one of them. But no critic can hate on the bread pudding. My friend was correct in pointing out my omission, this dessert is not to be missed.

Read more »

• It’s that time again. Restaurant Week starts Monday and many restaurants are offering 3 course lunches [Center City Philadelphia]
• Nice deal- a pizza and a 10oz beer for $10 at City Tap [Veggicurious via Foobooz]
• Post a picture of yourself eating in University City on the Foobooz Facebook page and be eligible for a $25 restaurant gift certificate [Foobooz]
• Maru Global has some menu changes, like chicken teriyaki. Check out the full menu on Meal Ticket [Meal Ticket]
• Info on the food vendor struggle, both nationally and locally [Philly.com]

Fat Salmon is a trendy Japanese restaurant right by Washington Square Park. It opened in February and has recently gotten its liquor license approved.

The regular menu is long and comes with pretty pictures of sushi. The lunch list is a lot shorter. Besides some too small sushi combos, the only under $10 lunch special was the donburi. I was completely unfamiliar with this dish and was still not quite understanding after an explanation from my dining sidekick. It’s always good to try new things, right?

Read more »

I am always up for more tacos. I spotted Los Taquitos de Puebla while in the Italian Market, noting “cabeza de res” on the sign. Beef head tacos? You can’t get a more sure sign that a place is legit. Unfortunately, eyeball, lips, and tripe tacos were not in the cards for me on this trip. I actually can’t think of anything I would want to eat less than eyeballs (blame it on my hobby of dissecting them in grade school). But I did enjoy the more standard cow and pig part tacos.

Read more »

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 Shao from FriedWontons4u.

Name: Shao

Age: I need to be wined and dined with a box of Popeyes fried chicken before giving that answer up.

Occupation: Food blogger on most days. Unemployed Mondays through Fridays.

Where in Philly do you Work?: Currently I’m living near Center City.

Favorite Kind of Food: Seafood! Oysters, sea urchin, geoduck, salmon – if it’s living underwater, it’s going in my tummy.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: There really isn’t one food that I hate, but if drinks could be consider my answer would root beer. I know some people are passionate about it, I just can’t stand it.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Tampopo on 21st street between Chestnut and Samson. I always get the Fresh Tuna Bibimbap with brown rice and extra avocado. It’s served with a spicy gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) dressing and it is the perfect light lunch. I use to always ordered Gyutan-don (thinly sliced pieces of grilled beef tongue served with rice), but they took that off the menu a few years ago. Please bring it back!

Congee with meat ball, calf liver, pork belly, and ginger from Ting Wong (10th street) in Chinatown. I always crave this during the cold winter months. Thank goodness it’s only a few blocks from where I live.

Read more »