Archive for November 2010

PROFILE: Philly Luncher “Dan”

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 is Dan,  local “yenta“, as we say,  for the Daily News.

Name: Dan Gross

Age: 32

Occupation: Philadelphia Daily News columnist

Where in Philly do you Work?: Broad & Callowhill

Favorite Kind of Food: Tough choice, maybe Chinese.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Bleu cheese. It should be outlawed.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: For a late lunch, the Kobe sliders/hot dogs at Sampan’s Happy Hour (124 S. 13th) are excellent and as disgustingly, and shamefully decadent as it is, so is the Cheesesteak Pretzel Burger at PYT in the Piazza at Schmidts. I also like the vegetarian ham dish and corn and tofu soup at Charles Plaza (10th & Vine) None of these are particularly regular spots for me, but they’re all good.

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Talking Tacos with Chris’ Taco Stand

Earlier this month Meal Ticket reported the opening of Chris’ Taco Stand on the Temple University Campus. Considering the number and variety of food trucks on the campus, it is a surprise it has taken this long to get some taco action up there. According to Meal Ticket, Chris went to Temple and his credentials include working at Tinto and DiBrunos. I asked Chris about what set him on his taco venture and he answered, “I started with the taco thing because of experiences that I had traveling through Mexico. I think that tacos are the perfect street food. I love that the meats were being grilled right in front of me and perfectly complimented by the the heat and acidity of the salsa.” I have to agree with him there. It is fun to watch Chris work the grill, making every taco to order  inside his tiny, shiny cart.
The menu is straight forward so far, usually with 3 different tacos every day. The steak ($3) and black bean ($2) are available daily and he switches off the pork carnitas and chicken. As all good taco stands should, Chris offers a selection of Jarritos and sodas in glass bottles.   I got to try all of Chris’ tacos and I got some intel on how he makes some of his products.

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Lunch Links (The “See you on the other side of the Tryptophan “Edition)

Truffle Fry photo courtesy of Nick Chen
  • New Mexican spot Tres Jalepenos is serving up classics plus interesting dishes like chicken with pumpkin seeds [Meal Ticket]
  • Foobooz gives up a run down of local Thanksgiving themed specials [Foobooz]
  • A look at that Barbuzzo antipasto lunch deal mentioned in the links last week, the vegetarian version [Living on the Vedge]
  • Congrats to our former University City contributor Nick, who is going to write about burgers for A Hamburger Today. First stop- 500 Burger [AHT Serious Eats]

PROFILE: Philly Luncher “Thad”

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 Thad, who runs Philly Phoodie and may be our first anti-Pho profiled luncher.

Name: Thadeus

Age: 28

Occupation: 3rd year Law Student / Law Clerk

Where in Philly do you Work?: Market East

Favorite Kind of Food: Sandwiches (of any kind).

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Pho. That’s right, I said it. I have tried and tried again to like it, but I feel the hype is just that – hype! I am never craving a big bowl of broth.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Where to start?

Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut St.) – The Dan Dan Noodles are absolutely
addictive. The Dry Fry Style pork belly is just ridiculous. Crispy, fatty, and
meltingly tender. Just be ready for the heat.

Jake’s Sandwich Board (122S. 12th St.) – Try everything. Seriously, I can’t even say what is the best. I have never had anything there I didn’t love. You can’t go wrong with the roast pork or the “Jake.”

Nan Zhou (927 Race St.) – The hand drawn noodles are on another level. I go for the noodles in pork soy sauce or noodles in peanut sauce. The noodles are certainly the star here, and those dishes are both under $4.

Falafel Nazi Food Cart (20th and Market) – Some days Christo’s there, some days he isn’t. You will most likely be lectured about how little you appreciate the effort he puts into his food. He only has chicken and falafel, sandwiches or platters. Just get one of the choices with both chicken and falafel and you will be on (a garlic-y) cloud nine. Seriously, it’s completely amazing, but you will smell like garlic for 2-3 days. Oh, and the prices change depending on his mood. $6- 10. Again, I am being serious.

I also have to give props to John’s Roast Pork for the cheesesteaks and roast pork (14 Snyder Ave), Shank’s Pier 40 for the chicken cutlets (try the marinara sauce) and cheesesteaks (Del Ave and Christian), Nick’s Roast Beef for the
roast beef sandwich and gravy fries (20th and Jackson) and Gooie Looie’s for an Italian hoagie that comes with three sandwiches’ worth of meat for $6 (Pennsport Mall). Also, P & S Ravioli for gourmet sandwiches like the spicy Italian and spicy Godfather (1722 Oregon), and D’ Alessandro’s for another high-end hoagie joint. These places keep the people of South Philly eating well.

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Thanksgiving is 365 Days a Year at The Original Turkey

It seems like Thanksgiving is everywhere these days and thoughts of stuffing have been haunting my dreams. I needed to get my fix. I recently had  my first Wawa “Gobbler” experience, which if you don’t know, is a sandwich only offered during the fall season and includes the works- turkey, stuffing, cranberry. It is a passable Thanksgiving craving satisfier, especially as a late night option. But you might have to look elsewhere if you want your turkey hand carved.  I have often passed by The Original Turkey in Reading Terminal, but it wasn’t until I noticed they serve up a Thanksgiving sandwich, called the Stuffin’ Cranberry, that my notice turned into desire.

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Lunch Links (The “Thanksgiving Sandwich Time” Edition)

Thanksgiving calzone photo courtesy of Drew Lazor
  • Thanksgiving can be neatly packed into a calzone at DP Dough [Meal Ticket]
  • Also festive, the Turducken sandwich from Jake’s [FWTS]
  • Sakura Sushi opened on Spring Garden with a sushi lunch special [CE Phood]
  • Barubuzzo is now serving lunch, including a $15 antipasta/salad/bread bad [Grub Street]

Local Sausages from the Renaissance Sausage Truck come with a Price

Back in April, the Renassiance Sausage Truck made its debut, and everyone was excited. The truck guys hopped on the organic/local bandwagon, plus they offer a vegetarian sausage. They cleverly covered all their bases. After many months, I finally got to try their product. The other menu items are fancy sodas and teas, some side dishes, and breakfast sandwiches. The organic/local thing does not come cheap, all sausages are $7 or $8 dollars. Was it worth it?

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