Midtown Lunch

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.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Reading Terminal Market – Little Thai Market. I always go for the Shrimp Pad Thai if I am on the cheap/somewhat healthy lookout, it’s $5.50, a sizeable portion and pretty tasty. The BBQ chicken skewer ($2.50) is to die for.

The Italian hoagie at Salumeria is also delicious (they have a Dijon-based vinaigrette house dressing that is stupid good). It runs about $8, but totally worth it.

Also Tommy DiNic’s Roast pork sandwich is really tasty, but the pulled pork Italian style is really the way to go. Add some sharp prov and broccoli rabe.

One more place I have to mention in there is the Rib Stand. You need to try the rib sandwich. [Oh, but I have. And I agree, love the boneless rib sandwich] They pull the meat off of the ribs, throw it in a soft hoagie roll, and add Cooper sharp (possibly the most under-rated sandwich cheese in the world, and local to our area), and homemade regular or hot barbeque sauce. Perfection.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Philadelphia. I swear, I have eaten all over, and I will put our food (sandwiches especially) against anyone’s. The only other place I would care to live solely to eat, is San Francisco. It’s hard to eat anything there that isn’t the best you have ever had.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Philly Lunch readers? Where do you get wings? The wing scene in Philly is bleak. I always head to the ‘burbs to get my fix.

Come to think of it, I also have not had any memorable wings in Center City. Locust Rendezvous wings work in a pinch, especially with $3 glasses of whatever weekly beer they have on special.

If you would like to be next week’s Profiled Philly Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email me at jamie@midtownlunch.com