Midtown Lunch

• The filet mignon stuffed Nick’s Special is impossible to resist [Bridges Burgers Beer]
• Plenty has good non meat sandwich option, like the salmon and dill cream cheese [Serious Eats]
• A Moroccan food truck has come to West Philly [Foobooz]
• The Bellevue food court is getting a German Wursts stand [Meal Ticket]
• and more sausages are coming to Center City with Underdogs taking over the spot that Argan (R.I.P.) occupied [Foobooz]

Andrew of Strada Pasta tipped me off that Chewy’s, a truck serving gussied up American food since this fall, had added chicken and waffles to the menu. I had assumed this truck just did burgers, but I realized my mistake when I saw the menu consisted of clever twists on classic food truck staples, like a kimchee egg sandwich, a BLT with granny smith apples and cider mayo, and a burger with feta and olive tapenade.  I was, however, on a chicken and waffles mission.

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Today, we are getting a report on Zento from profiled luncher Stephanie. Their doburi looks way better than the one at Fat Salmon. But be aware that soon they will be moving 2 blocks down the street from their current location.

While Philadelphia is a treasure trove of culinary offerings, the city has a serious shortage of affordable, authentic Japanese options. Imagine my sheer delight Monday morning when I walked passed Zento on my way to work, and saw a menu featuring “Express Lunch” options priced around $10.

Bento boxes, sushi combos, different donburis, and an assortment of udon… my inner glutton instantly planned my next four lunches of the week. Unable to recall the last time I had katsudon, I decided to order the “Chicken Katsu Donburi.”

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While wondering around the food carts looking for something good to eat in University City, I saw a new truck that was so plainly decorated I almost passed it by. Thankfully the picture of the arepa drew me in. I found out that Delicias is now in its second week of operation (besides a test run for a few days in early December). The ladies behind Delicias are from Venezuela. The menu has 3 things: variations of arepas (sliced griddled corn patties with fillings inside) and fried empanadas (filled turnovers) as well as choripan (sausage in a sandwich). A picture of the national dish of Venezuela and the menu after the jump…

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Photo courtesy of Phoodie

• Nan Zhou‘s $4.50 Egg and Vegetable Noodle Soup gets praise [Phoodie]
• Burger.org, which we reviewed last week, is moving to 19th and Chestnut [Meal Ticket]
• Stogie Joe’s meatball sandwich brings the flavor [22nd and Philly]
• Philly Phoodie was not as impressed with Hardena as we were [Philly Phoodie]
• Thrillist ranks their favorite pizzas in the city [Thrillist]

This week,  Luncher John gets after the falafel at Crisp.

I probably only ate my first falafel sandwich a couple of years ago. Being a big meat eater, I wasn’t sure what the fascination was with a vegetarian sandwich. Then I discovered it, and now, rarely does a week go by without eating a falafel meal of some sort. Working in Center City, I have plenty of options of where to go for a good falafel sandwich or platter. One of the more recent openings is Crisp on 18^th Street, between Market and Chestnut, and as a converted falafel enthusiast, I couldn’t wait to try to see how it stacked up with other area offerings.

Crisp opened up its Philadelphia location as its first outpost outside New York City. It prides itself on being 100 percent vegetarian, with its ingredients made daily. Not surprisingly, Crisp also is committed to being green, using recycled packaging and having separate recycling bins in its clean, bright space.

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This week I was invited by The Capital Grille to try out their new $18 plates menu. Spoiler: the lobster roll was a good enough value that it was worth sharing despite the over $10 price tag.

The new $18 lunch at Capital Grille offers an entree with a side and a soup or salad. You still get the same Capital Grille experience, complete with crumber bearing waiters and portraits of mustachioed gentleman. Each course was brought out quickly; The Grille could easily keep its promise of getting you in and out in under 45 minutes if you ask.

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