Midtown Lunch

• Unlike those at Little Delicious, the patties from Jamaican Jerk Hut taste home made [Two Eat Philly]
• LaBan gives 2 bells to Khmer Kitchen, and loves the soups [Philly.com]
• You can find a chocolate covered onion in Reading Terminal [Meal Ticket]
• Openings: Valley Shepherd Creamery and Keven Parker Soul Food Cafe in Reading Terminal and Cafe L’Aube in Graduate Hospital [Foobooz] 

Syrenka, a Polish cafeteria in Port Richmond, makes some of the best potato pancakes ever. I brought some friends to check them out. We had repeats of other favorites as well; the bigos and the stuffed cabbage. But I needed to expand my horizons and consume some of the other menu items.

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Today, Luncher John checks out a new Korean food truck. 

I envy the Drexel University community, which has a vibrant food truck and cart scene in the neighborhood of 33rd Street and Arch Street. Street Food Philly, Spot, and Say Cheese are all food trucks that have made that intersection their home base. I almost wish I was still in college and without a meal plan.

One of the latest to join the outdoor “food court” (as once described by Josh from Spot) is KAMI, a food cart that opened up in early October. Operating a small but visually appealing cart, KAMI (an acronym for Korean American Menu Inspired) offers up street food versions of Korean-style dishes. It has a relatively small menu, but it has the classics (bibimbap, udon noodle stir fry, duk-bap) and does a good job explaining each dish to newcomers to Korean cuisine.

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I was afraid that the metal gates on the windows and doors meant Little Delicious, the spot I picked for a Caribbean lunch, was closed. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. Inside was a family sitting at the counter, a few tables with friends and massive plates of food, and a line of locals, anxious to get some take out. We sat at an empty table and wondered whether there was table service, or if we should line up. After a bit, we were given menus and our orders were taken. No line standing needed.  Little Delicious is located in a pretty dilapidated area. Neither the exterior nor the interior of the restaurant is pretty, but its all about the hot plates of food.

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Photo Courtesy of 22 and Philly 

• Pastrami and Things offers bulgogi sandwiches to Center City [22 and Philly]
• Has anyone tried the Halal food from the cart on 8th and Market? [Philly.com]
• A lesson on making El Rey’s chilaquiles [Phila Weekly]
• Dominos pasta bread bowl is a carby mess [Slice]

At the Midtown Village Festival I was passed a flier for a new chicken restaurant. More than just chicken though- FRIED chicken. From the owners of Sakura Mandarin, and Spice 28 came Chick-a-licious (or Chick-A-Lic as the sign says) on 11th and Walnut next to NYPD Pizza. I went there today to check out that chicken.

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Le Bercail is a small French-African restaurant in West Philly. Expect a menu mostly divided by mode of preparation with a grilled section, a fried section, and a saucy section. Inside are a few booths and smaller tables.  At lunch time, it was mostly empty, just us and one other table. The lack of a crowd did not help the fact that our waiter did not really understand us very well. He was not able to help describe some of the menu when we had questions, and he misunderstood my friends order; instead of bringing out 2 of the same order, he brought out one leaving us with 2 plates for 3 people. We were so frustrated we just shared.

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