Midtown Lunch

The weather was just right for a picnic in Washington Square Park – way less crowded than Rittenhouse, I don’t understand why more people don’t make the few block journey east. I saw the picnic as my chance to finally try a range of goodies from Talula’s Daily. Talula’s Garden is out of my budget. The addition of the newer, next door cafe allows us to experience the high quality fare at a more reasonable price plus the option of takeout.  I knew it was going to be a good meal when the woman next to me saw me get excited over all the choices, and informed me she has been eating here every day for a month.

Inside, Talula’s is utterly adorable. When you first walk in there is a counter for drinks and dessert (including beer!). A refrigerated section offers some to-go options, but the main counter for the eats has the sandwiches, salads, and cheeses. Its the kind of place that puts you in a good mood, due to the rustic, cute factor and because everything they serve sounds like something you want to consume.

We picked a  grilled cheese that was brought back to the open kitchen for an extra grilling. It was essentially what I hope for in a fancified but simple grilled cheese, really buttery bread and a generous amount of high end melty cheese.

A whole chunck of mac and cheese was too decadent to resist. Like the grilled cheese, your piece can be heated up in the back for instant enjoyment. Here too, you could taste that they use quality cheese. I was quite impressed that the mushroom version included hen of the woods mushroom, my favorite type and one of the more expensive mushrooms, justifying the $12 price.

The panzanella salad on top of the sandwich and salad display case looked really nice. I worried that the bread would get soggy, but the rumors that Talula’s is good at things encouraged me that they would know how to handle that potential problem. And of course, they did. The bread was crispy, and the tomato, mozzarella, artichoke combo, although simple, was very satisfying, especially on a hot day.

Not pictured, was this awesomely rich banana, peanut butter brownie thing, because we ate it too fast.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• A wide variety of high quality, delicious lunches and snacks

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Not the place to go if bang for your buck is the goal

Talula’s Daily, 208 W Washington Sq, 215 592-6555