Archive for January 2014

Lunch Links (The “Decedent Menu Updates” Edition)

Photo courtesy of Zagat

  • New menu items around town: bossam banh mi at Rotissear [Foobooz],
  • pulled pork waffles at Chhaya Cafe [Phoodie],
  • housemade sausage at Devil’s Den [Foobooz],
  • bacon wrapped meatloaf at The Abbaya [The Insider],
  • and cheesburger egg rolls at Spot Burger [Zagat]

Sa Bai Dee’s Slippery Noodles

H-Mart and the restaurant plaza surrounding it is one of my favorite and most concentrated areas for ethnic dining. The turnover rate is the one negative- your favorite new spot could be gone in a few months, as was the case with El Sabroso and their awesome pupusas. Sa Bai Dee has been around for a few years, however, so they must be doing something right. The approachable  space and menu would appeal to a wide audience. The restaurant does Thai and Loatian food, though more of the menu seems to be straight Thai.

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Ol’ Boy’s Soul Food Restaurant Fried Chicken Platter

Ol’ Boys Soul Food Restaurant opened in the summer of 2013 in an area that looks a little neglected- I say this because we parked next to an abandoned house whose first floor was covered in garbage. I can’t say I have done too much dining around the 60th and Locust area. But that might change now. Obviously from the name, I knew to expect soul food and to probably not expect a salad.  I also couldn’t not think about the beloved, and very violent Korean movie that Spike Lee remade last year (see the original, please).

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4 Years ago: ...I posted about lunch in Philly for the first time (at Rangoon). Since then I have over 1,000 published posts, most of them relating to things I've eaten. That's a lot of food. I hope I've helped make your lunch hours more exciting. Please keep reading, there is still a lot more fat and carbs to come!  

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Hugs and hot dogs,

Jamie

Center City’s Plenty Location

A few years ago I loved my sandwiches and sides at Plenty on E. Passyunk. I was all for the opening of its 2nd location at 16th and Spruce. Its 2 floor space gets pretty busy at peak hours, so you might had to plan on a take out order. The menu has the same coffee bar, breakfast, sandwich and salad configuration as the Passyunk spot. Though the ownership changed a year after my visit and the sides are no longer on the menu, the two sandwiches I loved are still there. But I wanted to try some new things.

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Lunch Links (The “Cheesesteak Squabbling” Edition)

Photo Courtesy of 22nd and Philly
  • Zagat has the scoop on the Cheese E. Wagon truck [Zagat]
  • GQ did a piece on the best cheesesteaks in Philly, whats a better read though, are the 100+ comments regarding his choices on The Insider 
  • This week in Italian Hoagies, 22nd and Philly approved of Paesano’s Daddywad, while Philly Phoodie did not love The Corner Foodery’s Godfather 
  • Lamb BBQ may be coming to Zagar’s South Philly warehouse. If you like this idea (and you should), go to the 1/22 zoning meeting [Passyunk Post

Philly’s Mobile Indian Food from the Samosa Deb Truck

In the Summer of 2012, I noticed a woman selling Indian food outside of a corner store. Turns out Deb and her husband owned the corner store and were attempting to get more attention to the Indian food she had been making and selling inside. Since then, “Samosa Deb” had enough good feedback (I vouched for her!) to invest in a truck. She now sells her homemade Indian food around town, usually outside their Dasani Market on 9th and Catherine, on Temple’s Campus, and more recently over at the Drexel food truck mecca at 33rd and Arch. Samosa Deb is a total sweetheart and I love that she is succeeding in what she loves to do. But I loved her food first, so the bias is limited!

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