Archive for September 2014

How Midtown Lunch Philly Does a Birthday Lunch

Last week I celebrated my birthday with a crew of friends. I typically do a BYOB dinner followed by dancing, but I wanted to change it up with some daytime fun. We started at Philadelphia Brewing Company for a tour and a tasting. The tour was short and sweet and the we were able to sample a whole slew of beers, many of them quite familiar and well loved. Beer for breakfast is the American thing to do. At the advice of our tour guide, we walked directly next door to the brand new distillery and tried their gin and whiskey. So far so good. Next we sauntered about a mile to the lunch destination- Lechonera Principe.

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Lunch Links (The “Wawa Does Pizza” Edition)

Meltkraft sandwich

  • Catch the Four Seasons food truck tour today at 5th and Arch for cheesesteak spring rolls and kielbasa sandwiches [Foobooz]
  • Viet sandwich shop Cafe Nhuy has been replaced by a non-Vietnamese sandwich shop [Eater]
  • Meltkraft is opening a 2nd location in Center city [The Insider]
  • As if we needed more drunk food options, Wawa is now offering pizza  [Foobooz]

Melino’s Hoagies

I am always looking for little South Philly Italian sandwich shops I haven’t tried yet. Sandwiches from places as unassuming as Cosmi’s, Chickie’s, Ricci’s, and P & S are part of the reason I boast to out of towners about Philly’s sandwich prowess.

Melino’s is a tiny corner sandwich shop with a basic cold cut menu. The old school sign is really what caught my eye while I was walking in the neighborhood.

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Tuk Tuk Fail

Who wouldn’t be pumped about the opening of a Mexican-Thai spot on South Street? And when Tuk Tul Real, the “thai taqueria,” put out their menu, it still seemed promising- burritos, tacos, tortas, sides, and larger platters with thai flavors. But a great concept isn’t enough to carry a restaurant.

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Lunch Links (The “Fancy New Wings” Edition)

  • 22nd and Philly prefers Ba Le‘s banh mi to Nam Son’s [22nd and Philly]
  • A customizable cheesesteak spot has opened on Front Street [The Inquirer]
  • Do you prefer classic bar wings or fancy ones? Zagat has a list of new wings in town [Zagat]
  • If you are BYO lunch, try using a pizza cutter on your salad [Serious Eats]

Mt. Airy USA Street Fare

It’s been a crazy week, guys!  Yesterday was the Mt. Airy Street Fare, something I have been working on for the past few months. We saw a crowd of about 15,000 folks who ate from any of the 50 food trucks. Along the way, I got to sample from many of these food trucks. What a rough job.

Some highlights:

Potato and cheese pierogies and stuffed cabbage from Mommom’s.  Fish tacos from Just Jackie’s. Cheesesteak on a pretzel roll from Pbon’s. Not to mention all the sweets: layered strawberry champagne cake from Wonderland’s, pineapple basil pops from Mompops,  pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes from Sweetbox, and burnt sugar apple ice cream from Weckerly’s

Time to detox.

PROFILE: Philly Luncher “Anuj”

As we try to do at Philly Lunch, some Tuesdays 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 Anuj of Mt. Airy USA, who is obviously hoping ya’ll come out to Mt. Airy for the Street Fare Thursday night!

Name: Anuj

Age: 40

Occupation: Non-profit executive/attorney

Where in Philly do you Work?: Mt. Airy

Favorite Kind of Food: Almost any kind of hole-in-the wall ethnic restaurant, though nothing beats a slow-cooked smoked bbq!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: tripe flavored ice cream

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Dim Sum at Chinatown’s Ocean City (234 N 9th St) – one of the best Dim Sums in the city, but just be prepared for a long nap after lunch/brunch. Sang Kee and Salumeria in Reading Terminal (12th & Filbert).

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