Midtown Lunch

Today, recently Profiled Luncher Rachel checks out a new food truck in UCity.

At Penn, people think they are food cart experts. You constantly overhear conversations about “my regular order at Bui’s, or how “Obviously the people at Magic Carpet  know me.” That being said, new food carts on campus are no small deal, especially this one. When I heard that Marrakesh, a restaurant previously a little further west than I’d probably venture, gave up its storefront for a food cart closer to campus, I could not wait to be one of the first to try it. People who knew the place raved, and people who though they new food carts (me included) got very excited.

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Pitruco Pizza sells pizza pies from their shiny, mobile wood fired oven equipped truck. Pitruco offers 6 different pizzas ranging from $6.50 to $9. The pies are heated up and presented on a big round cardboard plate or in a box for you. A single pie is enough for a hearty lunch. It was so hard to choose from the tempting descriptions, I got two (there were leftovers, I swear).

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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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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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• This guy is eating nothing but tacos all month, including Taco Riendo, Honest Tom’s, Tyson’s Bees, Guapos Tacos, and Jose’s Tacos [Month of Tacos via Thrillist]
• Schlesinger’s sandwiches use the best rye bread [22nd and Philly]
• The Inquirer is going food truck crazy with articles about, running a food truck, LeBan’s favorite new food trucks, and the artisenal food truck trend

Two buszes opened on campus this year on Temple’s campus catering to undergraduate cravings, the  Cheese Busz and the Burger Busz. They park close to each other on 13th Street. I am not quite sure why 2 buses were needed for menus that are pretty basic, but it probably helps cut down on lines.

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The row of trucks along Montgomery Street on Temple Campus is  home to at least half a dozen trucks that specialize in things like chicken cheesesteaks. The recent addition of the Vernalicious truck brings instead comfort foods and  not a cheesesteak in sight. Verna, a former optician, and her boyfriend Dave are the friendly couple behind the truck, and they have a good sense of what the people want.  One important thing to know before you go over: whether or not they can even bring their truck out on a particular day and what foods they have to offer completely depends on their food suppliers, whose schedule isn’t completely finalized yet. So be sure to check on Twitter or Facebook to see if they will be out before heading over.

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