*new weekly feature for 2016: brief photo recaps + not always lunch
Up by the Elkin’s Park train station sits Alexander’s Cafe, a really cute little restaurant with a mostly American food, but I stopped in because I heard about a Polish section of the menu.
Posted at 1:26 pm, March 18th, 2016 under Other Things I Ate, Polish.
A pre New Year round up of my favorites bites is a fun excuse to look back on each year of dining. It is also incentive to get down and hold the plank position until the ball drops. Here are my 2014 eating highlights:
During my first overseas trip of the year, I ate my way through Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai!
Soon after, I started giving Chinatown Food Tours! (if you still owe someone a belated Holiday gift, its not a bad idea!)
I wrote a few fun articles for Zagat, including one on shopping at “ethnic” markets.
On an outing to Graffiti Pier in Port Richmond, I put together a Polish picnic that you can replicate.
For my birthday, we celebrated with beer and a Puerto Rican Pork feast.
I coordinated a food truck festival for 15,000 people in Mt. Airy.
On a solo vacation in Mexico City, I ate a ton of street meat.
I was really proud of my Federal Donuts costume this Halloween.
Way more, after the jump…
Posted at 12:19 pm, December 29th, 2014 under African, Center City, Chinatown, Chinese, Fairmount, food truck, Greek, Indian, Korean, Mexican, North East, North Philly, Polish, pork, Port Richmond, Puerto Rican, Russian, sit-down, snacks, soup, tacos, West Philly.
When I feast in Port Richmond, I tend to hit the same places; my beloved Syrenka and New Wave Cafe, with a stop at Krakus Market for groceries. I forced myself to branch out and give some other, equally homey Polish stops a try. First, we checked out M & M Restaurant, a Polish diner. The older woman behind the long counter first told us they were only serving breakfast at the moment; I am pretty sure my face fell a little. I didn’t come here for scrambled eggs. Then she quickly added, “Oh, I can make you some pierogies if you like?” The answer to that is always yes. And my smile came back.
Posted at 12:57 pm, July 28th, 2014 under diner, Polish, Port Richmond, snacks.
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.
Welcome Back, Happy 2013! Recently, while exploring in Port Richmond I passed a kind of seedy looking bar. But with the old school sign announcing “Fine Homemade Polish Food” I had to try it out.
Inside, we found a colorful medley of older folk enjoying a mid day beer. Speaking of, there are many Polish beer varieties like Zyweic, which I liked. If you can withstand the cigarette smoke, yes they allow that here, you should stick around for a snack.
This week I contributed my 2 cents to Zagat with a list of 6 global lunches that are not visible from the street. Check it out! Full reviews for each spot are on Midtown Lunch, so check back here for the full report.
When my girl Steph sent me a picture of a sign advertising Polish food at the Polish American Cultural Center, I ran to Old City at the first possible opportunity. Starting this month, the Center is serving lunch between the hours of 12 and 3 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Center isn’t quite sure how long they will keep up this new lunch service, but it will continue for at least 2 more months, so you have some time to get down there. The menu (after the jump) has the Polish basics. Finally we don’t have to go all the way to Port Richmond for some Polish Food!
