Iron Tower Deli Shop opened up 2 months, bringing some competition to QT’s banh mi monopoly in Chinatown. Besides the Viet sandwiches, the small menu focuses on French and Vietnamese food including crepes, rice pudding, fresh juices, peppercorn duck pate, and chocolate orange fudge.
Posted at 12:32 pm, February 9th, 2012 under Chinatown, sandwiches.
This week, Luncher John is at a Center City deli for big portions.
One block off Rittenhouse Square at the corner of 19th and Sansom is Rachael’s Nosheri, a Jewish delicatessen serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Many restaurants and delis in Center City have come and gone through the years, but Rachael’s has been open since 1994. The secrets of how it’s stood the test of time: an enormous menu, huge portions, and really good food.
Rachael’s is very much a family-run business, owned by the parents of its namesake, Rachael Cohen. Oftentimes, Rachael and her mother work the cash register and oversee the establishment, all the while bantering back and forth. The servers reflect the atmosphere and are generally helpful and accommodating of your requests.
The lunch menu for Rachael’s is extremely extensive. You can choose soups, fish platters, salads, sandwiches, cold platters, hoagies, and wraps in addition to sides and desserts. Then, if you still can’t find what you want, there are daily specials, like gumbo.
Posted at 8:11 am, February 8th, 2012 under deli, sandwiches.
Back at the Meatball Competition at the Swedish Museum, I was in charge of focusing my attentions on the talented amateur contestants. I had a lot meatballs to try, and I didn’t really have the stomach room to sample from the professional competitors vying for the people’s choice award. I did manage to sneak a try of a meatball from Dad’s Stuffing. While Pastificio was the ultimate winner, I heard Dad’s came in second, and their meatball stuck out in my mind and was good enough to make me check out their South Philly spot.
Dad’s Stuffing is located on Ritner street, if you have never been, I want to paint this picture for you. While walking to Dad’s, I passed a duo of older gentleman speaking Italian and setting up dominos on a little sidewalk table. Adorable.
The tiny storefront holds the quintessential Italian deli, where the brothers running the shop are the 4th generation to work there. All of the customers looked like regulars. It makes you contemplate moving into the neighborhood.
And it is far from just stuffing and meatballs here. Every inch of the deli is crammed with sauces and prepared foods. But I stuck to what I came for.
Posted at 11:14 am, February 6th, 2012 under Italian, South Philly, meatballs, sandwiches.
This week, Luncher John tries out the combo dealage at Percy Street’s Comcast Center location.
Percy Street Barbecue opened up on South Street in 2009, serving Texas-style barbecue to the masses. Most other area barbecue establishments specialize in other styles, such as Carolina barbecue, but Texas barbecue isn’t as common in this area of the country. Fortunately, Percy Street fills that niche well, and recently, it debuted a sandwich shop at the Comcast Center. Now, Center City workers don’t have too far to travel to sample some great barbecue.
Percy Street’s new spot is right at the entrance of the Market and Shops at the Comcast Center. The space is small, with room to place your order at one counter before picking up your drinks and dessert and paying at the other end. A server then brings you the remainder of your order, and you can eat it in the market’s seating area. It’s an efficient operation, which is a good thing considering how busy Percy Street has been since its opening.
As a huge barbecue fan, I was definitely looking forward to how the food, served typically in platters, would translate to sandwiches. Here, there are six sandwich options, including chopped brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, sliced brisket, spicy barbecue chicken and boneless ribs. There are also five different sides of pinto beans, collard greens, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese and vegan chili. The sandwiches are either $8 or $9, with sides at $3, but the combo allows you to pick a sandwich, side and drink for $10 (tax included). In other words, you’d be a fool to skip out on the deal (which falls right on the Midtown Lunch limit).
Posted at 7:46 am, February 1st, 2012 under bbq, sandwiches.
Bill’s is a laid back luncheonette sort of hidden on Sansom street. They serve breakfast and lunch during the week. Expect a slew of inexpensive sandwiches and some salads. There are a few tables to sit at, but they fill up during lunch time, so take out may have to happen. Bill also makes a different soup fresh every morning. I started with that.
Posted at 9:41 am, January 23rd, 2012 under diner, sandwiches, soup.
This week I was invited by The Capital Grille to try out their new $18 plates menu. Spoiler: the lobster roll was a good enough value that it was worth sharing despite the over $10 price tag.
The new $18 lunch at Capital Grille offers an entree with a side and a soup or salad. You still get the same Capital Grille experience, complete with crumber bearing waiters and portraits of mustachioed gentleman. Each course was brought out quickly; The Grille could easily keep its promise of getting you in and out in under 45 minutes if you ask.
Posted at 8:01 am, January 11th, 2012 under burger, sandwiches, sit-down, soup.
Philly’s Cafe is a welcoming spot on Walnut Street offering sandwiches, soups, and pastries along with a list of caffeinated beverages. On a warmer day, grabbing a sandwich and sitting in Washington Square Park would be a solid idea, but enjoying a warm drink and relaxing inside the cafe while watching everyone else bustle about is perfect for a January afternoon. I knew that the space was formerly occupied by Danny’s and served Vietnamese hoagies. I was happy to find out that I did not blow my chances of banh mi and tea because Philly’s Cafe is serving them.
Posted at 9:20 am, January 2nd, 2012 under cafe, sandwiches, soup.
