Midtown Lunch

You could easily walk by Vallari Brothers in South Philly and not notice it, the corner building is pretty run down and there is one small sign indicating there is anything being sold at all there. That is usually an indicator of a product that speaks for itself. Inside, there were bags of bread and rolls strewn around and not much for decor. We waited for an older gentleman to realize we had entered and asked him about the tomato pie advertised casually in the window.

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I was invited to check out the new food truck permanently stationed at 30th St (for the summer). From a place where commuters merely passed through, to a place to sit and relax, “The Porch” has gone through an amazing transformation in the past few years. Recently, food trucks rotated in for lunch service. As of the end of May, The Rotisserie, a Michael Schulson creation (Sampan), took over the vending, serving lunch daily as well as dinner and drinks Wednesday- Saturday.

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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…

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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.

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United by Blue is a unique clothing shop in Old City that I only just came across, though they opened in the Fall of 2013. They clean up one pound of trash from the ocean for every product sold. Plus their goods are mostly made of sustainable and organic materials. The product tags are even made out of elephant poop. Pretty cool, but why does Midtown Lunch care? Oh, because they also have a cafe inside. The menu has healthy things, naturally, like salads and wraps, plus an intense coffee and tea menu. Most importantly, for my purposes, are the HAND PUMPED to order donuts.

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Yummy Yummy is always a go- to for me when I want some Chinatown snacks without committing to a whole sit down thing. I love when new menu items are added. And in my post-Passover carb frenzy, I was happy to see they now have a takoyaki (dough balls with octopus) grill.

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Last week I was traveling in China; seeing the sites and eating the eats. Snacking all day long at little local spots was the main reason, despite MANY stressful moments, that we were glad we did not go with a tour group.  Here are some highlights:

Beijing

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