Midtown Lunch

As is customary at Philly Lunch, every Tuesday 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 Wayles, who knows a thing or two about University City eating.

Name: Wayles

Age: 29 1/4

Occupation: Education

Where in Philly do you Work?: Well, I currently work on N. Broad, but only for a few weeks. Since I worked in University City for almost 5 years, I like to still dream about my UCity lunches.

Favorite Kind of Food: I have a very healthy appetite. I like it all, especially the things I can’t make myself. Even though I love to cook, I enjoy the treat of having someone else do it. So, bottom line, I like food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Eggplant, broccoli rabe, and anything resembling a licorice taste.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: I’m going to focus on UCity, because I can’t stop thinking about it!

I’m a big fan of lunch meal deals, and I’m sure it has something to do with my oversized appetite. This trend will be evident in my list of hot spots in UCity. The first I have to mention is Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant (3626-30 Lancaster Ave). They have an $8.95 lunch special that includes 3 courses. Anymore, I opt for the Golden Rings (calamari), Lemongrass soup (a nice chicken soup with a zip), and Evil Jungle Princess, without tofu. Also, they have an extensive vegetarian menu that almost mirrors the meat-infused menu. I will warn you, the service is always a little borderline rude, and certainly don’t think about arriving close to 2pm, as that is when they promptly close (if not a moment sooner)!

But wait, much more UCity suggestions after the jump…

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Today we are getting a report on an amazing food  truck on the Philly streets from Profiled Luncher Eileen.

Walking by Drexel’s Hagerty Library (33rd & Market), I finally got to stop at La Dominique, the crepes cart. Having heard a rave recommendation from a friend who claimed the owner handpicks only the freshest, best ingredients and created heavenly crepes, I was more than eager to give it a shot!

From the outside this looks like any Joe-Next-Door food cart that sells hot dogs, cheese steaks…you know, the usual. Look a little more closely and you’ll see a cute bistro-style menu describing savory lunch crepes and sweet treat dessert crepes. Even better, these are not your average crepe options…

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Last week’s Profiled Luncher Mike reports to us on one of his favorite Thai spots in University City to try their lunch special for the first time.

I’m going to say it right now. I’m going to have trouble finding bad things to say about Thai Singha House which is located at 39th and Chestnut. Like I mentioned in my Luncher Profile, I am a big fan of ethnic food and Thai is up there among my favorite types. Here in West Philly, we have a number of Thai options such as Pattaya Grill and Thai Singha House, where I usually go. While I have been here many times in the past, I have never visited in time for their Lunch Special (which runs from 11 AM to 2:30 PM). In fact, I can’t remember the last time I went to a sit-down lunch. OK, I’m getting off track.

The first thing you will notice about Thai Singha House is that it is actually an attractive place inside. It is decorated with Thai statuettes and artwork and feels like a nice restaurant where you would eat well prepared food. I’m usually not one to care or worry about ambiance in the places where I eat, but I know this is a large concern to many people so I figure it’s worth mentioning.

After quickly looking over the lunch menu (each option is $7.95), I knew which dish I was going to order. I am generally a fan of Thai curry bowls so I opted to try their Red Curry (Gang Daeng) with Beef. I ordered and specified that I wanted it spicy. Our dishes came out lightning fast and came accompanied with a side plate of a little salad-like slaw, a mound of white rice, and an orange slice.

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My last University City taco trip at Coup de Taco was a great success, so I headed back to that area for more. An ML Philly reader praised Taco Don Memo as the best Mexican food around. Unlike Coup de Taco, Tacos Don Memo’s fare is all traditional, no Thai or Indian flavors here. The small truck serves only 4 dishes:  burritos ($6), tacos ($2), tortas($6), and tostadas ($3).

I tried the steak torta and each of the 4 taco options- steak, chicken, carnitas (roasted pork), and al pastor (pork with pineapples).  Don Memo’s Mexican food made me feel a lot less jealous about Zach’s taco fest in L.A.

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Coup de Taco opened over in University City last fall. Everyone loves a food truck, especially when the food they serve is unique. Coup de Taco had a good gimmick going, but it goes beyond that. The atypical taco fillings are very well done. The three original tacos were Sweet Thai Chicken, Indian Tikka Masala, and Southern BBQ, then the Caprese was added, and now they have Raul as a special.

According to their blog, the Thai chicken taco was the first experiment. This one happened to be my favorite.

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