Midtown Lunch

So let’s say (heaven forbid!), heat stroke brings you to Temple Hospital, you might need a place to eat once you are discharged. For something very much off the beaten path, there is Venango BBQ Restaurant. It is small and dingy, covered in the bullet-proof glass that is a popular design element in this area.

10 combos are available, with chicken, beef, shrimp, and different cuts of steak that can be combined with your choice of fried rice, vegitables, or salad.  The combos range from $7 to $11.50. Rotisserie chicken is also available.

I was hoping to get off even cheaper, so I just went with some kebabs, sans combo.

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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 Miriam, who has some great recommendations for Kosher lunches in Center City.

Name: Miriam

Age: 29

Occupation: Director of the Jewish Graduate Student Network for Hillel of Greater Philadelphia

Where in Philly do you Work?: My office is at Penn, but I work wherever I can get wireless, which usually means coffee shops all over Center City

Favorite Kind of Food:Philly is great for vegetarian food, and even though I keep a kosher kitchen at home (and don’t eat meat anyway), I do eat vegetarian food in non-kosher restaurants. I love fancy vegetarian food (read about Horizons below), but I’m usually equally happy to sit at home with a huge plate of pasta. As a category, Indian food is my favorite, especially chana masala. Center City could really use a vegetarian Indian restaurant! I am also a total sucker for potato chips and for dessert, and in the summer, I cannot get enough water ice.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Well, meat. I also hate mushrooms. Lots of veggie food has them, but I’ll do anything to avoid them.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Su Xing House (15th and Sansom) is a vegetarian Chinese restaurant that only recently has become kosher certified, which is great news for everyone! I get the General Tso’s Veg (which is different than General Tso’s tofu and much better). Singapore Chinese (10th and Race) and New Harmony (135 N. 9th) are also kosher vegetarian Chinese places that are great. For Middle Eastern Kosher, I recommend Glatt Delight(128 S. 12th). They serve meat and don’t have a huge selection of vegetarian choices, but it’s a restaurant I really like to support, and for people looking for kosher meat, it’s one of the few options in Center City. Mama’s Vegetarian (20th b/t Chestnut and Market) has great felafel, but what really gets me there are the pickles, pickled carrots, and roasted cauliflower. Hamifgash(8th and Sansom) is another good kosher place with decent felafel. For non-kosher but vegetarian places, I love the chicken cheesesteak at Govinda’s to Go (Broad and South). The seitan curry at Mi Lah (218 S. 16th) is delicious, and though they’re not open for lunch, I can’t talk about vegetarian food without mentioning Horizons (7th and Kater). The BBQ seitan there is amazing, as is pretty much everything else on their menu.

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I feel bad for you if you are stuck at work on this gorgeous day. At least treat yourself to an after work hot dog?

Photo Courtesy of VittlesVamp

• Apparently, Philadelphians love to chat about food [Chicago Tribune]
• Denise’s jerk chicken gets some love [VittlesVamp]
• Leban gives Trading Co. 3 bells [Inquirer]
• Out of bounds languid garden lunch at The Green House Cafe [Philadelphia Weekly]
• A global- vegan spot just opened on South St… can someone else check this place out for me? I don’t know if I can handle vegan sushi [Meal Ticket]

I love Dim Sum Garden, I really do. I love that their dishes are cheap and tasty. I love that they have a big menu and that they are always adding things. So it was about time I checked out some of their new menu items.

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Found in the food court of Liberty Place, the smells from Cafe Spice Express practically waft down the elevators. I decided to break my usual rules by checking out this (gasp!) mall food court that is part of a (gasp!!) chain. After my meal at Bumblefish earlier this week, maybe I am a chain lover now?

There are several combo specials, the chicken entree and veggie entree plus naan and rice seemed perfect ($7.15). There are also combos with just veggie entrees and a 3 entree option. The entrees are laid out in a steam table for you to examine before you choose.

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