Midtown Lunch

I didn’t think much of South Street Souvlaki anytime I passed it while strolling down South Street, but after a few friends praised the food, I figured it was about time to go and get over my silly preconceived notions based solely on the generic facade. They must be doing something right, as they are currently celebrating their 33rd anniversary.

By the time I stopped to look at the menu in the window, I was already intrigued. You gotta appreciate any restaurant that acknowledges that crappy economic times calls for cheaper lamb.

About a year ago, South St Souvlaki adjusted their menu by making most of their entrees $9. I guess they decided to add some more options with this “new stimulus menu”.  The figs and sausage were hard to pass up, but I had to go with the waitresses whole-hearted recommendations instead.

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Photo Courtesy of Tasty Eating

• Sushi joint Zama has a new lunch menu [Phoodie]
• Lets be jealous of those who eat their lunches at the top of the Comcast building [NBC]
• Duck salad at Monk’s looks like a much better than average pub lunch [UWISHUNU]
• Healthy Bites opened this week with to-go options for lunch, like a curry chicken salad sandwich [Grubstreet]
• An out of town-er checks out Reading Terminal [Tasty Eating]

Somehow I had made it though life without ever trying Maoz. Yes, they are a chain, but any chain with such an extensive selection of as much pickled items as I can fit in my pita is really ok by me. I got the “meal deal”, the falafel in pita which comes with fries and a soft drink and went with $1 upgrade to get a fresh carrot juice instead.  You are free to stuff that pita with whatever is out on their salad bar.

The pickled carrots won my heart over. I also liked the slaw and beets. I made sure to pack the veggies in there.

Check out how big it is…

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"Hey Chef Garces, mind if I snap a picture?"

Yesterday was the big opening of Garces Trading Co. I know I was not the only one frothing at the mouth in excitement over this (I am looking at you Luncher Matt).

I won’t embarrass myself by going on about how my favorite part of the lunch was getting that dimpled smile directed my way for a moment… But it was nice to see Iron Chef Garces managing the sandwich station on opening day.

The rest of the staff is equally warm and knowledgeable; though I can’t help my extreme jealousy of knowing they all got to try every menu item, including all of the cheeses.  They are happy to share though, I snagged a sample of sheep’s milk cheese and house made chorizo (both were outstanding).

Upon arrival you are warmly greeted and can choose to either be seated for a meal, you can head to the left for the cheese, meat, bakery, and take out counter, you can pick up pastries and coffee in the back, or you can purchase wine in the cellar on the right hand side. Out of walnut oil? You can grab some in the center aisle.

Is this budget friendly? Not a chance. Lunch options that are $10 or less are limited to the soups, salads, all but one of the sandwiches, and the fusilli carbonara. For my first trip, I tried the cubano sandwich.

Lots of eye candy, after the jump, I promise…

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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 Emre, a public financial consultant with a frighteningly endless appetite…

Name: Emre

Age: 24

Occupation: Municipal Financial Consultant

Where in Philly do you Work?: Public Financial Management at Two Logan Square (18th & Arch)

Favorite Kind of Food: Seafood is definitely the king of all things I love. Oysters and mussels take the cake, but almost all animals or plants from the sea are welcome. Other favorites include beans, all types of nuts, spinach, broccoli, peppers, squash, cheese, mushrooms and okra. In general, if it’s edible, I’ll eat it and probably love it. Beer is also one of my loves and you can easily win me over with it. Caveat: It has to be real beer, not fake schwill but in fake schwill’s defense, it makes a great cheap pre-game. Dark Chocolate is my dessert of choice; I prefer 85% and above, which includes 99%. Some general rules of thumb for impressing me in terms of flavors otherwise: 1) The spicier the better. 2) Add garlic, yogurt, olive oil, maple syrup, honey, tomatoes or BBQ sauce in whatever you are cooking and I will probably love it. 3) I love animals; both when animals are alive and when animals are in my belly. 4) The more the merrier, both in terms of people and the amount of food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Overly fatty foods. No, I’m not a health nut and in fact I like it for the most part! I just didn’t grow up with it so its the newest thing to my palette and has to compete with all of my other food loves. In full disclosure, fatty foods are gaining ground on brussel sprouts. Mustard and mayo are also working their way in there as they are also new to the party.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:

Chicken Pizza Steak at Tony Jr’s on 18th between Sansom & Chestnut, however I must recommend anything there is usually pretty good. It is savory and has an awesome marinara sauce. Plus the chicken and onions add a great flavor and the bread is pretty nice.

The Shrimp and Scallop in House Sauce at Square on Square on Chestnut between 19th & 20th; it has plenty of kick and has seafood hence the smile on my face right now.

The Lunch Burger Deal at Butcher & Singer at 15th & Walnut will give you a foodgasm. It is the pinnacle of execution in terms of what you can do with a patty and a professional quality grill.

The California Burrito at Hot Tamales at JFK & 18th. 2 pounds of burrito. I feel like that should be enough except that I love it so much that I have had 2 in one sitting. You can ask any of my co-workers and they will attest to it.

There are many others but I’ll stop there.

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A few friends had raved about the buffet Indian lunch at Palace at the Ben.  At $9.95, it falls right under budget. I was hesitant about heading over there on such a snowy day; I was concerned that less traffic would affect the variety and freshness. While it was true that the traffic was way low (there were few other parties during prime lunching time), I was luckily proven wrong regarding my hypothesis. The Palace still put out their quality wares for the few of us there to enjoy it.

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Photo Courtesy of Drew Lazor at Meal Ticket

• A new thread about favorite lunches in Reading Terminal [Chowhound]
• Falafel Factory opened in Rittenhouse. Hawaiian Falafel?  [Meal Ticket]
• The flounder hoagie at 16th St Seafood sounds great [Drawing for Food]
• What makes good “blizzard food”? [Serious Eats]
• Craig LeBan talks lunch trucks [Philly.com]