Archive for August 2010

Fill up your Coin Purse at Szechuan Tasty House

I was in the mood for something spicy, so I headed to Szechuan Tasty House, a small Szechuan restaurant which offers both familiar Chinese dishes and some more exciting ones. The regular menu has countless dishes under $10 and a Monday- Saturday $6 lunch special that includes an entree, rice, and soup.

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Lunch Links (The “Italian Soup Dumpling” Edition)

Photo Courtesy of Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel at The Philadelphia Inquirer

  • Meal Ticket wants Desi Chaat House to bring on the heat. Their slideshow of chaat pics is lovely [Meal Ticket]
  • A New Yorker falls in love with the Turkey Sandwich at Reading Terminal’s Original Turkey [The Blog that Ate Manhattan]
  • A video clip of eco- friendly Green Eggs Cafe in South Philly shows us giant sandwiches [NBC Philadelphia]
  • Can anyone report back on the recently opened Karmichael’s Cafe? [Meal Ticket]
  • The cauliflower raviolo that comes with the halibut lunch at Lacroix is like an “exotic, Italianized soup dumpling” [The Inquirer]

Using Cupcake Day to Try out Naked’s Varieties

Today we are getting a report on the cupcakes at Naked Chocolate from Profiled Luncher Eileen.

Although yesterday was National Cupcake Day, EVERY Wednesday is Cupcake Day at the Naked Chocolate in University  City. That’s because on Wednesdays, if you buy 2 cupcakes, you get the third for $1, which is a pretty good deal since their cupcakes are jumbo-sized compared to the original Naked Chocolate on Chestnut St. (The reason for this is that all Naked Chocolate locations are branching out and becoming more independent, although their chocolates are still from the same source) The deal helped me more affordably get  sense of which cupcakes are the most delicious.
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On the Quest for Mexican Food: El Jarocho plus… ML Philly’s Mexican Restaurant Ranking

With Jimmy’s question yesterday about good Mexican in Philly, I turned to El Jarocho, suggested by Luncher MWinston. El Jarocho is a small Mexican restaurant on the corner of 13th and Elsworth. The menu has breakfast items, burritos, sandwiches, and tacos, plus bigger entrees that cost over $10. How does it compare to the rest of what Philly has to offer?

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PROFILE: Philly Luncher “Jimmy”

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 Jimmy, a handsome Texas native who likes his tacos in the morning.

Name: Jimmy Pickles

Age: 24

Occupation: Student / Resident Caretaker of 4 grown ass men

Where in Philly do you Work?: 15th and Chestnut

Favorite Kind of Food: Mexican is my favorite kind of food, not only because it’s simple and delicious, and the focus is on fresh ingredients, but also because no matter what you get, it goes well with alcohol. It also reminds me of home (Austin, TX). There may be nothing in the world more perfect than fajitas and ritas in the sun. Oh, and breakfast tacos. I realize that no one reading this knows what I’m talking about, so ask a friend from the South- breakfast tacos change lives.

Beyond that, anything cooked by my mom, anything with too much fat, anything that costs nothing, and anything involving the elements of “pork” and “bun”.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Ooo. Soup (yes I’m serious, and no, I won’t explain myself). Also, Indian food- I can’t stand overwhelmingly vegetarian fare and I’ve never met a curry chicken that wasn’t at least 80% dried out. Also, pears. Because they taste like sand.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: This is Philly, so I feel the need to say that you can find the best cheesesteaks in this beautiful city at Dalessandro’s in Roxborough. Go try one and end the debate for yourself.

Jake’s Sandwich Board (12th and Sansom) is one of my favorites, basically anything you order is amazing. And the staff is knowledgeable and competent and there’s usually an owner around, which are big plusses for me. You can never go wrong at Reading Terminal, and if you go between Tuesday and Saturday, there’s a Dutch Amish diner place (I think it’s called Hatville Farms) that has a completley ridiculous turkey and gravy sandwich. And it kills me to say this, but I really do like the pizza at Zavino (13th and Sansom) even though it’s overpriced and the staff all graduated early because they were too cool for school.

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Out of Town Special Occasions Call for Garces Trading Co.

I am out of town today, celebrating my Mom’s birthday. What to get for the lady who has everything? Cured meat from Garces Trading Co! Their meat counter is both exciting and expensive, perfect for creating your own gift bag of charcuterie. The jovial staff behind the counters could not be more helpful. They offer an endless supply of suggestions and samples. I got good advice on what would travel well. Don’t be afraid to ask!

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Lunch Links (The “Sushi Lunch vs Sushi Lunch” Edition)

Grilled Bologna sandwich, Photo Courtesy of Fries with that Shake
  • Philadelphia Weekly enjoyed most of the food at Muntin but is nervous about their staying power. I completely agree! [Philadelphia Weekly]
  • In other sushi news, Sumo recently opened. Unlike Muntin, their lunch specials do not fall under $10. [Meal Ticket]
  • Johnny Brenda’s serves some decent non- burger sandwiches [FWTS]
  • Foobooz notices a new DiBrunos addition and thinks it could make a solid lunch- soft shell crabs on a bed of fried wontons [Foobooz]
  • Cream Puffs come to Center City. Have a look at them in a slide show. [Grub Steet]