Midtown Lunch

The upscale Mexican spot, Xochitl, is a little pricey for my liking. But Thursday nights are the time to go, when all food is 50% off (excluding desserts and the recently added tasting menu). Also, their delicious house margaritas are $5. This late night happy hour runs from 10pm-midnight. I was shocked at how few people were taking advantage of this. It is a great way to try out the creative menu without feeling like a moron for paying $13 for 3 tiny tacos.

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I love that Philly has multiple Indonesian restaurant to choose from. Down on Snyder is the creatively named Indonesia Restaurant. A few blocks away from the holiest hole in the wall Hardena, this spot, in contrast, has pretty table cloths and stained glass. The ambience is completely opposite from the plastic table cloths of Hardena. But at Indonesia restaurant, authentic food is not sacrificed in favor of decor.

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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 Hayley who is pho really serious about noodles.

Name: Hayley

Age: 28

Occupation: Attorney/Founder of Pho Real Asian Food Club http://phorealclub.wordpress.com & twitter: @PhoRealClub

Where in Philly do you Work?: Market East/Chinatown.

Favorite Kind of Food: Tough question – I have so many! I love Asian food, especially Vietnamese, Korean and Thai. My last meal on earth would be a big bowl of pho with extra Sriracha sauce. I even started an Asian food club so that I could take group trips to restaurants and try more dishes. My other favorite would have to be Italian; I’ve never met a plate of seafood pasta that I didn’t like. A toasted pumpernickel bagel with lox, cream cheese, and cucumbers is pretty high up on the list, as are pickles, hummus and fresh fruit from the farmers market. Last but certainly not least is grilled cheese, the ultimate comfort food (especially my dad’s version on an inside out bagel!)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Olives, all kinds. Yuck.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: work right next to the Reading Terminal Market and Chinatown, so I have a bunch of options for quick, inexpensive lunches.

I frequent Pho Cali (1000 Arch Street) the most often. They have awesome summer rolls, and will make you tofu pho when you’re in the mood for a lighter meal.

I also really like the eggplant in garlic sauce at Szechuan Tasty House (902 Arch Street). Service is fast here, and they’ll substitute brown rice for white without an extra charge or a hassle.

The beef noodle soup at Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle House (927 Race Street) is like pho’s rustic cousin, and the noodles are amazing!

For group lunches, Rangoon (112 N. 9th Street) is a great option because they have large tables and a huge menu. My favorites are the jungle tofu (green curry) and the spicy rice sticks.

As for the Reading Terminal Market my top three stops are Sang Kee, for soup with dumplings and bok choy (ask for #8), Little Thai Market for pad thai (don’t be intimidated by the line – it’s long, but it moves fast) and Beck’s Cajun Café for their daily soups (especially pumpkin bisque in the fall). For dessert, I’ll usually swing by the Fair Food Farmstand for some produce, but sometimes I get sucked in by the vanilla cupcake display at Termini Brothers Bakery.

Also, I have to mention Seo Ra Bol (5734 N. Old 2nd St), because I think they make the best Korean food in Philadelphia. During the summer of 2007, I worked for a law firm in North Philly, and I would go there almost every day for their bulgogi and sushi bento boxes. And for anyone who works in Olde City, try the beef and scallions lunch special at Han Dynasty (108 Chestnut Street) – you won’t be disappointed.

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Some hungry co-workers brought me to a favorite spot of theirs, El Principe, a small Dominican restaurant in Northwest Philly.

When you walk in, the steam table is packed with Dominican cooking, featuring stewed meats and enough pork to make me believe that Heaven gets its catering from El Principe.

Speaking Spanish definitely helps when ordering. If you don’t, just make sure you are really good at pointing.

This is a friendly warning. Clicking ahead might cause you to lick your computer screen.

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Photo Courtesy of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats

• Butcher and Singer just starting offering a $15 prix fixe lunch [Grub Street]
• Pretty much rave reviews for Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich [Serious Eats]
• Mr. Joe’ is only open during the day, the real Italian food is worth a long lunch [Mac&Cheese]
• The more bbq the better. Baby Blues is scheduled to open this fall in University City [Foobooz via The Insider]
• Do you want to learn how to make hot dog octupuses? [Serious Eats]

Pho and Cafe Viet Huong has a sit down restaurant (I hear the Pho is good) and a pick up area in the front that is perfect for grabbing some crazy looking Vietnamese snacks and banh mi. Snacks are packaged on shelves but for some items (see, shrimp snacks) you are better off asking if they are available to be made for you fresh. I usually avoid wiggly and neon items as a personal preference, but there are many available if that is your sort of thing. A few little snacks make a great lunch for cheap.

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