Midtown Lunch

When the gastropub Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant first opened up, my first thoughts were about how incredibly uncreative the name is. It almost turned me off completely, but then I checked out the menu, which was in contrast, pretty creative. I saw that a few sandwiches fell within the ML price range, so I headed to Old City to see if they put more time into  the food than they did in selecting a restaurant name.

Read more »

• Get the empanadas at Gavin’s before they run out [Meal Ticket]
• Crazy looking swirl pizza found in Roxborough [Slice]
• Accolades for the vegan bbq sandwich at Khyber Pass Pub [Mac&Cheese]
• New additions to Maru Global’s Spring menu [Meal Ticket]

2 weeks ago, the Yelp Community Manager Michelle reminded me of a deal that I had been meaning to try but had slipped my mind- the Thursday Fried Chicken lunch deal at Meme that has been going on since the Summer of ’09. So, as proposed, Michelle and I made our way to 22nd and Spruce to check it out together. Meme is a small restaurant normally serving rustic fare for dinner and being able to sample Chef Katz’s food for lunch is a good way to skirt the price tag of the $25 entrees.  Thursday is the only day of the week that Meme is open for lunch, and only the fried chicken and sides are available. For $11, I was willing to go over the ML price range for a classy sit down lunch.

Read more »

Today Morgan is reporting on the semi- fancy, semi- chain, Le Pain Quotidien, the name of which I could not pronounce even with a gun pointed to my head.

The first PA location of Le Pain Quotidien opened in Philadelphia on January 19th. Think classy, organic Cosi with a liquor license (eventually). You can be seated and served by a waiter, or order food, pastries, and beverages to go.

Truthfully, I was a little hesitant about trying out LPQ. I checked out the online menu of soups, salads, and open-faced sandwiches and only counted 7 selections under $10 for lunch. Of these, none really appealed to me. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I actually arrived at the restaurant. There were way more selections within the Midtown Lunch price range than the menu let on. There was a cold case of prepared sandwiches and salads (all <$10). A menu next to this case listed all their to-go selections which included several more items under $10. Also, a black board on the wall listed the current selection of take-out baguette sandwiches and these were just $7.50 a piece. That seemed to be the way to go.

Read more »

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 Phil, who clearly loves his matzah ball soup.

Name: Phil

Age: 28

Occupation: Marketing “stuff”

Where in Philly do you Work?: Center City

Favorite Kind of Food: Pizza, Schmitters [Ed. Note: I had to look this up, apparently it is a beef sandwich with fried onions] and anything with ketchup on it.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything my grandmother cooks, except for her baked and re-baked potatoes

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Marathon Grill,  Matzah ball soup. Schlessinger’s, formerly known as the Kibitz Room.
Delicatessan . . . . I think you get my favorite lunch concept.

Read more »