Midtown Lunch

Herban Quality Eats opened two months ago in University City, offering healthy fast food that tops out at $12 a platter.  The concept was birthed from Wharton Business School grads and cultivated at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises- now I’ve heard some stereotypes about Wharton folks, but this idea is admirable and fills a lunch time gap for easy, fast, healthy, non cardboard.

Pick a base, protein, 2 sides, and a sauce. Proteins are the important part, right? They include- steak, chicken, salmon, and vegan balls.  My order looked like this: Himalayan red rice, steak, spinach salad,  and brussel sprouts with the walnut coriander sauce ($11).  Firstly, I liked the steak- it wasn’t cooked to death, and I liked the green sauce. All other sides were as expected. The beauty is in the balance, you feel like you are getting a balanced meal without making a sacrificing. This is sort of like something I would prepare at home if I had done thoughtful grocery shopping that week and if you really think about it, given what it would cost to purchase all the ingredients- this platter is a legit value. Especially when other healthy food shops sell small juices for the same price (more on that another day).

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Fast and balanced lunch

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Basic recipes

Herban Quality Eats, 3601 Market St, 267 281-8920