For a while now Uzbekistan has been my spot to trek to for my Uzebeki food cravings and yes I do often enough have cravings that only Uzbeki food can satisfy. A while back Craig LaBan recommended Samarkand, a bit farther and fancier than Uzbekistan, but offering a very similar menu and comparably affordable prices.
I didn’t really get Hiro Ramen, the less than a year old ramen spot on 11th and Chestnut. It almost seems like they are still in soft opening, though the actual soft opening was back in October. The website is virtually blank and there is no updated menu online. But I knew what I needed to know, they serve ramen. And since my goal is to try all of the ramen in Philly (Ramen Bar may be the only spot I haven’t tried yet), I went to check Hiro off my list.
Nina’s Trattoria is a casual Italian restaurant located in the Italian Market. Probably more thought of as a place for dinner, they are open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch as well. Expect an every day brunch menu, plus a shortened list of Italian plates from the dinner menu.
Posted at 12:48 pm, December 20th, 2012 under BYOB, Italian, Italian Market.
I love empanadas so much and there aren’t many to be found in Center City. Earlier this month Foobooz out out a list of places to find them and I was reminded of Gavin’s Cafe and their Argentinian empanadas all the way on the westernmost side of Center City.
It is a cute cafe with a few 2 top tables, but there is plenty of park space to eat nearby if the sun is out and winds are low.
Posted at 12:21 pm, November 28th, 2012 under Argentinian, BYOB, cafe, empanada, vegetarian.
Neither the name nor the look of the storefront of Shish Kabob Palace is particularly enticing. This restaurant, located in a strip mall, certainly does not conjure up the image of a “palace”. You can’t judge a palace by its cover I guess; the sizable menu did a way better job at reeling me in than the meat stick decal on the door.
This palace serves Bukharian and Russian food. Bukharia is a region of Uzbekistan. From my other dining experiences with the cuisine of Russian/former USSR countries I knew this meant I could expect funky cold salads, dumplings in various forms, soups, and skewered meats.
Posted at 1:44 pm, November 19th, 2012 under BYOB, MIddle Eastern, North East, Russian, salad, sit-down, soup, Uzbeki.
I love reading the write ups from my fellow local bloggers. I do it daily. So it was thanks to Philly Phoodie and Mac and Cheese that I learned about Mr. Joe’s Cafe, the classic, homestyle Italian spot in South Philly. With its olde time furnishings I had thought this place had been around forever, but its actually just a few years old. Adding to that old school feel, the hostess/waitress Annamaria, lauded for her front of house service, makes you feel like you are being taken care of by someone’s Italian aunt. As a disclaimer, the menu items are pretty much all over $10. But essentially with each order you are getting a 3 course meal.
Sky Cafe is a small Indonesian restaurant in South Philly. I must really like Indonesian food, since I have loved all the Philly Indonesian restaurants I have been to so far. I like that they all have their own personalities. Hardena is the mom’s kitchen, Indonesia Restaurant is the most white person friendly, Java Colonial is the Indonesian diner, and Sky Cafe is the neighborhood spot. And at Sky, no menu item is over $8.
Posted at 12:51 pm, November 8th, 2012 under BYOB, Indonesian.
