Midtown Lunch

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 Emre, a public financial consultant with a frighteningly endless appetite…

Name: Emre

Age: 24

Occupation: Municipal Financial Consultant

Where in Philly do you Work?: Public Financial Management at Two Logan Square (18th & Arch)

Favorite Kind of Food: Seafood is definitely the king of all things I love. Oysters and mussels take the cake, but almost all animals or plants from the sea are welcome. Other favorites include beans, all types of nuts, spinach, broccoli, peppers, squash, cheese, mushrooms and okra. In general, if it’s edible, I’ll eat it and probably love it. Beer is also one of my loves and you can easily win me over with it. Caveat: It has to be real beer, not fake schwill but in fake schwill’s defense, it makes a great cheap pre-game. Dark Chocolate is my dessert of choice; I prefer 85% and above, which includes 99%. Some general rules of thumb for impressing me in terms of flavors otherwise: 1) The spicier the better. 2) Add garlic, yogurt, olive oil, maple syrup, honey, tomatoes or BBQ sauce in whatever you are cooking and I will probably love it. 3) I love animals; both when animals are alive and when animals are in my belly. 4) The more the merrier, both in terms of people and the amount of food.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Overly fatty foods. No, I’m not a health nut and in fact I like it for the most part! I just didn’t grow up with it so its the newest thing to my palette and has to compete with all of my other food loves. In full disclosure, fatty foods are gaining ground on brussel sprouts. Mustard and mayo are also working their way in there as they are also new to the party.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:

Chicken Pizza Steak at Tony Jr’s on 18th between Sansom & Chestnut, however I must recommend anything there is usually pretty good. It is savory and has an awesome marinara sauce. Plus the chicken and onions add a great flavor and the bread is pretty nice.

The Shrimp and Scallop in House Sauce at Square on Square on Chestnut between 19th & 20th; it has plenty of kick and has seafood hence the smile on my face right now.

The Lunch Burger Deal at Butcher & Singer at 15th & Walnut will give you a foodgasm. It is the pinnacle of execution in terms of what you can do with a patty and a professional quality grill.

The California Burrito at Hot Tamales at JFK & 18th. 2 pounds of burrito. I feel like that should be enough except that I love it so much that I have had 2 in one sitting. You can ask any of my co-workers and they will attest to it.

There are many others but I’ll stop there.

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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 Erik, who does marketing for our great city and thinks that living and eating in Philly is the bees knees.

Name: Erik

Age: 28

Occupation: Database and E-mail Marketing

Where in Philly do you Work?: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, 17th Street between Market and Chestnut.

Favorite Kind of Food: Traditional Philadelphia Italian hoagies, roast pork, and chicken cutlet sandwiches on seeded rolls are like heaven.  Also, just about any kind of Asian food.  Different variations of chicken, rice and veggies seem to be the most satisfying lunches for me.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This might come off as a little snobby and holier-than-thou but I really try to avoid eating at large national chains for lunch in Center City.  I’m sure there is nothing drastically wrong with the taste or quality of food at these places per se, but I prefer to spend my hard-earned dime on local establishments.  We have so many unique options here…why get Subway if you can get Primo’s?

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:

Giwa (16th and Sansom) Awesome Korean. I love, love the dol sot bibimbap which is a sizzling stone bowl of rice, veggies,  egg, and choice of meat (I normally get chicken) with Korean BBQ sauce.  Absolutely perfect on a chilly winter afternoon.  A little pricey at $11+ and the place can get cramped but well worth it.  Looks like the critics agree with me on this one.

Wrap Shack (18th St. @ Sansom)  I started eating these wraps years ago when it was literally a “shack” in Old City.  Same great wraps but now with a roof over your head.  My favorites are the Thai Peanut Chicken and Southwest Ranch wraps.   They’ve expanded recently to include a full bar with some taps if you feel like enjoying an adult beverage with your lunch.  The owner is a really nice guy too.

Dibruno Bros (Chestnut St. or Comcast Center Market)  For Italian sandwiches and pre-made salads.  Good people watching in here too.

Moshi Moshi (18^th St. @ Chestnut St) Cheap sit-down sushi and bento box lunch specials.  Very quick and tasty sushi to get your fix.

El Fuego (Chestnut St. @ 20th St)   I come for fresh and delicious California-style burritos and the occasional Mexican beer.  My favorite is the chorizo burrito.

Mix (Chestnut St. @ 21st St) Pizza place across the street from El Fuego with really great garlicky crust and inventive pizzas. My favorite is definitely the BBQ chicken pizza.

Coventry Deli (Market St. btw 20th and 21st St)  I go here for large deli sandwiches with a variety of sides for reasonable prices.  The outside table area is the perfect office retreat on a nice day.

Cafe Spice (Liberty Place food court)  Indian takeout outpost of the popular Old City restaurant.  I really enjoy the chicken tikka masala and naan.

Also, I am fan of just about any food cart for quick and cheap hotdogs, soft pretzels, chicken cheesesteaks, egg and cheese, etc.  They are a great part of working in the city.  Where else can you get a full meal for just a few bucks so easily and quickly? Also, the folks manning these carts are great to chat with as they make your food.

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As is customary on 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 Ashley, a cheese loving sales assistant looking for any new lunch suggestions.

Name: Ashley

Age: 27

Occupation: Brokerage Sales Assistant

Where in Philly do you Work?: Center City East

Favorite Kind of Food: I love everything but am partial to food with tons of flavor, particularly Thai (just discovered Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai @ Race and Vine), Chinese (Terryin @ E Snyder and 4th St has amazing Orange Chicken), Vietnamese (Vietnam @ 11th and Vine), and Indian (Palace at the Ben @ Chestnut and 9th, Ekta). I love pasta, it’s a comfort food I make all the time, especially fettuccini carbonara (Pietro’s Pizzeria makes the best!). I’m also a huge cheese addict and find myself buying as much manchego cheese that I can afford at Downtown Cheese Shop in Reading Terminal. My boyfriend and I recently discovered Quince Fine Foods. They make a cured pork loin and manchego sandwich on fresh baguette with a fig jam to order! I wish I worked in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown area. Lots of wonderful places to eat around there. Oh, and raw avocados with a little salt and pepper. I just bought a handful from Iovine’s. They were on sale for $1!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: This would have been a much easier question to ask if I was younger, for I was such a picky eater growing up. Nowadays, I’ll try anything. I’ve become such a foodie. But if I had to name a least favorite, I guess I would say raw celery? Something about it still makes my stomach turn. Perhaps it’s the texture. I’m not sure.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: The burrito specials at Santa Fe Burrito are great. Freshly made and affordable ($5, including drink). Falafel and Feta wrap from Sahara Grill (on 13th and Walnut). Amazingly fresh and flavorful falafel with yummy hummus and feta. Homemade soup from Grocery. Chicken and Potato Curry from Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai. The lunch specials at McGillin’s (on Drury St, near 13th) are great. Last time I lunched there, I had a stuffed chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans. It was like eating something my mom would make. Inexpensive as well. And the Volcano roll at VIC (on 20th and Sanson). Simply amazing!

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As is now 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 Matt, a consultant who knows his deli sandwiches and is taking me to this Savoy deli place sometime soon, though he doesn’t know that yet…

Name: Matt

Age: 27

Occupation: Management Consultant / Resident foodie

Where in Philly do you Work?: 18th and Market…and wherever else in the world they send me (right now exploring Midtown East in NY — which is MUCH better for lunch than White Marsh, MD)

Favorite Kind of Food: Tough question. Nothing beats old school Russian Jewish food to me (kishke, kreplach, chopped liver, etc.) but that’s because I grew up on it. I also will always go for Japanese and Korean food as it’s pretty healthy and clean without sacrificing on taste. I love me a good arepa, although I haven’t checked out Sazon yet.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Grapefruit. I don’t know what it is but I can’t do it.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly:In terms of generic sandwiches, the Reuben at Old Nelson Deli is surprisingly fantastic — they just get the balances down pat; the Brian at Coventry Deli (2000 Market St @ 20th)  is another favorite (garlicky greens, pears, turkey, muenster on sourdough), and if I’m up for a walk, the turkey schwartzie at Primo’s is also solid. Gia Pronto makes a mean Chicken Parm, and Marco is a great guy — I’ve known him since he first opened the store at Penn.

Outside of that, I’m a huge fan of the falafel at Mama’s Vegetarian, the beef chow fun at Yue Kee Mobile Kitchen (if you’re there, it’s a good excuse to get some Stumptown coffee from Hub Bub next “door”), Magic Meatballs (with cheese and hot sauce) from Magic Carpet (I swear, you’ll forget it’s tofu), and the chicken torta at Tacos Don Memo. (3800 Sansom St. @38th St.)  The Jerk Chicken at Gigi and BigR’s is pretty great too. If I’m really aggressive and can get to the terminal market, I’m getting me a plate of Sang Kee duck, rice, and greens and maybe having a peking duck roll on the side. Keeping under $10, I can live off two rolls and a miso soup from Vic Sushi (2035 Sansom St.  btw 20th and 21st) any day of the week. I live in Rittenhouse so on Saturdays sometimes I’ll grab tamales from Savoy Flowers, just don’t be put off by the randomness of the deli. (262 S 18th St. @ Manning St.)

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As will be customary here on 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 Earl, a former lawyer who has deli meat nightmares and is looking for a place to deliver some hot pho to further his noodle binge. Thanks for taking the plunge and being our first ever Philly Lunch profile!

Name: Earl

Age: 31

Occupation: Attorney/Grad student. More the latter than the former at present.

Where in Philly do you Work?: Last full time job was @ 16th and Market. These days, I mostly work from home in Center City.

Favorite Kind of Food: This depends on my mood, really. I’ll go through phases where I’ll eat one type of food for a while or cycle through a few different types of cuisine. I’m big on Asian foods- Korean, Indian, Malaysian, Vietnamese. I’m partial to intense, bold flavors, having grown up eating Korean food every day- my mom’s a kick ass cook. Currently, I’m in a noodle soup phase- mostly because it’s been way too cold. I like my pho from Pho Ha on 6th and Washington, and in Chinatown, I’ll hit up Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House (Race btw 9th and 10th St). I like to watch my noodles magically transform from a ball of dough to countless, thin, yummy strands of noodles before my eyes. I’ll I go through BBQ kicks now and again. My favorites are Tommy Gunn’s and Percy Street (burnt ends!) on 9th and South St. This summer, I went on a month long burger binge- I had to stop because I was getting fat. My 2 current faves are at Square 1682 (17th btw Walnut and Chestnut St) and Noble (Sansom btw 20th and 21st St). One of these days, I’ll have to try the Whiskey King. I also have an on and off, torrid affair with corn beef specials. I like mine from Kibitz Room (the whole, naturally) on Locust btw 15th and 16th and Hershel’s in Reading Terminal Market.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Mac and cheese (unless it’s perfectly made), pasta with alfredo sauce, cold cuts. I don’t like cheese as a sauce. It makes a decent addition, but as the feature presentation, no. While I’m on that topic- no wiz on my cheesesteaks. I prefer melted American. That’s how I grew up eating them in the ghetto and that’s what a cheesesteak is to me. Also, both Pat’s and Geno’s are complete crap. As for deli meats, I’m disgusted with the whole idea and general spirit of cold cuts- I had a traumatic childhood with way too many Italian hoagies. Have you guessed? I am a Philadelphian.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Crazy Falafel Guy- cart located on NE corner of 20th and Market. Look for the smoke coming from his charcoal grill. My order: Sandwich (please). You will reek of garlic and char grilled chicken for 2 days, but it is so worth it. His food is worth waiting 45 minutes in line, worth the $8 or whatever he charges now, worth standing in the cold, the rain, the snow, and worth not getting laid at least that night, because no one in their right mind would kiss someone that smells that strongly of garlic.

Honest Tom’s Taco truck- 33rd and Arch, across from the Drexel beach volleyball courts. $6 for 2 chicken tacos. Totally worth the time (at least 15 minutes to cook), the money, and the trip up there, if you’re taking the subway or biking, as I do. Definitely go for some french pressed Stumptown coffee. Believe the hype.

Reading Terminal Market- Hershel’s 1/2 corned beef special and cup of matzo ball soup can’t be beat. It’s a lot of home made, delicious food, and plus tip, about $9.

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