Midtown Lunch

High Street on Market is the new darling of Old City and for good reason. Though Chef Eli Culp teased us with sandwich making in action Vines, the lunch staple formerly known as Fork etc transitioned quickly to High Street and continued providing baked goods and lunch to the neighborhood. Take out and dine in are both still possible. The main difference, besides the newly developed dinner menu, is that everything has been slightly elevated while maintaining a reasonable price point. And though the name might suggest a menu of pizza topped with Funions and Twinkies dipped in Nutella, its more of a place you can use to casually impress an out of town relative  than a stoner’s retreat.

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This weekend was the 4th Annual Meatball Matchup at the American Swedish Histpril Museum. I judged the amaetuer competitors along with Hawk Krall and was reminded of a review he wrote a while back about the sandwiches made at the tiny El Soto Deli & Grocery.

El Soto was even smaller than I imagined, just a few shelved stocked with things like jalepeno chips, tropical jello flavors, and mole starter kits plus a counter to pay at one end and a counter to order from their selections of sandwiches at the other end.

While they don’t make their own stuff here- the deli meat is mostly Dietz & Watson, they do have great options for sandwich accompaniments and were flexible enough to let me create me own.

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I don’t really love that they named their restaurant Soup Kitchen Cafe.  To me, this name for-profit cafe it seems to be making light of the locations that provide desperately needed food to hungry people who can’t afford it. I get that soup is a big draw here, but you could incorporate “soup” in to your name so many other creative ways right?

• Souper Duper Cafe
• Souperior Kitchen
• Soupbliminal Cooking and Friends

I am going assume that was not their intention at all, and let it slide, especially since I was really happy with my lunch there. The owner seems like a nice guy. And its a good thing that Soup Kitchen Cafe is bringing comfort food to a developing part of Philly.

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I was never really sure what Wrap Shack’s deal was. They like to advertise Long Island iced tea pitchers and have a full bar. But they also have about a million different kinds of affordable wraps plus outdoor seating close to Rittenhouse Square.  It was time to shack it out.

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I’ll admit, I am not extremely well versed in Philly’s authentic banh mi scene. Something about the trendiness of liking it a few years ago made me shy away. Philly has a plethora of Viet bakeries and restaurants serving banh mi for me to familiarize myself with. I started with Ba Le on 6th and Washington.  Read more »

Today Luncher John gives us the run down of another local food truck

The growth in the food truck scene is positive not just for those operating trucks but also for local food producers. Most of these food trucks source their ingredients from local farms and bakeries, which keeps the food fresh and costs down. Farm Truck follows the same philosophy in showcasing the high quality food produced by area farms and bakeries, along with local art that is often hung up on the truck itself. More permanently, it is decorated in an array of colors and with several farm animals. Farm Truck has been making stops at The Porch at 30th Street, City Hall Courtyard and the Navy Yard.
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El Gallo Pinto and its Nicaraguan delicacies had been on my mind. It was over 2 years ago that I visited the spot on 7th and Federal and learned the scoop, a Mexican grocery store with Mexican and Nicaraguan food served out the back. It seems that soon after my visit, ownership changed and instead of Nicaraguan and Mexican food, they now do Honduran and Mexican food and call themselves Tamalex. The signage outside still reflects the old name. As Honduras and Nicaragua are neighbors, and the layout looked unchanged, I was optimistic I would still enjoy the impending meal.

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