Midtown Lunch

Are you going to the 4th Food Trust Night Market in Chinatown tonight?? From 7-11 in the heart of Chinatown you can buy snacks, drinks, or produce from the following local (or suburban) places:

Avenida, Cantina, Capogiro, Chewys (new truck alert), Chinatown Cafe, Cosmic Catering, Crepewalk, Cuba Libre, Dapper Dog, Foo Truck (new truck alert), Geechee Girl, Gigi and Big R, Guapos Tacos, Hardena, Hong Kong Bakery, Hubub Coffee, Jimmies Cupcake, Local 215/ Strada Pasta, Los Taquitos de Puebla, Made in the Shade, Mamma Maria, Maru, Nomad Pizza, Not by Bread Alone, Pitruco Pizza, Queens Farm, QT Vietnamese Sandwich, Renaissance Sausage, Royal Tavern, Salvatore’s Groceria, Say Cheese (new truck alert), Sweetbox, Mini Trini (new truck alert), Veggie Lovers, Vernalicious (new truck alert), Yards, Yummy Yummy, and Zsa’s ice cream.

Is Chinatown ready for all of this? Are you ready?

I will be there towards the end of it helping and cleaning up, so don’t make too much of a mess for me to clean and say hi if you see me!

Jose’s Mexican Food is a  Mexican taco joint that is a perfect example of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” with its bleak, dirty brick facade and a sign on either side to indicate you are in the right place. As we crossed the street, I had to swear to my timid friend that she was going to love it. Inside the small restaurant are a few tables to sit at and a busy grill top area behind the counter where some of the magic goes on. Jose’s seems to be big on take out, but either way you are better off calling in your order ahead of time. And even if you don’t call, it is still worth the wait.

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Since I didn’t solve my seafood cravings at Snocky’s, I sought out some seafood over rice at Tampopo, a small Japanese restaurant on 21st Street. Bibimbap and donburi bowls take up most of the menu, which is great for gluten free  dining, or you can try a bento box or their udon and soba noodles.  There was one dish in particular that I knew I had to have.

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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 Alethia from Philly Homegrown, who likes to dine on local pork.

Name: Alethia

Age: 33

Occupation: Director of Philly Homegrown

Where in Philly do you Work?: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

Favorite Kind of Food: anything with pork – and preferably local, sustainably raised heritage breed pork (even more specific – from Wyebrook Farms near Downingtown, PA)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything with broccoli in it

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch in Philly: Pumpkin Market, Wedge and Fig and Fried Chicken Thursdays at Meme.
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Photo courtesy of Philly Phoodie

I didn’t want to listen to the bad things I heard about Snocky’s. I had once tried their oysters at a tasting event, and thought they were exquisitely fresh, so how bad could their food be? Snocky’s Oyster house has been around for almost 100 years, serving seafood sandwiches and platters in a diner-like environment. You want to like it there, but the kitchen makes that to be a challenge.

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• Crisp has opened in Center City, with lots of falafel and toppings [Meal Ticket]
• Questlove is thinking about a food truck but needs advice. Questlove- I would be happy to give you a consult on what the peoples want! [Grub Street]
• sweetgreen is serving flawless salads in UCity [Phila Weekly]
• 22nd and Philly loves the bulgogi cheesesteak at Koja truck as much as I do [22nd and Philly]

Recently Zinc advertised their 2 course duck preparation for 2 and it sounds insane; seared duck breast carved table side followed by grilled legs and wings. This will set you back $85. Not exactly Midtown Lunch friendly. So I wanted to find an affordable version. At Sang Kee in Chinatown, 1/2 a duck, also served 2 ways (take that Zinc) is a mere $20. Leave it to  Sang Kee, to allow us to feel a little fancy and filled with duck for $10 a person.

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