Midtown Lunch

While I sometimes drink questionable amounts of beer at Drinker’s, I have yet to venture in to Devil’s Alley next door. Today, Luncher John lets us know we should be trying their wings. 

It’s a fact: Center City does not have a plethora of places west of Broad Street serving good barbecue. Perhaps the best such option is Devil’s Alley. Located just a couple blocks north of Rittenhouse Square at 19th and Chestnut, Devil’s Alley may seem like a typical bar and grill with a varied menu and beer selection. What separates Devil’s Alley from the rest is how well it executes its barbecue dishes.

Even though its building is somewhat narrow, Devil’s Alley certainly maximizes its space. It has two floors with outdoor seating during good weather. Glass doors on both floors can also open up on warmer days (they will be here, though its hard to remember that this week), making it appear more spacious. The limited space is evident in the bar area, where there’s not really much room for people to stand between the bar and staircase.

Read more »

Though I love Wegman’s and the shore, I am not normally a Jersey advocate, especially not for a lunch excursion- no offense to anyone, I just always get lost and confused in the state of New Jersey. But, I am here to sing a different tune after my meal at Amy’s Omlette House, a sort of mega diner.  There are 3 locations, all in NJ, the one I visited is in Cherry Hill.

The fact that I was transported to Amy’s in a car with butt warming capabilities helped ease me in to the idea of Jersey dining.  And then I saw the menu; it’s many many pages long with over 200 types of omelettes plus a completely separate menu for ice cream. And our waiter was an adorable awkward college boy home for winter break. These factors helped me forget what state I was in.

Read more »

 Photo Courtesy of Thrillist

• A “Cajun Asian” restaurant is opening in the Piazza   [Eater]
• A list of the most decadent local foods of 2013 includes more than one plate from PYT, obviously  [Thrillist]
• While I was enjoying fried chicken this week from Resurrection,  the Nashville style hot chicken at Fat Ham was getting some attention [Foobooz]
• You can vote on Philly’s best cheesesteak [Zagat]

I hate feeling like an idiot when there is a food I hear all the good things about and it takes me forever to get after it. Such was the case with the twice fried chicken from Resurrection Ale House. As it was taken off the menu for a bit, its scarcity only intensified its cult status. But it is now available daily for lunch and dinner.

Beyond the chicken, Resurrection does the ubiquitous good beer and gastropub food thing that makes me proud to be a Philly resident. Located all the way west, on Gray’s Ferry, it has a cozy, neighborhood bar feel.

Read more »

I am a big pig and have eaten hundreds of exciting lunches this past year. I am both grossed out and proud of myself when looking back at all the damage. I wrangled up my favorites of 2013 to share.

January started the year off strong, with peirogi’s from Donna’s smokey bar, Caribbean platters from Little Delicious, tom yom beef jerky from Ratchada, and the gooey mac and cheese brisket sandwich from MeltKraft.

In February, the Uzbeki meal from Samarkand was pretty legendary.

Taco truck, Taco El Rodeo was a pleasant surprise in April.

Pennsylvania 6 did the fancy business lunch right for me in May. Less fancy, but still satisfying: Poi Dog cart’s fried chicken and Campo’s monster of a meat sandwich called “The Stockyard”. Plus, this month brought the opening of Sizzling Woks (called Xi’an Famous Foods then), which meant slippery, spicy liang pi noodles in my mouth.

In June, I was obsessing over the lamb tacos at Border Springs Farm.

The meatball sandwich at Corner Foodery and the beef sandwich at Pura Vida were stand outs. Slightly more upscale, I loved the grilled pastrami and mac and cheese at Twisted Tail.

The meaty torta from American Sardine Bar and meaty burrito bowl from Animo  provided tasty protein in August.

September is beautiful in Philly. Perfect for a picnic provided by Talula’s Daily. I was also overjoyed to find pupusas at Tamalex. I also ate a large amount of pork from Freddy and Tony’s.

The sandwiches at El Soto and cheesy tacos from Quetzally satiated Mexican cravings for October. I was also in love with the bread from High Street and much of the Cambodian snacks at Kavei Express.

Rounding out the year; in the past 2 months I was impressed by the dim sum at Wokano, the Godfather sandwich from Cosmis, and the soup dumplings from I-Green.

I think its time for a salad. Please keep your fingers crossed that I fit in to my New Year’s Eve dress tonight. So- What were your favorite lunches this year?

• Eater is doing a Philly restaurant “year in review” this week, and asking food friends to help. You can read, for example, my recommendation for best newcomer [Eater]
• Zagat has the winter lunch truck schedule for The Porch [Zagat]
• A Mayan style restaurant is coming to Bella Vista [The Insider]
• Here is the menu of the new East Passyunk vegan commissary [Foobooz]

I was doing some serious diamond shopping (not) and noticed a new addition to the area -Pamir Grill and Kebob, a month old Aghani restaurant. The menu is all about kebobs and stews. Ample seating is available; I did take out and it was ready pretty quickly.

Read more »