10 years ago the Midtown Lunch site was born in NYC, a vision of Zach Brooks to help Midtown workers spice up their lunch breaks with better meals. In 2010 I was asked to launch the Philly version of this site, which I have been doing so with love ever since, focusing on the exciting, the off the beaten path, and the under $10 lunch. Exploring and writing is largely responsible for my infatuation with Philly and all it has to offer. I receive an exorbitant amount of joy helping others appreciate this city through its food and culture. This feeling led me to start running Chinatown Food tours in 2014, another way of showcasing Philly’s culinary resources. I recently went through some job changes and saw the opportunity to travel for an extended period of time (Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand). This required me to take a break from writing for Midtown Lunch Philly, something I haven’t done in six years. It also gave me time to reevaluate the direction of the site.

I am making the decision to continue writing about food on Philly Food Adventures. Why? 1) Running one website is more efficient than running two 2) I eat out for more meals than just lunch and I cook some lovely things too and want the freedom to share 3) I want to encourage Philly residents and visitors to take food tours with me! Midtown Lunch Philly will still exist as an archive and I hope to update a map soon with old and new posts linked in.  The show isn’t over! I promise ongoing, honest food adventure recaps with the same goal, helping showcase new places or dishes that you might not have known about.

Thank you for your comments (even the inappropriate ones), suggestions, and encouragement. I hope you will continue to allow me to share with you. We’ve come a long way from this.   new social media handles- Twitter: @phlfoodguide Instagram: @phlfoodadventures Facebook: Philly Food Adventures

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As you may have noticed, it’s been a little slow on ML Philly. That’s because I have been planning a big trip to South East Asia & I leave today! My top priority is street food, naturally! If that’s your thing too, be sure to follow me on instagram and twitter for photo updates.  I will be back in a month with a full report! If you have recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments.

ลา รักคุณ

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Tasty Toast opened last summer in Point Breeze with a brunch centric menu. It’s a cute, welcoming space that seems to be well received by the neighborhood.

Skipping over the eggs, salads, and burgers- I ordered a teriyaki rice bowl. I picked chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach. My rice bowl ($10) came with a generous amount of the proteins and vegetables and a perfect amount of sauce. While I don’t love the super small sized shrimp, I appreciated each shrimp here got a turn on the griddle. I was more impressed by the greaseless chicken katsu pieces.

I would return to Tasty Toast for the creamed chipped beef or the chicken and waffles, and would also recommend the katsu rice bowl as an easy lunch in this area. The owner cares about her business and has decorated it with cactus plants from around the country. I had to take a little guy home for myself.

Tasty Toast,  1320 Point Breeze Avenue,  (215) 465-1040

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Passover is over and its time to carb up. I am incorporating something breadlike into every meal this week. Pizzeria Vetri opened its 2nd Philly location on Chancellor Street last summer. On my first visit to the original, Art Museum location, I liked the prosciutto slice of the day but was not overwhelmed with joy over the Margherita pie.  The menu is the same at both locations (and the one in Austin, TX) and I returned to try a different carb pie.

The meat slice of the day included ricotta and fancy ham on the thick, crunchy, airy crust, I liked the sprinkle of pepper to give it a kick. It worked nicely with the spicy thai chili Ballas point beer on draft.

This time, the pizza pie I went for- the pepperoni pie, is something I can get behind. We got the wood fired oven crust, the fancy mozz, but it was the tide pool of spicy meat oil dotted with crisped, curled cornered pepperoni that made this pie stand out. The smaller sized pie ($18), plus the slice of the day was enough lunch for 2.

Pizzeria Vetri, 1615 Chancellor St, (215) 763-3760

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Cleavers, a the sandwich and shake spot, opened a few months ago to replace the burgers and shake spot, Good Stuff Eatery. The layout and concept is similar, order at the counter and use the upstairs floor if you’d like to dine in. Cheesesteaks and chicken cutlet sandwiches make up most of the menu, all hovering around $10

Be assured that all sandwiches are huge, as in easily two meals worth, and be assured they will be branded with the Cleavers name on the side- a fun feature. The cheesesteaks are hearty, with good quality meat and ample cheese, though I was missing a bit of that salty greasiness that the classic Philly joints bring.

They do sides well here, I had problems not stealing all of my friend’s  mozzarella moons and waffle fries. Shakes are also good, but what is particularly more than good is the really really cheap craft beer- like Golden Monkey (9.5% abv) for $3.50 cheap. Cleavers may be your new favorite place to get drunk.

 Cleavers, 108 S. 18th St, 215.515.3828

The post At Cleavers, Come for the Giant Branded Sandwiches, Stay for the Beer (aka Just Because I’m Off Bread & Beer For Passover Doesn’t Mean You Need to Be) first appeared on Midtown Lunch: Philadelphia.

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Allergies have got me coughing pretty much non stop. I desperately needed matzah ball soup earlier this week and would have had to wait until the weekend to get some from mom. In a sleep, itchy haze I stopped at Marathon (19th and Spruce) of all places and ordered their matzah ball soup to go ($5.50). The crazier thing, it was pretty good! Fluffy, light matzah ball and well seasoned soup.

Marathon, 1839 Spruce St, 215 731 0800

For a dinner party, I stopped at the sushi kiosk at H-Mart’s food court for a few rolls. They never dissapoint, with fresh seafood and very very fair prices.

I also picked up jajungmien at my usual spot, Mandu Roo, but got it as a combo with an amazing spicy seafood soup (all about that soup this week) for $8!!!! This is probably one of the best lunch combos to exist in Philly.

H-Mart, Upper Darby Terminal Square

The post Other Things I Ate This Week: Pre Passover Matzah Ball Soup & H Mart Treats first appeared on Midtown Lunch: Philadelphia.

Hungry for tacos in Nolibs, I steered my group towards Que Chula Es Puebla.  Its one of those no -frills taco spots that are more common in South Philly. The staff happily accommodated our big group and our big bottles of tequila. To start, fresh guacamole and a goblet of mixed seafood in a tomato sauce.

I ended up ordering most of the tacos on the menu, all served authentically with cilantro, onion, radish, and lime. Favorites were the shredded beef, carnitas, and chorizo.  I will definitely keep this spot in my back packet as an affordable lunch or place to carbo load while visiting the bar establishments of Northern Liberties.

Que Chula Es Puebla, 1356 N 2nd St, 215 203-0404

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