Lunch! (2003-2012)

[viaChgo]

Pork Cheek Sandwich from Salumi in Seattle. Its a special that only comes around a few weeks out of the year.

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That looks incredible!! At first glance, I thought it was an Italian Beef sandwich (Chicago-style). But then I see it's made with PORK CHEEKS!! WOW!

Must figure out how to get me one of those.

[handmc]

I had pulled porkand slaw on a potato roll. I smoked 2 shoulders on sunday in the freezing cold. Not one of my brighter ideas. It was worth it though, spicy good, smoky, porky goodness.

Best lunch in ages.

[Shaya]

I don't normally have time to enjoy or treat myself to a nice lunch - too busy catering to my very hungry children. But today I managed to pull it off - I had a homemade Montreal-style bagel, cream cheese, cuke, smoked salmon and avocado. Took one bite and was in heaven - it was like having sushi in a bagel, the way the sesame seeds tied it all together - a real treat!

[gini]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that bison is still a rather trendy item, not widely available yet.

I probably was wrong in this impression even before I had lunch on the 17th, because the diners I occasionally frequent now offer at least bison burgers, and one of them even serves a bison steak.

I'm pretty sure it's not all that trendy and is pretty widely available (says the girl who's mother lives 15 minutes from a bison farm and gets bison shipped to her!). I've seen it all over bars and pubs now for about 4 years.

It was a little on the dry side.

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Bison is not as fatty as beef, and the burgers are often very, very lean. I usually just sear them in a grill pan and eat them bleu (rawish) on the inside. Anything more than medium rare and they do tend to be dry.

[suzilightning]

ate the FIRST sandwich at An American Grill :

Lamb tenderloin sliced thin and marinated with garlic, baltic sea salt & rosemary with carmelized onions and a pink horseradish dressing.

but brought another one home for by breakfast and johnnybird's lunch ( with the attendant potato salad)

this was one of the most amazing things i have ever eaten - sweet, sour, salty and mostly meaty!!!!! and lamb

[emilyr]

So I was just planning on grabbing some soup at Panera today, but they were packed (a new Kohl's opened near by and I was in the post shopping rush I think). Luckily, I decided to be a bit adventurous and tried out a restaurant next door that I'd never been to before. It's called Okii Mama, and it might be a chain. It's pan-asian and quick. And it was AWESOME!

I had grilled chicken with a wasabi cream sauce and topped with toasted black sesame seeds, stir fried noodles, and these amazing green beans. I got the food in less than ten minutes, but I could tell that it was all pretty fresh. The chicken had some sort of teriyaki marinade, but wasn't too salty or too sweet. It was most and a little smoky from the grill. The wasabi sauce had just the right amount of kick. The noodles had big (but not overwhelming) bits of garlic and ginger, and the green beans had an obscene - but SO good - amount of garlic and butter. It's a good thing I'm not kissing anyone special tonight!

Anyway. I'm definitely going to try this place again soon.

ETA: Curiosity got the best of me, and so I googled Okii Mama. It's not a chain. So ifyou're in the Columbia, MO, area, check it out. Here's an online review.

Edited March 3, 2006 by emilyr (log)

[Milt]

So I was just planning on grabbing some soup at Panera today, but they were packed (a new Kohl's opened near by and I was in the post shopping rush I think). Luckily, I decided to be a bit adventurous and tried out a restaurant next door that I'd never been to before. It's called Okii Mama, and it might be a chain. It's pan-asian and quick. And it was AWESOME!

I had grilled chicken with a wasabi cream sauce and topped with toasted black sesame seeds, stir fried noodles, and these amazing green beans. I got the food in less than ten minutes, but I could tell that it was all pretty fresh. The chicken had some sort of teriyaki marinade, but wasn't too salty or too sweet. It was most and a little smoky from the grill. The wasabi sauce had just the right amount of kick. The noodles had big (but not overwhelming) bits of garlic and ginger, and the green beans had an obscene - but SO good - amount of garlic and butter. It's a good thing I'm not kissing anyone special tonight!

Anyway. I'm definitely going to try this place again soon.

ETA: Curiosity got the best of me, and so I googled Okii Mama. It's not a chain. So ifyou're in the Columbia, MO, area, check it out. Here's an online review.

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Your experience reminded me of an observation I have made numerous times. Ethnic eateries are less popular - therefore much likelier to serve you quickly. This has especially been true around the Atlanta area aon Valentine's Day. Popular restaurants raise their prices and are fully committed long before the special day arrives. We can go to any one of a number of wonderful ethnic eateries without a reservation - be seated immediately - and have a wonderful meal at regular prices.

The next time we are through Columbia (probably this summer), we will try Okii Mama. It sounds like my kind of place.

[lesfen]

The office provided lunch for us today. Barberton Chicken dinners from Milich's. I like their chicken a lot, but it doesn't travel well so I got the pike. It was ok... the breading was pretty thick and a little chewy, but it was nice and salty. I could only choke down a handful of the lard fried french fries, but the hot sauce always goes down easy. Actually, I managed to scam a few extra servings of that yummy stuff from my co-workers. I'm not a big coleslaw eater but I do like this simple vinegar recipe that all the chicken joints around here serve.

[Megan Blocker]

Today I needed to use up some odds and ends from the fridge, and ended up making a sort of modified carbonara...I crisped a few lardons, removed them from the pan, and then sauteed some onion and garlic in the bacon fat left behind. I deglazed the pan with a little cider vinegar, and added some defrosted frozen corn and the bacon, then grabbed a little pasta cooking water and let it all cook up together - also threw a good deal of black pepper in the mix.

Then I tossed it all with penne and some parmesan cheese...very good, better than I expected! And a great way to use up some really disjointed stuff from the fridge and freezer.

Edited March 5, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Ling]

^Yummmm! That looks great!

I'm eating pork schnitzel and gravy, mashed potatoes, and corn leftover from last night's dinner.

[Megan Blocker]

Thanks, Ling! Yours sounds good, too! It reminds me so much of a meal that they used to serve at my prep school...they always served chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn together. It was one of the few things they did really well.

I'm sure yours is ten times better than theirs ever was, though.

[Pan]

My "lunch" is roasted, unsalted almonds. (Actually, I've been munching on them on and off since I got up around 2 P.M. I deserved the extra sleep after a long day of teaching plus a 45-minute recital of solo flute music!) These good-quality almonds were purchased at Dowel, the recently-renovated Bangladeshi spices and sundries store on 1st Av. between 5th and 6th streets. Other recent purchases there have included organic dried Turkish apricots (tasty and, um, good for regularity ) and Bangladeshi-style sweetened orange-colored yogurt.

[lesfen]

I had my first Gyro on Saturday. I know!! 31 years without a Gyro! Can you believe it?

It... was... amazing.

Steve's Gyros at the West Side Market in Cleveland. My my my. My husband stopped and said that he was getting a gyro for lunch and I was toying with the idea of getting a brat. Then I saw the guy in the gyro stall frying up the pitas and thought, "what the hell..." Best decision I've made in a long time. Hubby and I took our gyros and sat in the balcony over looking the market and feasted. The meat was moist and spicy, the veggies were crisp, the pita was soft, and the garlic, cuke, and yogurt sauce was really out of this world. My husband said that it was way more aggressive in flavor than most of the sauces that he's had... full on garlic flavor... yum!! I'm hooked.

It was the best meal that I've had in a long time. Best date with my husband in a long time too.

Edited March 6, 2006 by lesfen (log)

[acautrell]

I'm eating my current favorite lunch:

roasted red pepper, tomato, cucumber, spinach, avocado and Havarti on a toasted bun, with some wasabi-flavored dressing.

So simple, but so good.

Cadbury Creme Egg to follow!

[MarketStEl]

Today: my second car tour of Chester, courtesy of our Vice President for Government and Community Relations, who gave me a completely different perspective on the city from the one I got from a Student Services staffer on my first tour, even as we covered much the same territory in both.

I got to see an eye-popping event space that isn't relevant to the topic at hand, but I sure hope to be part of a catered dinner in it someday. (Maybe I'll post the pix to my own blog later.)

Then we went to a place the VP for G&CR told me and my überboss, the Vice President for University Relations, had the best sandwiches in town:

The guy in the shades holding the door open is the VP for G&CR. The woman walking in past him is the VP for UR.

Before we sat down to eat, I got to meet someone that it will probably be useful for me to know:

That's Mayor Wendell N. Butler, Jr. (Rep.) on the left.

Then we got down to business. All three of us ordered the "Special," which--like all the hoagies this place serves--can be had cold or grilled. We had ours grilled. It consists of ham, cappacola, roasted hot and sweet peppers, sharp Provolone and prosciutto:

It was as advertised--the best sandwich I've had so far in Chester. And the shop--a couple of blocks from the Delaware in a somewhat rundown neighborhood southwest of the forlorn downtown--was bustling all the time we were there.

We all agreed that if this place were located close to Widener, it would do a land-office business.

Edited March 9, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[handmc]

Sandy that sandwhich looks great. I have to get down to Chester to give it a try. Do you happen to know the street address?

P.S. Pink Shirts look great on a man. Particularly with a stripped tie. I know it is one of my favorite combinations.

[MarketStEl]

Sandy that sandwhich looks great. I have to get down to Chester to give it a try. Do you happen to know the street address?

Stacky's Sandwich Shop

225 Concord Avenue (at 3rd Street)

Chester, PA 19013

Phone: 610-874-6430

Fax: 610-874-5300

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

The shop is one block off of Second Street/Industrial Highway (PA 291), about 1/4 mile W of Chester City Hall.

Closest SEPTA service: Bus Route 113 runs along 3rd Street and stops at 3rd and Concord. Catch it Marcus Hook-bound at 69th Street Terminal (Market-Frankford Line), Darby Transportation Center (Trolley Routes 13 [peak hours only] and 11) or Chester Transportation Center (R2 Wilmington/Newark Regional Rail line).

Edited to add: The Special really is all that, but the bag of chips is extra.

P.S. Pink Shirts look great on a man. Particularly with a stripped tie. I know it is one of my favorite combinations.

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Thanks. Actually, the shirt is striped too--it doesn't show well in this picture.

I also have a lavender dress shirt that I wear with a necktie patterned after Van Gogh's "Irises". That combo gets approving comments from my co-workers.

Edited March 10, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[santo_grace]

I went to a new place in the Loop, SpaCafe, and had a chicken and brie quesanini (isn't that fun to say) and a side of cucumber salad. It was very good and definetely worth a visit back.

[Susan G]

I'm on the downside of a 48 hour shift....lunch was a packed 36 hours ago and frozen until this morning: Lamb and spinach curry with a raita and some eggplant pickle. (My co-workers, to a man, said, "What's *that*???)

[MissAmy]

I had a Freebird's Burrito. For those who don't know, Freebird's is an immensely popular student hang-out with an outpost in College Station as well. You choose what kind of tortilla you want, what kind of cheese and beans, then go down the line with your own personal burrito-builder and pick what you want. It's fun, tasty, and cheap!

I had a spinach tortilla filled with black beans, rice, cheddar cheese, marinated steak, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, and cilantro. I'm stuffed!

[christine007]

Sandy, nice to cyber meet you. Both you and your sandwich are very handsome.

I'm getting over being terribly sick. It's in the sixites here in Ohio, unheard of, the mildest winter in decades. I had some tomato soup and a breakfast sandwich from Bob Evans that was actually quite good, especially since I put extra cheese on it!

[MarketStEl]

Sandy, nice to cyber meet you. Both you and your sandwich are very handsome.

<blush>Thanks.</blush>

I'm getting over being terribly sick. It's in the sixites here in Ohio, unheard of, the mildest winter in decades. I had some tomato soup and a breakfast sandwich from Bob Evans that was actually quite good, especially since I put extra cheese on it!

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Didn't Bob Evans originate in Ohio?

How does the home version stack up against the restaurant?

[Rehovot]

Lunch was fajitas, today; yesterday, we had chili. (I was feeling very homesick for southwestern U.S. food.)

Spicy is good!

[C. sapidus]

lesfen: welcome to the happy world of gyro-lovers. Gyros, carrot cake, and baklava from a Greek deli served as primary sustenance for a few summers when I was balancing summer classes and work. Wonderful stuff, but unfortunately no good local purveyors where I live now.

Yesterday, I had a rare lunch at home and experimented with a new version of Alfredo sauce. I usually follow Marcella Hazen’s approach, letting the heat of the pasta melt the butter, and then adding parmesan with nutmeg and just enough cream for the sauce to stick to the pasta. After reading the food smells thread, I was looking for an excuse to sauté garlic in butter. Accordingly, I used the garlic-infused butter in the Alfredo sauce. Yummy!

Angel hair pasta works well when you are in a hurry.

Bruce

[christine007]

Sandy, yes I'm pretty sure that Bob Evans started up here in northeast Ohio.

The Sandwich is not bad at all, I'd give it two thumbs up. I think because it's made of two things Bob Evans does really well, tender flaky biscuit and nicely spiced, not too fatty sausage. I don't buy a lot of "fast" food, but I do try to have a few things on hand for when I'm too sick to cook.

And, they were under a dollar apiece which really helped!

I'm thinking about having another one for lunch today.