Good Everyday Eateries

[MarketStEl]

Sauce has like 10 bottles of wine which are all Merlot or Chardonnay.  Their pizza isn't exactly worth going out of your way for.  Tried for upscale now theyre trying for dive. And Shinju is forgettable.  But cheap eateries, yes they are.  Also NYPD and the Burrito place and the Turkish place with all the health inspection failures.  Then there's Jeweler's row...  Spruce Rana (aka SpruceORama) also has sushi, as yet untasted.  I see people sitting there eating and their faces are level with mine by the window and we both look surprised and uncomfortable to suddenly be looking directly at a stranger.

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Thought so about Sauce. There's a semi-active ongoing trashing of the place under way in the Food & Drink forum on Phillyblog.

I stumbled across the pre-opening open house Spruce Rana threw for the neighbors about three Saturdays ago. The sushi is fast-food quality--nothing to write home about, but not bad either. They also had several Korean (or Korean fusion) salads and main dishes that were really good, and which I was told would be part of their regular offerings, but I haven't seen any of these items (kimchi ravioli, yum!) on the menu.

They eat standing up in there? The market has no tables that I'm aware of; I certainly haven't noticed seating on the two subsequent visits I've made to the place.

Turkish place? Regardless of whether they pass muster with L&I, this one's new to me. What's it called, and where is it?

[guzzirider]

Turkish place?  Regardless of whether they pass muster with L&I, this one's new to me. What's it called, and where is it?

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I'm not sure which one Ducksredux is referring to, but there is a Turkish place called Konak on Vine between 2nd and 3rd.

http://www.konakturkishrestaurant.com/

I don't consider myself a connoisseur of Turkish cuisine, however, I did go there one night with a Turk friend of mine, and he's quite fond of the place. They have a $2 Tuesday deal there, where you can sample a wide array of small dishes @ $2/plate.

__Jason

[MarketStEl]

Turkish place?  Regardless of whether they pass muster with L&I, this one's new to me. What's it called, and where is it?

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I'm not sure which one Ducksredux is referring to, but there is a Turkish place called Konak on Vine between 2nd and 3rd.

http://www.konakturkishrestaurant.com/

I don't consider myself a connoisseur of Turkish cuisine, however, I did go there one night with a Turk friend of mine, and he's quite fond of the place. They have a $2 Tuesday deal there, where you can sample a wide array of small dishes @ $2/plate.

__Jason

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I know it's not that one. I live at 12th and Locust, and Jason obviously lives in the vicinity, as the places he had mentioned upthread are on either South 10th or South 11th between Sansom and Spruce.

[mrbigjas]

it's a kabob place on the NE corner of 11th & chestnut, i think. or maybe sansom. little tiny takeout place.

[Capaneus]

I wish they had street vendors in Philly (or better yet Chester County) selling falafel, chicken shashlik, gyros, etc. That's what I miss the most from when I used to work in NYC. That and a good pastrami sandwich.

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It's been a while, I hope he's still there, but the chicken and falafel pitas from the guy on the NE corner of 20th and Market didst rock. The falafel truck at 15th and JFK wasn't half bad either.

[serpentine]

it's a kabob place on the NE corner of 11th & chestnut, i think. or maybe sansom. little tiny takeout place.

Oh yeah! Either 10th or 11th and Chestnut. Used to be a sandwich shop.

Maybe I need to rethink my original position.

As with most neighborhood joints, it's all about knowing what to order. In your neighborhood, Sandy, are also Effie's, Mixto, and 10th Street Pourhouse. And there's an outpost of Tampopo on Jeweler's Row in the former Blue in Green spot. And tons of pizza, of course..Zio's, NYPD, Pandora's Lunchbox.

Remember that NYC just has more restaurants overall -- more terrific restaurants and more terrible restaurants.

[MarketStEl]

As with most neighborhood joints, it's all about knowing what to order. In your neighborhood, Sandy, are also Effie's, Mixto, and 10th Street Pourhouse. And there's an outpost of Tampopo on Jeweler's Row in the former Blue in Green spot. And tons of pizza, of course..Zio's, NYPD, Pandora's Lunchbox.

Remember that NYC just has more restaurants overall -- more terrific restaurants and more terrible restaurants.

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Yeah, hand me the knife right now. No, not for that -- so I can slice some tomatoes to put on this hoagie.

Completely forgot about Pandora's Lunchbox. And they are now open at hours when I'm around the neighborhood. They do much more than pizza well, though.

I also see the vegetarian Indian restaurant, Samosa, has also reopened under new ownership that I assume hails from the Caribbean because the sign over the door states that the place now serves "East and West Indian Vegetarian Cuisine."

Vegetarian Caribbean fare? This I gotta see.

[herbacidal]

I'll agree with all of that, and throw in cubanos.

You'd have to travel to North Philly and Tierra Colombiana for that. Best Cubanos I've had north of Miami.

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My impression of NYC and cubanos (probably somewhat faulty, I'm now realizing, because it's based on my 1 experience with cubanos in NYC) is that they're as ubiqutious in Manhattan as sneaker shops are in Center City Philly.

This is based (as mentioned above) on my 1 experience having it as takeout from a corner diner-type place on Houston in LES. It was quite good, and I miss having various kinds of cheap food just randomly available on my way to the subway (ie, wherever I was going.)

[serpentine]

I also see the vegetarian Indian restaurant, Samosa, has also reopened under new ownership that I assume hails from the Caribbean because the sign over the door states that the place now serves "East and West Indian Vegetarian Cuisine."

Vegetarian Caribbean fare? This I gotta see.

Hmm. I'll eagerly anticipate your report. If I walk fast, that neck of the woods is close for lunch during the week for me.

[DTBarton]

An interesting discussion that has identified some places to try on my next trip to Philly.

It is fun, however, for those of us who don't live in a big city with all its resources to hear the big city folks complain about a lack of eating options. Oh, if only we had an affordable eatery for every kind of domestic and ethnic cuisine on each street that was open 24 hours a day!

Just kiddin' folks. I love Philadelphia and all it offers, as many of you residents seem to be saying.

And, FWIW, the greater Annapolis area where I live keeps getting better. And Philly, Baltimore, and DC are only down the road.

[MarketStEl]

An interesting discussion that has identified some places to try on my next trip to Philly.

It is fun, however, for those of us who don't live in a big city with all its resources to hear the big city folks complain about a lack of eating options.  Oh, if only we had an affordable eatery for every kind of domestic and ethnic cuisine on each street that was open 24 hours a day! 

Just kiddin' folks.  I love Philadelphia and all it offers, as many of you residents seem to be saying.

And, FWIW, the greater Annapolis area where I live keeps getting better.  And Philly, Baltimore, and DC are only down the road.

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"greater Annapolis"

It's the best-sited and most charming of the state capitals I've visited, and quite likely the most charming of all 50, bar none. But if you can get to downtown Baltimore from there on a Maryland Transit Administration bus, which I believe you can, then you're a suburb, I'm afraid. (Unless I have the relationship between Annapolis and Baltimore backward, much as Harry S Truman would insist I had the relationship between Independence and Kansas City backward.)

Oh, and we don't have to have all of these places open 24/7. Until 10 pm weeknights and midnight weekends will do just fine for most of them; after midnight on the weekend, we're probably too plastered anyway to appreciate anything finer than the Midtown II or 13th Street Pizza.

[Ducksredux]

The New Samosa should be added to the list also. 20" delicious dosas. Dunno about their other food yet. Old Samosa was boring to the max.

[MarketStEl]

The New Samosa should be added to the list also.  20" delicious dosas.  Dunno about their other food yet. Old Samosa was boring to the max.

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You mean this new Samosa?

Maybe we should meet there sometime.

BTW, over on Phillyblog, there's news that the convenience store up the street from me at 12th and Walnut is closing, to be replaced by the first Pennsylvania outpost of the Potbelly Sandwich Works.

Somehow, the discussion managed to veer into the subject of hair loss before getting back on track.

[Neuronix]

it's a kabob place on the NE corner of 11th & chestnut, i think.  or maybe sansom.  little tiny takeout place.

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If we're talking about the same place (Cafe a la Turca I think it was called), that's gone now. It went back to being a sandwhich place for all of a month or something and last time I went by on the 42 bus I think it had a for rent sign in the window.

I've been going to Rami's middle eastern cart on Penn campus, but it's pretty far out of the way at 40th and Locust. The kabob platters at the place at the start of Gray's Ferry (23rd and Bainbridge) are suprisingly good. The coupon going around in their flier makes it a pretty good deal if you live in this area. Unfortunately I really didn't like Philly Falafel, but that's just me I guess.

I gotta go get a dosa now... How much are they? I imagine the prices aren't bad. I couldn't afford to go to Cafe Spice for that kind of thing very often. Thanks for pointing that out!

[MarketStEl]

Given how you've described your fiscal condition, Neuronix, maybe New Samosa might be a place you should check out. Again, perhaps a group inspection is in order.

[Ducksredux]

Given how you've described your fiscal condition, Neuronix, maybe New Samosa might be a place you should check out.  Again, perhaps a group inspection is in order.

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$5 and $6 dosas. Be fun to go as a group. They have 7 or 8 kinds. Over on chowhound some folks loved their buffet. I can't get excited about buffets. But ever since that article in the Times (From Mumbai to Midtown) a year or two ago I've been mad for dosas and chaat. I may make every tuesday or wednesday a dosa day. Thursday is tiffin day. Friday is tiffin leftovers. Makes up for not having married an Indian woman. 6pm Tuesday, anyone?

[MarketStEl]

Given how you've described your fiscal condition, Neuronix, maybe New Samosa might be a place you should check out.  Again, perhaps a group inspection is in order.

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$5 and $6 dosas. Be fun to go as a group. They have 7 or 8 kinds. Over on chowhound some folks loved their buffet. I can't get excited about buffets. But ever since that article in the Times (From Mumbai to Midtown) a year or two ago I've been mad for dosas and chaat. I may make every tuesday or wednesday a dosa day. Thursday is tiffin day. Friday is tiffin leftovers. Makes up for not having married an Indian woman. 6pm Tuesday, anyone?

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Not this week -- I gotta save my money for the annual CUPRAP (College and University Public Relations Association of Pennsylvania) conference in Hershey starting on Wednesday. I don't think the registration fee includes all meals.

Maybe the following week, or the week after that?

[Neuronix]

I wish I could get excited about Tiffin... Their menu includes potatoes or some type of tuber with every option, every day. It's not like I have anything against potatoes, but I thought Indian had more variety than that. I also like my Indian food spicy, the way it should be. Minar would make it good and spicy for me. Tiffin is always mild, no matter how you order it

[Ducksredux]

I wish I could get excited about Tiffin... Their menu includes potatoes or some type of tuber with every option, every day. It's not like I have anything against potatoes, but I thought Indian had more variety than that. I also like my Indian food spicy, the way it should be. Minar would make it good and spicy for me. Tiffin is always mild, no matter how you order it

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Actually their onion chutney has gotten hotter and hotter every day, but that's just a tiny side. They make their meals in advance and in bulk, so they can't add heat to order. Chiles have to be cooked into the meal. Most Indian places will just mix in a little of their chile sauce if u ask for it hotter, not exactly cooking it with the meal. Potatoes or another tuber are usually their side vegetable dish, but not always. Tubers are how you fill up if you're a vegetarian in India. You certainly don't fill up on okra. Potatoes, cauliflower and peas. Meanwhile their 2 main vegetarian dishes every day are hardly ever potatoes. Usually it's paneer or eggplant. And I don't find their meals hot, but they're hotter than what is called mild is at most Indian restaurants.