PhillyFoodGuys: Hittin’ the Streets for Underground Eats

 

 Chaikhana Uzbekistan [9:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Curious about Russian food? Chaikhana Uzbekistan in Northeast Philly is a good choice for the adventurous diner. Featuring cuisine from Uzbekistan, a Central Asian province of the former Soviet Union, Chaikhana offers an assortment of traditional foods designed to remind area expatriates of home. Thankfully the rest of us can get a “taste of home” too.

We would never have found Chaikhana Uzbekistan if it wasn’t for our Russian culinary guide Denis, who gave us the 411 on good Russian food in Philly. Having emigrated from Ukraine and now living in the area, we couldn’t have found a better source. It doesn’t hurt that his family used to run a restaurant just a few blocks away, either.

 

 Silk City Diner Bar and Lounge [8:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What do you get when you combine the best parts of a diner and a cool club? Spring Garden’s Silk City Diner Bar & Lounge. That’s what.

A long time favorite, The Silk City Diner was reopened in June after falling on hard times. Owner Mark Bee took some of the best parts of the original, added a heavy dose of renovation and a sprinkle of the magic that made his first project great (Northern Liberties’ North 3rd) to produce a hipster hot spot that everyone will enjoy. Any questions? Silk Citys MySpace page says it all.

 

 Karma [9:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Indian lunch buffets can offer some of the best food around, so in honor of Diwali we set out to sample some of the better Indian lunch buffets in Philadelphia to find our favorite. With Tushar at the helm (God save us), we’ve chosen a few promising candidates to investigate.

“What’s Diwali?” Trust me, don’t ask. Answers vary, so be satisfied with learning more about Diwali at Wikipedia.