During the recent Philly Food Blogger’s Meetup, we had the opportunity to catch up with a bunch of our friends to learn more about the places they’ve recently found and enjoyed. In our first installment, we learned about Zahav and Modo Mio; during this episode, we’ll hear about more recent favorites like Graduate Hospital’s Divan Kitchen, Chinatowns’ QT Vietnamese Sandwich Shop and Mt. Airy’s Tiffin.
Mark Schoneveld found a recent favorite in Divan Turkish Kitchen, located at 22nd and Carpenter Streets. This spot offers an exotic and delicious Mediterranean meal without going beyond what many less adventurous diners would consider. In fact, check out Mark and Audrey’s visit to Divan Turkish Kitchen on Illadates. Divan Turkish Kitchen is located at 922 S. 22nd St. Philadelphia. (215) 545-5790
Teagan clued us into QT Vietnamese Sandwich Shop. Granted, it has recently received a substantial amount of press, but I think that every shop serving Banh Mi can use as much ammunition as possible to combat the dreaded “Philly Cheesesteak scourge.” Hey, I’m just kidding, but I do think that we have too many tasty food offerings to be eclipsed by the overlord of Philly sandwiches. QT Vietnamese Sandwich is located at 48 N. 10th St. Philadelphia. By the way, Teagan isn’t the only person that likes QT Vietnamese Sandwich: David Snyder’s City Paper Review; Taylor from Mac & Cheese and Fries with That Shake like this place too. Oh yeah, that guy from the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks this place is pretty special too: Rick Nichols.
Finally, Philly restaurant fan and food blog groupie Wendy offers some insight into Tiffin’s newest location. An Indian food afficionado from way back, Wendy compares the Mt. Airy location to that of the original in Northern Liberties, shares her favorite menu items and offers a little advice for those packing in beverages to the BYOB. Tiffin, Mt. Airy is located at 7105 Emlen St. Philadelphia. (215) 242-3656
Last week’s Philly Food Blogger Meetup gave us an opportunity that we couldn’t ignore: corner some of our favorite food bloggers to uncover a few of their “secret spots.” So after a few beverages, we sat down to chat about some of their favorite lesser-known restaurants. In fact, we were lucky enough to get so many recommendations that we made two episodes. This week we’ll cover Zahav and Modo Mio.
Here’s a brief rundown
Continue reading about Philly Food Blogger Tips: Zahav and Modo Mio
Dim Sum has always seems to be a crowd favorite, so we were stoked to get the opportunity to visit Chinatown’s Ocean Harbor restaurant on a recent Saturday afternoon. Escorted by my sister Christina and her mom Joanne, we were treated to an insider’s tour of what is a traditional weekend treat for many Philadelphia-area families, Asian or otherwise. And we are all for tradition.
Philadelphia is packed with plenty of good Indian restaurants, but a good Indian lunch buffet can be hard to find. With that in mind, we selected Karma, Tandoor India, Sitar India and Uduppi Dosa House to find the best Indian lunch buffet around. Is it an exhaustive list? No, but if we didn’t limit ourselves we’d still be eating…
Without further ado, here’s how we ranked each Indian lunch buffet:
Continue reading about Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: We’re Full!
Bensalem’s Uduppi Dosa House is a bit beyond our normal scope of Philadelphia’s city limits, but that’s where we had to go to get some decent Southern Indian food. Adamant that we need to include a South Indian candidate in our Lunch Buffet Roundup, Tushar pointed us north of the border to sample some southern delicacies. I’m happy he did.
Continue reading about Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: Episode # 4
Emerging in January, Vietnam Cafe displays all of the characteristics of it’s successful Chinatown brother: excellent food in a comfortable, contemporary environment. Located in up and coming West Philly, Vietnam Cafe offers a smaller, more intimate environment complete with modern touches that are unusual for the neighborhood.
Something was amiss during our return trip to New Trieu Chau. Pulling up to the restaurant located at 1807 Washington Avenue in South Philly, something was different. At first, I thought it was me: Did we drive by and miss it? A second lap around the block proved that we hadn’t. The hole-in-the-wall spot offering great Southeast Asian food had been usurped by another! After some quick deliberation, we decided to give the replacement a shot.
Continue reading about American Idol Tragedy: 1807 Washington Ave.
Tandoor India is the third stop on the Indian Lunch Buffet Round Up and it did not disappoint. A popular place for lunch in University City, Tandoor India offers a great mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items in a well-lit, comfortable environment.
Disposing of the pleasantries, we got down to business immediately after entering Tandoor India and being shown to a table. The buffet was attractively presented and well laid out; the cold salad items and a variety of chutneys displayed first with the hot entrees and desserts afterward. All items appeared to be freshly prepared and appetizing.
Continue reading about Indian Lunch Buffet Round Up: Episode # 3
Cafe Pier One is the “other” coffee shop on Baltimore Avenue that the local hipsters have yet to discover. Owner Pamela Williams has created more than just a cozy, Afro-Beatnik joint for superb coffee, hot chocolate and tea it’s an excellent spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I happen to live right around the corner from Cafe Pier One. As of a week or so ago, I’d only had one item on their menu, the Bistro Salmon Salad. It is so awesome, I could eat it every day. A nice marinated salmon steak (or fillet, excuse me if I cannot recall this detail) atop of a bed of greens with apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, nuts AND the most amazing dressing, I don’t know what is in it but it’s tangy and terrific.
Continue reading about Cafe Pier One - Eclectic Cafe in University City
University City’s Sitar India is the second stop on our Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup. Still basking in the glow from an excellent experience at our first stop, Sitar already has some tough competition. Fortunately, Sitar India’s Indian Lunch Buffet would prove to be a worthy challenger.
I couldn’t wait to check out Sitar India for a couple reasons. First, it was recommended by several of my friends from Penn who know what they’re talking about when it comes to Indian food. Second, Sitar India claims to serve both Northern (Mogulai) and Southern Indian cuisine, which is rare. Lastly, I’m a freak for Dosas. They are my crack. I go to northern New Jersey and Queens to get my “fix.” But enough about my personal pecodillos, I digress!
Continue reading about Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: Episode # 2
