PhillyFoodGuys: Hittin’ the Streets for Underground Eats

 

 Lucky Strike Lanes [7:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Center City’s Lucky Strike Lanes has something for everyone with equal parts bowling, bar and restaurant. Maybe the best way to describe Lucky Strike is bowling lounge and restaurant? I dunno, but however you describe it, Lucky Strike Lanes is a cool place to dust off your game, have a few cocktails and maybe even dinner.

Granted, Lucky Strike is a chain and we didn’t get the opportunity to sample the food. To be honest, I couldn’t tell whether Philadelphia Weekly’s Fall 2006 review was positive or negative, but based on what we saw, but I’d give it a chance. Regardless, we enjoyed the bar, bowled a few games and had a great time.

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.

 

 Sitar India [10:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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!

 

 Feast of the Seven Fishes [10:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With the holidays upon us, including the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes , we thought we’d do something different after stumbling upon a unique opportunity: A Contest.

Author and Feast Freak Bob Tinnell contacted us about two upcoming events in Philly promoting his book, Feast of the Seven Fishes. A chronicle of an Italian-American family’s preparation and celebration of the traditional Christmas Eve seafood feast, the book is the combination of a graphic novel and cook book. Uh, when I say “graphic novel” I mean the type of illustrated artwork often found in comic books, not the stuff wrapped in brown paper at the newsstand.

 

 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.

 

 Mama's Vegetarian [9:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re hot for a good, quick lunch in Center City, then you may want to give Mama’s Vegetarian a try. Located near Rittenhouse Square, Mama’s offers a limited menu of kosher vegetarian foods. By the looks of the people that make up the constant flow of traffic, you don’t have to be Jewish or vegetarian to enjoy this food.

 

 Honey's Sit 'n Eat [10:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat may not be obscure, but this Northern Liberties’ standard offers an eclectic menu, rustic atmosphere and great service. Situated on the corner of North 4th and Brown Streets, Honey’s serves breakfast and lunch all day and bills itself as a blend of Jewish and Southern food. All I know is that it’s pretty damn good.

 

 Tampopo 2 [6:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tucked among the storefronts, jewelry designers and diamond merchants of Philly’s Jewelers’ Row, Tampopo 2 offers Pan Asian food perfect for lunch or dinner. Spawned from a successful sister restaurant located on South 21st street, Tampopo 2 offers primarily Japanese and Korean food in a clean, comfortable environment.

After a few aborted attempts to find this inconspicuous spot, Tushar and I stumbled into Tampopo 2 on a recent weekday afternoon for lunch. Once seated, we found the menu offers variety without being overwhelming. Check out Tampopo 2’s Menu Here Thankfully, our server was well prepared to fill in the blanks when menu descriptions and our knowledge came up short. - Oh yeah, and when Tushar wanted to play “Grill the Food Server.”