PhillyFoodGuys: Hittin’ the Streets for Underground Eats

 

 New Wave Cafe [12:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Port Richmond’s New Wave Cae destroyed my image of Polish food. Boiled, bland and unexciting is what I expected; flavorful, fresh and interesting is what I found. I don’t know how I got such a poor impression of Polish food, but I suppose it was ignorance sprinkled with a dose of anticipated Soviet-era austerity. After all, with centuries of tradition including European, Middle Eastern and Asian culinary influences, you’d expect Polish food to be delicious and unique. I’m just glad that I learned how wrong I was!

 

 Lakeside Chinese Deli [11:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’ve ever been told “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the Lakeside Chinese Deli may be why. This inconspicuous storefront restaurant located in Philly’s Chinatown seems to fade into the neighborhood commotion, but we found the food, service and “atmosphere” to be excellent.

Continuing our adventure in Chinatown after our initial visit to Lee How Fook, we invaded the Lakeside Chinese Deli with a group of hungry explorers. Recommended by FoodGuy Tushar, Lakeside specializes in Dim Sum, however it is served a la carte versus from the traditional tableside cart. Our first impression wasn’t overwhelmingly positive; the exterior of the restaurant features a large picture window with the shades drawn and there’s also a big hole in the sign.