Thursday we went to the Midtown 2 Diner One of regular lunch spots. Always the classic meal. It is a close to an old fashioned diner as you are going to get in the middle of the City. Kind of reminds you of that Seinfeld diner in New York that they always hung out in during the show. They always have a daily special, or three, thats reasonably priced, and can get you out in under an hour. The restaurant is clean, the staff is mostly friendly, and the food is great diner food.
Today's Lunch was the Turkey club. Triple decker sandwich on rye. Too big to eat the whole thing unless you are very hungry.
We did notice that the bar prices were advertised on the menu. $3.00 Yuengling Bottles and Drafts for less. We might have to visit this spot after hours! More later
The Verdict: Yes, we'll be back
The Cost: $8.00
The Advice: Don't Change a thing.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
ARAMARK Cafeteria
Wednesday Lunch. I was voted out of taking a walk, as several of the "Club" had 1:00 meetings. The price you pay for having a job. So we took the elevator upstairs to the 15th Floor of our building. I have to admit, an office building cafeteria would not usually be the subject of a lot of good praise, but ours could be the exception to the norm. Ever since the building namesake remodeled their cafeteria, its been a pleasant fallback, especially during foul weather days. If your visiting someone in the building (Otherwise you cant get past our post 9/11 security measures) you should take time out and visit the 15th floor. Good food, good price, and mostly nice staff. Clean, bright, and an awesome view. Since I work on a lower floor, I don’t get that view daily.
Anyway, this week is Mexican week. Each week they have a theme food selection in addition to their hot and cold sandwiches, grilled food, fried food selection, soups, and salad and pasta combinations. I got the Chicken quesadilla with a unsweetened ice tea.
The Verdict: We’ll be back (insert Arnold voice here)
The Cost: $6.03
The Advice: Have a floating chef work the temporarily swamped stations. Sometimes one person is covering too much when 15 people walk in at the same time.
Anyway, this week is Mexican week. Each week they have a theme food selection in addition to their hot and cold sandwiches, grilled food, fried food selection, soups, and salad and pasta combinations. I got the Chicken quesadilla with a unsweetened ice tea.
The Verdict: We’ll be back (insert Arnold voice here)
The Cost: $6.03
The Advice: Have a floating chef work the temporarily swamped stations. Sometimes one person is covering too much when 15 people walk in at the same time.
Benny's Place
On Tuesday the weather was so nice (an exception in Philadelphia for the winter) that we decided to walk and find a new place to dine. After heading east to the liberty bell, and Independence Mall, we passed the Bourse food court (and almost went inside) and turned the corner and found Benny's place. Basically, a small diner in the touristy area of the city. The menu looked about the right price, but just over the edge of what we wanted to spend.
We decided that we were hungry enough, and time was a waiting. First impressions, Typical Diner, needed some painting, and some TLC in the interior. The booth seat had a huge hole with a spring sticking out. The table was wiped, but a little sticky.
Lunch for me was a Turkey Reuben. One of my favorite sandwiches, I might add, and one you will see more of in the future. It was OK. Not great, just OK. The Sauerkraut was iffy, and the sandwich leaked a lot when you ate it. I guess cheaper meats have more moisture injected that drips our when you eat. The Cheese Steak (a perennial Philadelphia Favorite) was greasy, and as our Coop described, “Not Good”. Hey, but I would not order a cheese Steak in a Diner. Sometimes the young people have to learn their own lessons. You got to go to Jim’s for a good Cheese Steak. The Hoagie (Philadelphia’s version of a sub) “wasn’t great”. He also indicated that they put “too many hot peppers and too much hot pepper juice… and the roll was mediocre” Our ever observant Coop, also commented about the coleslaw being out on the counter from the time we walked in to the time we left.
The Verdict: We won’t be back for a couple of years.
The Cost: $9.50 per person including tip
The Advice: Paint the walls and trim. Fix the booth seats. It’s not very inviting when you notice the establishment ignoring something out in the open. It makes you think about where they are cutting corners behind the scenes, or in the Kitchen! Grease, eh… you got to expect grease in a diner.
We decided that we were hungry enough, and time was a waiting. First impressions, Typical Diner, needed some painting, and some TLC in the interior. The booth seat had a huge hole with a spring sticking out. The table was wiped, but a little sticky.
Lunch for me was a Turkey Reuben. One of my favorite sandwiches, I might add, and one you will see more of in the future. It was OK. Not great, just OK. The Sauerkraut was iffy, and the sandwich leaked a lot when you ate it. I guess cheaper meats have more moisture injected that drips our when you eat. The Cheese Steak (a perennial Philadelphia Favorite) was greasy, and as our Coop described, “Not Good”. Hey, but I would not order a cheese Steak in a Diner. Sometimes the young people have to learn their own lessons. You got to go to Jim’s for a good Cheese Steak. The Hoagie (Philadelphia’s version of a sub) “wasn’t great”. He also indicated that they put “too many hot peppers and too much hot pepper juice… and the roll was mediocre” Our ever observant Coop, also commented about the coleslaw being out on the counter from the time we walked in to the time we left.
The Verdict: We won’t be back for a couple of years.
The Cost: $9.50 per person including tip
The Advice: Paint the walls and trim. Fix the booth seats. It’s not very inviting when you notice the establishment ignoring something out in the open. It makes you think about where they are cutting corners behind the scenes, or in the Kitchen! Grease, eh… you got to expect grease in a diner.
Somewhere to start
After years of working and dining in Downtown Philadelphia (Market East), I have decided that all of this previously useless information on the cheapest and best places to eat could be imparted to the masses. I doubt that too many of you out there would really care, but there are enough people who do what I do.... Eat out every day, to make this a worthy venture
Now I don't make a lot of money, and neither to the people in our "club", but we are all too lazy to pack and bring our lunches from home. So we are always looking for good (or at least fair) food, within the area of Philadelphia known as Market East. We sometimes travel to the other side of City Hall, but we have found that the distance walked does not save us much dough. There are a couple of exceptions, but I'll get to them later.
I work for the city, and so do the rest of the people I dine with. If you have ever hung out with any city workers, you know that they can be frugal with their money. I wont outright call them cheap, but “obsessively observant” of their monetary resources would be an accurate description. So our goal, as a lunch club, is to find decent places to eat out for the least amount of money.
We are willing to spend more on certain occasions but, day-to-day, we like to aim under $6.00. Unless its happy hour after work, in which case, the sky’s the limit. You may see posts about great places to drink, (and eat), after work too. Fortunately we work near the convention center, and the shopping district downtown, and therefore we have a lot of choices, as well as a lot of restaurant turnover. Not everyone can be successful, and sometimes the reasons are really clear. Some of those reasons may be posted here along with general reviews of the food, atmosphere, and staff.
Well, hopefully you will find some useful information that can help you, and if you have some suggestions, feel free to contact me, and we’ll give it a try, and let you know what we thought.
Now I don't make a lot of money, and neither to the people in our "club", but we are all too lazy to pack and bring our lunches from home. So we are always looking for good (or at least fair) food, within the area of Philadelphia known as Market East. We sometimes travel to the other side of City Hall, but we have found that the distance walked does not save us much dough. There are a couple of exceptions, but I'll get to them later.
I work for the city, and so do the rest of the people I dine with. If you have ever hung out with any city workers, you know that they can be frugal with their money. I wont outright call them cheap, but “obsessively observant” of their monetary resources would be an accurate description. So our goal, as a lunch club, is to find decent places to eat out for the least amount of money.
We are willing to spend more on certain occasions but, day-to-day, we like to aim under $6.00. Unless its happy hour after work, in which case, the sky’s the limit. You may see posts about great places to drink, (and eat), after work too. Fortunately we work near the convention center, and the shopping district downtown, and therefore we have a lot of choices, as well as a lot of restaurant turnover. Not everyone can be successful, and sometimes the reasons are really clear. Some of those reasons may be posted here along with general reviews of the food, atmosphere, and staff.
Well, hopefully you will find some useful information that can help you, and if you have some suggestions, feel free to contact me, and we’ll give it a try, and let you know what we thought.
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