Qdoba - 19th and Chestnut St (Closed)

There are 2 Qdoba's, a Chipolte and an El Fuego within a mile radius of Rittenhouse Square.  In that same area there is 1 McDonald.  The popularity of fast casual Mexican is pretty obvious when you walk around this area and the reasoning is too if you've ever eaten at one of these places.  Mexican food is damn good and its even better if you can turn fresh(in the case of Chipolte, organic and locally sourced) ingredients into quick lunches for under $10.  So what makes Qdoba different from the others?  Well they're really just different versions of the same thing but with menu items like pesto burrito and Mexican gumbo I think Qdoba is the most divergent from the its culinary roots.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as I find myself going here more as the guilty pleasure option compared to the others.

 1) Steak Queso Burrito - $7.39
Creamy 3 blend cheese sauce, more shredded cheese, sour cream, roasted pobalanos, tomatoes, japapenos, black beans, hot salsa and of course the steak...at 1100 calories I plead Guilty.  As you can see mine came with an open wound.

Mmmm delicious, the queso sauce is artery clogging goodness.  This was very good and very filling, steak was tender, hot salsa wasn't very hot but I believe they have a habanero salsa which I would recommend for people who want heat.  [8/10]

2) Vegetarian Naked Burrito - $6.29
Burrito stuffing in a bowl with a guac hat [6/10]

Overall LTE score [7/10]  If you haven't gone you should go, the food is good, filling and relatively cheap.  If you're only able to go to 1 of the 3 options in the area I would probably go with Chipolte for reasons I will have to write up in a future review but Qdoba is definitely right behind it on my fast casual mexican list.

Au Bon Pain - 20th and Market St

Au Bon, Bring on the, Pain
Au Bon Pain, for those who aren't familiar, is a "fast casual bakery and cafe chain" that has over 250 locations scattered across the country and even some internationally.  Wow that certainly sounds impressive and how awesome would it be to have this successful franchise occupy the same building as the one I'm in.  The answer would be not awesome at all, in fact it's shitty.
There is an Au Bon located about 10 steps away from the elevator that I come in and out of everyday and yet I never go there.  That should say everything you need to know about how I feel about Au Bon Pain.
In fairness, this place did have its run with me at one time.  When I had just started in this building, not knowing the area well, I willingly frequented Au Bon out of convenience and also out of an ignorance to my surroundings.  I repeatedly overpaid for bad sandwiches and dull salads thinking that this was what lunch life was like in the city.  The only redeeming items were the soups, which I must admit, are consistently good.  If only I could eat a container of soup for lunch I would've been content with having a good soup spot downstairs but I need more than just soup which is why I stopped going here.

1) Lobster Salad Sandwich - $12.99 + Lg Chicken pot pie soup - $4.99
It would take a torrential downpour and the lure of a new, seemingly awesome, menu item for me to even consider stepping back into Au Bon Pain.  Well the Gods were in Au Bon's favor today as I find myself getting lunch from here after a long hiatus.  The new menu item, as pictured above, is the Lobster sandwich.  It was almost too ridiculous to think that this place, who can so royally screw up a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, would have the stones to tackle a lobster sandwich.  Maybe...just maybe in the time since I've shunned this establishment they've gotten their shit together.  NOPE.  This was terrible, you know that one piece of lobster you get with your seafood delight chinese food, so rubbery that it almost squeaks between your teeth when you eat it.  Yep, I think if it weren't for the mayo I would've definitely heard some squeaking.  I don't know what I was thinking, maybe that they wouldn't charge $13 for a shit sandwich but everything here is overpriced and crappy so why did I think this would be different.  [2/10]

Overall LTE score [4/10]  I've heard their baked goods are pretty good and it would make sense since this is supposed to be a fast casual bakery but I'm not eating crumpets for lunch so my score is solely based on my lunch time experience which is sandwiches, salads and soups.  The soups are good, the rest are not.

Vic Sushi Bar - 20th and Sansom St

Vic Sushi Bar
Continuing my trend of visiting restaurants in tiny spaces today I head over to one of the tiniest of sushi spots and also the closest and most convenient option, Vic Sushi Bar.  The name really does sum up the entirety of the operation. Its a sushi bar surrounded by maybe 8 seats and that's it.  If you want to sit down you better come early or really late cause these seats get occupied quickly.
The big draw of Vic's has always been, in relative terms, what I would consider cheap sushi.  They have a special that serves you any 3, 8 pieces rolls, out of a selection of over a dozen for $10.95.  That's less than 50cents a piece!  Now, like burning and house or rectal and probe, cheap and sushi are two words I usually don't want to hear together.  It conjures up images of being planted face first in a toilet bowl.  But as far as I'm concerned the fish here is as fresh as any of the other casual sushi places in the area.


1) i Roll - $13.95
Damn it, why do I have to be such an Apple fanboy.  I don't know what I was expecting.. maybe an effigy of Steve Jobs in roll form but that lowercase i had an unusual affect on my decision making.  As the words i Roll were coming out of my mouth faster than my eyes could comprehend its list of ingredients one in particular stood out only after it was too late...pineapple.  The roll comes with spicy tuna, white tuna, pineapple, avocado, masago, coconut jam all wrapped in soy paper.  What makes this "i" doesn't seem to have anything to do with the great purveyor of all things "i" but regardless I can safely say, just like pineapple on pizza, I don't like pineapple in my sushi.  I'm not a sweet and savory kind of guy. Its either one or the other and rarely do I enjoy the combination.  The pineapple was an unwelcome burst of sweetness in an otherwise savory and enjoyable roll.  This was an iMistake.. at least for my tastes. [5/10]

1) Crazy Roll - $13.95
My first roll left me unsatisfied so needing to satiate my pallet I asked for the Crazy Roll.  This item was on the white board so I don't believe it's part of their standard menu but it includes spicy tuna, avocado, lump crab on top with a wasabi mayo.  I think subconsciously I was calling myself crazy for ordering 2 of the specialty rolls that individually cost more than the 24 piece special but it was too late, this Toyota's accelerator was stuck on go.  Thankfully, this was a great roll. You really can't go wrong with crab and tuna.  I actually mix in lump crab meat when I make my tuna salad so it's a combo that I've always enjoyed.  [8/10]

3) 3 Roll Special - $10.95
Now the order that makes Vic Sushi Bar the default sushi destination.  Spicy tuna, yellow tail scallion and cucumber were the 3 selected for today's special.  Well made, fresh ingredients and cheap! [7/10]

Overall LTE score [7/10] 
As small as this place is it really does a good job of delivering quality sushi. While some of the rolls aren't my favorite the ingredients are always fresh(well the pineapple was probably from a can).  For your normal casual lunch the 3 roll special is a must.
Now this is just an observation but I've noticed the take out rolls are of a slightly inferior construction to what you would get sitting in.

Thai Singha House - 20th between Sansom and Walnut St

Thai Singha House To Go

My wallet would like to give thanks to places like Thai Singha House who along with NY Gyro Cart, Mama's Vegetarian and a few others make up a short list of cheap but good eats in the area. When you enter you're greeted by a steam table with a collection of pre made foods behind a glass shield and not much else.  This space is tiny and there's really only room for a small kitchen, the counter, a beverage fridge and a few cramped window seats if you choose to eat in.  The standard lunch special is $6 for any 2 choices from the counter.

1) Chicken Pad Thai - $6
My usual 2 choices are Chicken and Pad Thai and for $6 you get a lot of it.  The food is put together in front of you and you're out the door in a matter of minutes.  Now the convenience of having thai food available for quick take out does have its downsides.  When you have this kind of food pre-made and sitting out in you invariably run into soggy noodles and dry chicken and Thai Singha House is no exception to these problems.  But more often than not you get a full container of good thai food at a price you can't beat.

Overall LTE score [6.5/10] Quick, convenient, cheap and good.  This equates to a good LTE option.

El Rey - 20th and Chestnut St

El Rey

When you walk inside it's still not immediately obvious but if you take some time to look around you can see flashes of it on the walls.
So El Rey not being your typical abundance of ambiance Starr restaurant how does the food fair?

First the complimentary chips and salsas.  I thought both salsas were a bit on the runny side and the chips were extra hefty so this was largely a chip affair.  Chips were good though. 

1) Nachos, Gorditas - $9.99

2) Chayote Salad , Sopas - $9.99

3) Negra Modelo - $5

Overall LTE score [7.5/10] The lunch special really makes this a good value lunch destination considering the Starr brand.  Now this brand would mean nothing if it didn't deliver on our plates but the salt salad aside this lunch left me feeling more than satisfied.

http://www.elreyrestaurant.com/

Cafe Spice Express @ Liberty Food Court - 16th and Market St

Cafe Spice 
Indian cuisine is one of those foods that I order by pointing.  "That red one" or "the one with the potatoes" or "to the left of the curry".  Needless to say I know next to nothing about Indian food, however one thing that I do know is that it's usually pretty good.  Having that in mind, today, I decided to try out Cafe Spice, one of the many fast food options at the Liberty Place food court.

1) Tandoori Chicken Platter - $7.95
Includes tandoori chicken, choice of veg to which I pointed to the curry looking one with the potatoes, rice, naan bread, and these 2 side sauces.  The chicken was acceptably moist and well spiced, I wished there was a little more of it since half of one was bone but what I had was good.  The curry with potatoes, cauliflower and onions was enjoyable too and the naan, although a tad chewy(is this normal? I dont know) went well with sopping up the curry.  [6/10]

Everything was turning out to be pretty good until I reached these 2 sides.  One was some kind of jam and the other was...I don't even know how to describe it, I was thinking some kind of pepper puree but it ended up being sweet.  I have no idea what these were for and the unfamiliar flavors were overwhelming so after tasting I put these sides to the side.

Overall LTE score [6/10] To my untrained indian food pallet this was a decent lunch and worth a revisit if only to figure out what the heck are in those sides.

http://www.cafespice.com/

New York Gyro Cart - 20th and Market St

The Gyro Cart

It was on a cold January night out in NYC where a group of friends and I came stumbling out of a bar at 2AM starving and in search for food.  One of my more NYC frequenting friends declares that what we need to fill our alcohol soaked bellies are platters. The rest of the crew excitedly agrees. Not wanting to seem like the tourist I was I don't question this generically named food and blindly stumble along until we reach a line of what seems to be a small army queued in front of a steaming cart. It was getting near 3AM by the time we arrived and at this hour, in the freezing cold, this line was baffling.  We diligently stood in line, huddled in our jackets, half drunk, half freezing, me left wondering what could possess so many people to be here at this ungodly hour.  When I finally reach the front I order what everyone else had asked for, combo rice, white sauce, hot sauce. What I ate that night forever changed me and opened my eyes to the world of halal gyro carts.
For those who haven't had the pleasure this was the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart in midtown Manhattan and it's a meal that I've been chasing after ever since that late January night all those years back.

1) Gyro platter, white sauce, hot sauce w/ drink - $6
While I'd like to say that I've finally found what I'd been searching for when this cart opened up on the corner a few months back, honestly, I don't think anything can quite live up to that night in NYC. It was just too perfect. A memory that seems more like a dream at this point.  But, as far as Philly is concerned, this is about as close as I've been able to get.  The platter comes with gyro meat over yellow rice with lettuce, raw onions, tomato and the option of white sauce and hot sauce(not an option, get it).  The gyro meat is tender, well seasoned and flavorful, the veggies are fresh and the sauces should not even be an option.  The white sauce(aka crack sauce) in particular is always a favorite of mine.

IMO this platter is best eaten with everything mashed together where you can get all the parts in each mouthful.  Not only is this delicious but for $6 including a drink it's one of the cheapest eats around.  

Overall LTE score [8/10]  When this cart first opened I literally ate it every day for 2 weeks straight.  At what used to be $5 it was a steal, not that $6 is any less of a bargain.  The staff are friendly, its clean, its delicious, its cheap, what else can you ask for.  Although this isn't 53rd and 6th in Philly, New York Gyro does a lot to earn its namesake.
*The regular pita gyros go for $4 and are also great.  The pitas they're served on are what real gyros should come on, talking to you Pita Pit. 

Pita Pit - 16th between Chestnut and Sansom St

The Pita Pit, not quite the pits

I love gyros and falafel so the idea of an assembly line pita place had peaked my curiosity but it was never quite enough to get me to try this place out.  Besides there are great options much closer by like Christo's falafel truck, Mamas Vegetarian, NY Gyro cart to name a few(reviews coming soon!).
So when I saw an email from Groupon advertising a $5 for $10 deal for the Pita Pit the motivation to try out this place appeared in the form of a discounted lunch.

When you walk in and get in line you're greeted by a large menu, with seriously, a lot of stuff on it.  Making a decision looking at this thing was not easy so we humbly deferred to the favorites section.

The counter is what seems to be ubiquitous among these made to order places, trays full of ingredients behind a plexiglass shield.  When you order they'll ask if you want the usual and since I'm a give me what it comes with kind of guy I opted for the usual.

1) Greek God - $7.99
They must be referring to the God of Sauces cause this thing came loaded in it. Grilled chicken, gyro lamb, feta cheese, onions and peppers all covered in tzatziki and "secret sauce".  The ingredients in themselves were pretty good, not the best gyro meat I've ever had but not the worst, everything else seemed fresh and the sauces were flavorful.  Unfortunately as I got further into the sandwich the sauces, in particular this "secret sauce", really started to overpower with a sour, bitterness.  Also, I don't know if this is because it was wheat, but the pitas were on the flimsy side.  I expected a soft, cushiony pita from a place called the Pita Pit but they felt more like wraps.  I think maybe a heftier pita or less sauce would've made this sandwich much more enjoyable [4/10]

2) California Club - $7.50
Turkey, bacon, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, honey mustard and guacamole.  This was a lot like the other sandwich in that the ingredients were good but the sauces really took over.  But unlike the sour, bitterness of the Greek God this had a heavy dose of sweetness from the honey mustard.  The honey mustard along with the guacamole was actually a good combination in my opinion but again it felt like I was eating a sweet guac sandwich by the end. [5/10]

Overall LTE score [5/10] I don't think I'm a fan of this place.  Even with the Groupon I can't say this was a lunch that I would want to repeat.  If I had paid full price could this have been a 4?  Next time I will ask for them to go light on the sauce so that problem is fixable but the flimsiness of pita bread can't be fixed so easily.

http://www.phillypitapit.com/

Oyster House - 15th and Sansom St

Oyster House aka Crack House
Celebrating your 2nd year anniversary by serving up a $15 lobster roll can most accurately be compared to declaring half off crack on a street corner in North Philly.  There will be no end to the stampede of eager to empty their pockets, pleasure seeking, substance abusers that will come in search of this discounted product.  This was made quite evident as we walked to the Oyster House at what we thought was an early time of 11:30 only to be greeted by a line outside of fellow junkies for the carry out rolls and a packed house inside.

Luckily for us we arrived just ahead of the bulk of the pack and we were able to be seated quickly at the raw bar.

The order of the day was written right on the wall, we will celebrate Oyster House today with the crack roll.

1) Lobster Roll - $15
And here it is in all its glory.  But wait...like an addict feeling like his bag was shorted a few grams I immediately looked around to see if everyone else had only a piece of toasted breads worth of roll like I did.  Even though it was packed high with lobster I was expecting something more substantial from this highly rated roll.  Sure enough we all had the same thing.  How can this be? Is this what I would get for the normal $26 order or is this discount just a scam in disguise?  Never having had the lobster roll here before I had nothing to base my suspicions on other than the idea of paying $26 for this seemed ludicrous.  But then I took a bite and like Ewan Mcgregor overdosing off that hit of heroin in Trainspotting, I was sunk into the floor and my suspicions vanished.  The lobster was perfectly tender, seasoned with chives, celery and of course the classic mayo.   The buttery toast completed this in a way that will make me never question anything being served on a piece of toast ever again.  The old bay chips that came on the side with the lobster roll were...well they were old bay chips but they complimented the dish.  This was a symphony of lobster goodness that I never wanted it to end.  But alas, like all highs it did and I was left with empty pockets craving more.  [9.5/10]

2) Canyon Oaks Chardonnay 2009 California - $7
Tastes of oak and vanilla, it was not too bad but I'm sure it came from a $10 bottle of wine.

Overall LTE score [9/10] "Thank you, your honor. With God's help I'll conquer this terrible affliction."
If I were made of money I would eat here everyday but I am not so a part of me hates this place.

http://www.oysterhousephilly.com/

Day by Day - 21st and Sansom St

Day by Day...is how most of their patrons have to live.
If you want to blend in here then you better bring your walker, oxygen tank, wheelchair or any other geriatric device you can gather cause holy shit a lot of old people come here.  Imagine if they were to host bingo night at the Bengay factory and that's close to the demographic you'll see frequenting Day by Day.  Ok maybe that's an exaggeration but you could safely say a good half are in the twilight years of their lives.  Now having made this observation you would not expect this place to serve anything acceptable for people who still chew with their own teeth.  Oh how wrong you would be.

1) Brunch Burger w/ Fried Egg, Bacon, Cheddar - $10.00
This dish is pulled from their ever changing, here one week gone the next, portion of the menu.  Now having just had it, this fact, makes me incredibly sad.  I mean seriously a burger, fried egg and bacon, talk about covering your bases, the only thing missing from this is a rack of lamb.  The burger was pretty good, cooked medium rare like I asked and juicy.  The egg was perfectly fried as to not create a flood of yolk when I bit into it but also retained the yolky goodness taste.  Bacon was good as well, not burnt or inversely soggy.  Everything combined this turned out to be one of the best things I've ordered from here as well as one of the best lunches I've had in a while.  Now there was a flaw to this order.  The potatoes looked and tasted like the were leftovers from their breakfast/brunch service.  This sadly, as I've come to experience, is the norm with their dishes served with roasted potatoes.  But besides this issue I give this delicious burger a [9/10]

2) Classic Black Bread BLT w/ Avocado $7.50
The key to a good BLT is the crispness of the bacon and this sandwich delivers the goods.  My friend orders this sandwich all the time and has the same reaction to it every time.  Delicious  [8.5/10]

Overall LTE score [7/10] This place has quickly become a regular lunch destination with its outdoor seating and ever changing menu options.  Anything from big burgers to fish to omelettes are served here and for the most part served well.  Today's lunch was particularly good as the individual scores show but overall Day by Day is a solid lunch time eat.

http://www.daybydayinc.com/

Numa - 18th between Walnut and Chestnut St

Numa Sushi, itadakimasu

Eating Japanese food is usually an expensive endeavor.  Whether you get yours from a supermarket refrigerator or sit down at a restaurant these little pieces of raw fish encased in rice can put you into the poor house if you're not careful(exponentially more with the latter).  Numa on 18th St is no exception to this but even with the premium that comes with the sit down option we think it's worth it here. 

 1) Tempura Bento Box - $9
So all things considered these bento boxes are a pretty good deal.  The tempura portion comes with 2 pieces of shrimp, broccoli, mushroom, and sweet potatoes.  I wished there were a few more non veggie pieces but everything tasted great. The ginger salad dressing was very good, sometimes you can run into a watery problem with this dressing but no problems here.  The 3 cali roll sushi pieces were good as well but the fried gyoza lacked filling. [7/10]

 2) Maki Combo Special - $12
Well made rolls with good quality fish. I didn't think the plating was all that attractive but you can judge for yourself [7/10]

3) 16oz Sapporo - $7
Japanese beer + sushi = heaven.


Overall LTE score [7.5/10] One of our favorite sit down sushi places that doesn't completely break the bank but also serves quality product within a modern, clean space.  Doesn't hurt that a portion of their profits go to help a kenyan orphanage which the owner helps support.

Devil's Alley - 19th and Chestnut St

Devil's Alley

I quite enjoy Devil's Alley, you can tell a lot of people feel the same way when you walk by it on a nice sunny day.  And what's not to like, they serve good American food, have a diverse selection of craft beers and outdoor and open window seating.  So today we decided to head over to the alley for a Friday lunch.

1) Fiesta Burger(special) - $11.95

The fiesta burger, described as including queso fresco, peppers and onions was mucho lacking in the fiesta department.  The fiesta components are over run by the giant burger so there was little to distinguish this from a regular burger.  For $12 I expected something more. [5/10]

2) Buffalo Chicken Sandwich - $9.95
My partner got this oh so exciting order and opted to forego the included bacon for reasons I can't comprehend.  Overwhelmed with the quantity of blue cheese and disappointed by an overly soft bun she was less than thrilled about her choice.
We both agreed, despite the fries looking like a pile of garbage, they were quite good.
[4.5/10]

3) Hebrew Original Ale(left) - $6.50

An imperial amber ale flavored with fresh pomegranate juice from Brooklyn, NY. 8.3% ABV
4) Long Trail Belgian Wit(right) - $5
An unfiltered belgian white ale with a hint of citrus and corriander from Bridgewater, VT. 5.3% ABV

Overall LTE score [7/10] This is usually a solid lunch spot and at times great so I don't want to drop my overall score because of this one visit.  Today's lunch was a disappointment but I'll be back again.

http://www.devilsalleybarandgrill.com/

Coventry Deli - 20th and Market St

The Coventry Deli

Ah Coventry Deli, between this and Paganos Market it has become the goto place when lunch time decisions can't be made or proximity to the office becomes the overriding factor.  These two places are so intertwined in fact that they have become the entity known as Pagentry, a monsterous beast that breathes out hoagies and shits salad.

 1) Half Italian Hoagie - $6
So today, again being oppressively hot outside at 100F with unholy humidity, I take a step across the street into the belly of the beast for half an Italian hoagie(when I say half I don't mean half a sandwich, they just put less stuff into the sandwich compared to the "whole" sandwiches which are massive).  Oil, lettuce, onions, sweet peppers, salt, pepper, oregano are the standard for my tastes with a side of macaroni salad and a pickle all for just $6 + tax.  You can't beat that price for the quality of product that you're getting, especially in this area.   The sandwich ingredients are all what you would expect from a good deli so no complaints there.

The only irritant to an otherwise fine sandwich is their practice of placing the meat on top of the veggies (pictured above).  Now the physics of this set up is all wrong...when you go to fold this sandwich into a mouth accessible form it resists as the part most resistant to the fold, the heavy meat, is furthest away from the mechanical advantage of the fulcrum, the bottom of the sandwich.  I can't for the life of me understand why they do this because it does little to keep the veggies in and a lot to make eating this sandwich a pain in the ass.  I actually have to use a fork to force the meat down into the sandwich.  Anyways, its an inconvienence to an otherwise good sandwich.

Moving on to the complimentary salad, i chose macaroni but they have a wide assortment including, potato, egg, seafood.  The salad can be a hit or a miss, unfortunately today it was a miss.  There was an odd taste to it that kept me from eating it but 9 times out of 10 the salad is fine.  The salad being what it was this was a [5/10] lunch.

Overall LTE score [6.5/10] A diverse menu that, for the most part, I prefer over Paganos but the few salad problems drop the overall score down a notch.  

http://www.coventrydeli.com/