Posted by Sam Bloch on May 22nd, 2013
Franzone’s may be the best pizza in the Philadelphia area that you have never heard of. It doesn’t have the name or pedigree of a Nomad or Osteria, but to those with a very specific taste for a very specific kind of pizza, it may be better than all of them. And at $9.50 for a small pie and $12 for a large plain, it is certainly the best value.
Franzone’s has been written up in a number of Philadelphia publications–raved about by those who’ve discovered it and fallen for its charms–but it still rarely sees anyone other than locals come through its doors. In some ways that’s a good thing. The place has character. The lack of notice keeps the place honest and local. After all, Franzone’s is a Bridgeport institution, and Bridgeport, as a closely knit working-class community, has Franzone’s as its center.
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Related: Food, Reviews, Bridgeport, Cheap Eats, Cheap Pizza, Franzones, Pizza
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Posted by Trey Popp on May 8th, 2013
Judging from the dinky white microwave perched prominently in the dining area, or the tables that look like rummage from an off-brand burger joint installed without a level, or the sign advising diners to clear out after an hour, Makkah Market seems like an unlikely gourmet destination. But if there’s a better lunch-and-specialty-market combo in West Philly, I don’t know about it.
Actually, lunch is just what I use it for. But it’s open 24 hours, so I could hit it up for an egg-and-cheese if I wanted. Or blackened tilapia at the dinner hour; the other afternoon I noticed a dozen whole fish sizzling on the griddle at once.
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Related: Food, Food Nerd News, Guides, Cheap Eats, Makkah Market, Middle Eastern Food In Philadelphia, Middle Eastern Markets Philadelphia, West Philly Markets
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Posted by Trey Popp on March 29th, 2013
There’s no end of reasons to hate on fake meat, but the ultra-processed, pathetically aspirational, environmentally shifty stuff does have one thing going for it: it’s not fake seafood.
That’s the first thing that came to mind when the Kung Fu Hoagies cart returned to its customary weekday spot at 38th and Sansom streets at the end of March, ending several weeks of personal lunch-hour deprivation caused by owners Paul Davis and Steve Renzi’s recent jaunt to Saigon. I arrived licking my lips at the prospect of some fresh Vietnamese inspiration, only to find the following special scrawled on the wood placard dangling above their compact wares: Veggie “Shrimp” Fried Rice.
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Related: Food, Reviews, Cheap Eats, Clark Park, Kung Fu Hoagies, University-City, West-Philadelphia
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Posted by Trey Popp on March 21st, 2013
“This is the most exciting piece of mail we’ve gotten all year!”
So said my wife a few weeks ago, plucking out an oversized menu from the University City Han Dynasty emblazoned with the news, “Now Delivering!”
Indeed, it is a good time to be a Sichuan fiend in West Philly. Because Han Chiang isn’t the only guy spreading dan dan noodles around the neighborhood. This February saw the debut of Chili Szechuan at 4616 Baltimore Avenue.
In the plain but handsomely spruced-up storefront that used to house Green Garden, you can still get General Tso’s chicken and Crab Rangoon—part of the menu is dedicated to “Americanized” Chinese fare. But a confetti of Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chilies covers much of the rest.
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Related: Food, Food Nerd News, News, Cheap Eats
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Posted by Trey Popp on February 27th, 2013
For last month’s issue of Philly Mag I reviewed Fette Sau. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would—but that surprise wasn’t entirely a pleasant one. As it turns out, there’s a downside to double-checking just how good that BBQ short rib was (and the pork belly, and the brisket, and the pulled pork…), and then cross-checking them against the offerings at Blue Belly, Bubba’s, and Percy Street: Meat exhaustion.
An enlightened person would have simply fasted between these missions. I am no such person. Unless you count making it all the way to noon before eating lunch, I don’t fast. And usually the impure thoughts start hitting me around 10:30am.
In other words, salads were going to be the only way out.
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Related: Food, Best Salads In Philadelphia, Cheap Eats, Chinatown Restaurants, Rangoon
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