South Street

[Jeepers]

South Street Philadelphia

 I'm still fairly new to the town, so I only recently got around to hitting South Street Souvlaki.
I ate a paste which consisted of at least one thousand cloves of garlic accompanied by the most awesome pita. I ate the Gyro (yee-ro according to them). The gyro was so hot that it burned my mouth to the ground, but I couldn't stop eating it because it was the best thing ever.
 I've been to greece a few times and had the gyros there, but I was not a big fan of those. They were made with chicken most of the time, and I am not a big fan of chicken.

I know there's a couple Philly people in here. What's your favorite little hole in the wall place around town?

I apologize for the incoherent rambling tone of this. I am wired up and hyperactive this morning. I am going to do a pushup.

[side_show]

I am going to do a pushup.

Just one push up and you'll be okay?  Just one?

Anyway, I love me a good Gyro, or even better a really good falafel in pita.  It is basically what I live off of when I am away from home.  As for Philadelphia, I've heard you have some good cream cheese out that way.  That is what I have heard.

[jough]

Yeah, you can't get good cream cheese outside of Philly, which is a shame, because you can't get a decent bagel outside of New York City.

Are you looking for hole-in-the-wall restaurants or bars?  I used to frequent a place at 13th and Pine (walkable from South Street) called "Dirty Franks" but it went from being an uber-hip place with the most beautiful women ANYWHERE to being kind of a hangout for fratboys.

If you want to stay on or near South Street, there's a Thai place called "My Thai" which is excellent, and super-cheap.  Avoid anything with "Brasserie" in the title.  Also, swing by the Bourse building, stop in the lobby of the Ritz at the Bourse movie theatre, and take one of their playbills.  Flip through it and note the advertisements in it for restaurants.  Avoid these at all costs.

Almost all of them are owned by the same corporation, and they're all the result of what you'd get if IBM anally raped George Perrier and then took a shit on Bobby Flay's corpse.

Oh, if you like spending two month's salary on a single evening of hedonism, then you must check out Deux Chiminees (not sure I'm spelling it right) which is the best meal you can get in Philly, and the best-kept secret on the East Coast (it is almost always possible to get a table there even on short notice, as it is QUALITY but I guess not TRENDY).

I really hate Philly society.  The whole town is second class, second rate.  But really, it's the *people* which inspire my ire.  They're too hip for even themselves.

I don't even really notice how hateful everyone is here until I go somewhere else and see how people can be nice to each other.

[Carlos del Vaca]

The best cheesesteak I've ever eaten (and I have eaten many) came from this place right here.  Not a part of town I would normally end up in, and it was across the street from some sort of unidentifiable factory--the kind that you'd find in a Steven Seagal movie for the climactic fight.  DAMMIT that was good.

I would also advise spending some time, and money, in the Italian Market.  Get some good fresh pasta, sausage, cannoli, etc.  Bring a cooler.

[Jeepers]

I don't think I've been to the Italian market, but I loooove the Reading Terminal Market. (unless they are one and the same and I just don't realize it)

I agree that Philly people are nasty for the most part. I'm originally from Kansas City, where talking to a stranger on the street corner doesn't trigger their fight-or-flight response.
You also won't hear phrases such as "youse fuckin guys" in the presence of children or grandmothers.
In philly, the children and grandmothers are just as likely to be the ones speaking such phrases.

[jough]

Yeah, I guess it depends on which part of Philly you visit.  In South Philly, everyone talks like Rocky.

In Rittenhouse Square, everyone sounds like a Kennedy.

[Carlos del Vaca]

I don't think I've been to the Italian market, but I loooove the Reading Terminal Market. (unless they are one and the same and I just don't realize it)

No sir.  The Italian market is 9th street north and south of Washington Ave.
Criminy, they even have a web site.

[miles]

Anyway, I love me a good Gyro, or even better a really good falafel in pita.

Have we talked about Döners here?  They are kind of like Gyros, but better.  And I've yet to find a good one in the states.  But I've only looked in like 3 cities.

[theinevitable]

oh dang Jough, I found a recipe for bagels once that was amazing. By which I mean, "I never actually made it, but the article about it is good"

http://www.tastingmenu.com/recipes/favorites/bagels.htm

[swinehund]

oh dang Jough, I found a recipe for bagels once that was amazing. By which I mean, "I never actually made it, but the article about it is good"

http://www.tastingmenu.com/recipes/favorites/bagels.htm

Hey, awesome. I wanted to make some bagels yesterday, perhaps I will make those. The recipe I used to use never seemed jewish/ montreal-style enough. I think to get it fully accurate I'd need a wood burning stove, but whatever.

Edit: Helping to derail the topic even further -- in Poland, bagels were considered an appropriate gift for a pregnant woman.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Have we talked about Döners here?  They are kind of like Gyros, but better.  And I've yet to find a good one in the states.  But I've only looked in like 3 cities.

I've never found anything quite like doner kebab in the States either.  When we went to Germany, we ate quite a few of them.

[side_show]

I've never found anything quite like doner kebab in the States either.  When we went to Germany, we ate quite a few of them.

Donairs and Gyros are totally interchangeable here in Winnipeg: Shaved spiced meat (usually a combo of goat and beef) from a rotating spit, diced onion and tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce, folded into a warm pita.  Usually the Donaires are more bland.  Why what is the actual difference?

[pmcd9]

I ain't eating nothin' with Doner in the name.

~Paul

[FlipConstantine]

The doner kebab, if I remember correctly, is only distantly related to the polynesian "boner kebab".  Which, rather than being a foodstuff, is actually a rite all young men of the tribe must endure before being granted full manhood.

[side_show]

The doner kebab, if I remember correctly, is only distantly related to the polynesian "boner kebab".  Which, rather than being a foodstuff, is actually a rite all young men of the tribe must endure before being granted full manhood.

Ha, ha, ha!  That is awesome.  (tiny cans a'hoy!)