LA CIGALE
113 S 18th St
(215) 569-1970
La Cigale was always my favorite place to go to reward myself. When the CityPaper asked me to write something for culture shock, La Cigale was the first thing I thought of. (Okay, that's a lie — the first thing I thought of was the terrible television shows I love to consume, but then I thought about what I wanted appearing in print next to my name and went with La Cigale instead.) I love the environment, there's always sort of jazzy music playing and pretty French girls who make a mean panini. There are two paninis that I could never get enough of – the St. Tropez (mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto) and the Golf Juan (brie, tomato and tomato paste). The soup and 1/2 sandwich combo is so good, particularly when the soup is tomato-cheddar or something creamy like that. It never seems to be crowded here at lunch time, but if it is, there is seating upstairs where you can hang out and drink coffee for hours, if you wish.

KENNEDY FOOD GARDEN
1901 John F Kennedy Blvd
(215) 977-9655
This might sound weird, but Kennedy Food Garden (essentially an expanded convenience store on the ground floor of a residential building) makes some of the best sandwiches in Philadelphia. If you have coworkers with similar food tastes, it's a good idea to split a sandwich here. The sandwiches are huge, and they're not that great left over. My favorites are the health sandwich and the barbecued vegetarian cheesesteak. The health sandwich (which is probably not all that healthy, but is definitely delicious!) is an overstuffed sour dough hoagie containing romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, avocados, sprouts, feta cheese, and in my case, lots and lots of mayo — oh my God, is it good. Another favorite option here is the brie and herb sandwich (which comes with cucumber, romaine, tomatoes and olive oil on a baguette) but you have to really like brie or else you will end up talking at least half of it off. This place can get a little hectic around lunch time, and I don't recommend eating in if you prefer a tranquil atmosphere. However, they do cater, and while I never sampled their catering, I would recommend it based on their sandwiches alone.

LE BUS
135 S 18th St
(215) 569-8299
Le Bus also makes some of the best sandwiches in Philly, but whereas Kennedy Food Garden serves up overstuffed hoagie-type sandwiches, Le Bus has more of the artisan variety. These are still big enough for two meals, and the ones I get are around $6. My absolute favorites here are the Lebanon sandwich and the chilled mango soup. The farmer's breakfast sandwich is also really good. The cons about Le Bus are that it gets really hot in the summertime, it's usually crowded, and there is no seating. One tip: no matter what sandwich you get, and how strange it seems, ask to get it toasted. I had a couple of sandwiches at Le Bus that I found unimpressive until someone in front of me in line turned me on to toasting. They just toast things a teeny bit, so the bread gets a little crunchy and the cheese starts to get a tiny bit melty, yet somehow, the things that are supposed to be crisp and cool remain that way. Even though I don't eat chicken, the curried chicken salad on raisin bread here makes my mouth water. Someone, please eat it and think of me!

DI BRUNO BROS.
1730 Chestnut St
(215) 665-9220
You have to be careful at Di Bruno's because it's not cheap. It is however, really good, and there are all kinds of samples if you go at the right time. I always try to hit Di Bruno's a little early, because the lunch crowds can get insane and people totally gobble up the cheese samples and sometimes they are not replaced later. The sandwiches available at the deli counter are delicious and even though they cost about $7 a piece, I always turn them into two meals. The upstairs prepared food is also heavenly, particularly the house of cheese panini, the hummus and the bruschetta. I haven't had as good luck with the upstairs salad bar or the soups. Also, the downstairs prepackaged salads and wraps are nothing to write home about. However, it's always fun to stop in just to look around at all the fancy foods and try some cheese or olive oil.

TAMPOPO
104 S 21st St
(215) 557-9593
Tampopo's bento box is the honestly the best healthy but still filling lunch option around. It really blows other Japanese restaurants out of the water. We've reviewed Tampopo and Tampopo II before — and I can guarantee, they are both worth it. Once in a long while, I get a hankering for a vegetable (a strange break from my normal 24/7 craving for all things bread and cheese related) and on those rare occasions, a noodle-y-vegetable-y dish from Tampopo is just what the doctor ordered.

THE WRAP SHACK ON THE SQUARE
120 S 18th St
(215) 569-1666
The new, fancy Wrap Shack is quite different from the original Wrap Shack. I only spent a few months working in proximity to the new Wrap Shack and during that time, I felt obligated to try all of the vegetarian wraps. I ended up with three favorites: the Thai peanut popper, the Bean Burrito and the Pizzabella. The Pizzabella (portabella mushrooms, pizza sauce and cheese) was an extra favorite for me – I would order it on a spinach wrap, and it would satisfy my pizza cravings while simultaneously providing me with the vegetables I usually avoid. I don't recommend the salads here, I got one once and it was heavy on the lettuce and light on everything else (however, if you can't tell by now, I am a vegetarian with an anti-vegetable bias). Also, the service was kind of hit or miss, but I chalk that up to working out the original kinks of opening up the new location.

TOKYO LUNCH BOX
1705 Chestnut St
(215) 564-3306
This place is not amazing by any means, but there is one item I always order when it's cold or rainy or I don't feel well: the tofu soup with the udon noodles. It costs about $6, and is huge and chocked full of spinach, mushrooms, tofu and scallions. Make sure to ask for the red spice at the check out counter, otherwise it's kind of bland. My only complaint is that the soup is never hot enough. I used to always have to take it back to work and nuke it. The rolls at this place are okay, but they are actually better at the fresh sushi place inside Liberty Place. I can't really speak for anything else here, but man, that soup. . . I miss it.

HOT TAMALES
1805 John F Kennedy Blvd
(215) 557-9009
Many times in the last three years, I had less than five dollars in my pocket, and these were the times I would head to Hot Tamales. If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, head elsewhere (this place rocks a BLT burrito!). But if you need something cheap and fast and filling, there aren't too many options like this one. I always get the refried bean burrito or the hummus burrito. The lines can be really long at peak lunch hours, but they usually move quickly, so know what you want before you get to the counter. Also, there is a guy who works there who has the coolest voice, it is like it was made for calling out orders: "Two beef tacos, side of guac to go!"

LEON'S LUNCH CART
18th & Chestnut Sts
Leon's lunch cart is on the northeast corner of 18th and Chestnut. I understand lunch carts are very specific and people develop unshakeable lunch cart loyalties. I am loyal to Leon, and his (presumably?) father and daughter who are so fast and friendly and make coffee just how I like it. I tended to go to Leon for breakfast rather than lunch, as lunch carts aren't usually bastions of vegetarian options, but over the last few years I have consumed about a million cheese hoagies from Leon and I've never been disappointed. Across the street on the northwest corner of 18th and Chestnut is a great fruit salad cart. The fruit has always been fresh every time I've had it, but I will be honest in admitting that I tend to go for gooey egg sandwiches over fruit salads pretty much every time I have the chance.

We were so excited to learn that Tampopo opened up a second restaurant East of Broad Street, and even more excited to learn that this time it is more than just a take-out joint; it's a classy spot with table service and a menu that is somewhat more expansive than the original Tampopo's. Nestled in an unlikely spot on Jeweler's Row, Tampopo is a great space with a cool minimalist/modern interior. It is a very spacious setting, complete with a sushi bar with polished chrome stools with comfy-looking padded seats jutting out from under the counter. On the night we went, there was hardly anyone else in there, and we were seated at a cozy booth. We did notice, however, that some of the chairs at the smaller tables looked uncomfortable — they were a kind of backless, wooden, one-person bench.

Our server brought us a bowl of complimentary edamame, which was quite tasty, better than either of us expected. This was a surprising treat since edamame is listed as an appetizer on the menu. We also ordered vegetable Korean pancakes (bin dae duk), one of the items that is not on the menu at the original Tampopo. It was a good sized portion for the two of us, but was a couple minutes undercooked which significantly took away from the texture and flavor. (It should be firm on the inside and very crispy on the outside for a nice initial crunch.)

Messy ordered avocado rolls, which she has had at the original Tampopo many times. They were good, and seemed to be a little bigger than those at original Tampopo (although we did not perform an actual side-by-side comparison). Picky had the hot spicy beef don, which is also on the menu at original Tampopo. Picky found it to be basically the same as regular Tampopo's except not as spicy. And as an added bonus, this location is BYOB. We didn't bring anything to drink though, and we didn't ask if there was a corking fee either.

For dessert, we each had two delicious scoops of green tea ice cream. It was quite yummy, but Picky's had a little bit of ice in one of his scoops.

If you work near Jeweler's Row, this is a great idea for a lunch hot spot considering the good portions of healthy dishes at reasonable prices.

Messy ***1/2
Picky ***1/2

The final word: Everything the original has — plus chic ambiance.

Tampopo Asian Grill
719 Sansom St (Jeweler's Row)
(215) 238-9373
Lunch: Mon – Sat: 11:30am – 3:30pm
Dinner: Mon – Sat: 5:30pm – 10pm
Sun: Closed

Asia on the Parkway is located, unsurprisingly, right on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is both good and bad. The location is certianly convenient, but the overall feel of the restaurant is kind of weird. The inside is huge, extending into a more private area away from the large windows facing the Parkway. As soon as we walked in, looking perplexed over the choice of doors, a gentleman offered to seat us.

We noticed that there were drink specials, but we opted to just drink water. We began our meal with the fried vegetable dumplings. There were six pieces in all, and they were over fried with thick skin. It came with yummy dipping sauce and plenty of it — we didn't run out, and both of us are enthusiastic dippers. Our server provided a knife when the dumplings came out, no chopsticks to be seen, but Picky noticed they were available upon request.

When it came time to order our meals, Asia on the Parkway accomodated Messy's request to have her pad thai with tofu instead of the beef/chicken/shrimp choices listed on the menu. It tasted really yummy but it should be noted that Messy felt sick the next day, which may or may not have been related. Picky opted for the mango chicken which also came in a "Thai" version. It arrived on a big plate and served on top of a banana leaf with a cup of white rice on the side. Yummy without too much sauce, a good balance of mango, chicken and rice. As a garnish, the dish was crowned with two halves of mango skins.

We were poured some hot tea before our meals arrived and the server was very prompt to refill our tea mugs and glasses of water whenever they teetered on half empty. We went for an early-ish dinner before 7p and the place only had a few other tables of customers.

Messy ***
Picky ***

The final word: Predictable Asian fusion dishes with prompt service.

Asia on the Parkway
1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 1st fl
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 988-9889/0728
Sun – Th: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm

After wandering around Olde City on Easter Sunday when most of the restaurants that were open had hefty price-tags, were were hesitant to try Kisso at first. But we were also really hungry, and Messy was craving Japanese, so we figured we'd give ourselves a treat. To our pleasant surprise, Kisso is not super fancy: the inside is all rusty orange colored walls with no decorations save for one set of shelves displaying fancy sake bottles. (As far as we know, these bottles were for show only, as Kisso is BYOB). Everything is minimalist and clean (except for the carpet, which is kind of dingy). The space is quite intimate, with room for maybe 30 people or so. The sushi bar was manned by two chefs and a host and hostess who cheerfully greeted each new set of patrons.

The service was absolutely excellent. Our server refilled our water as soon as we got down to 3/4 of a cup. He kindly let us know that our sushi was ready and asked if Messy would prefer to finish her salad first. Speaking of Messy's avocado salad – it was awesome. Not only did it include a full sliced avocado, but it also had all kinds of other goodies like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, asparagus, lettuce, and a piece of lemon, all topped with a delicous carrot-ginger dressing. Messy also enjoyed the veggie maki, which managed to fit in an inordinate number of fillings: avocado, cucumber, asparagus, tomato, lettuce, and at least two unidentifiable pickled vegetables. It was only five pieces, but they were large and filling. In fact, they were a little too large for Messy to comfortably eat in one bite. Messy also had the inari: tofu skins stuffed with rice, which were sweet enough to eat as dessert.

Picky is slowly branching out in his liking of Japanese fare which is normally relegated to California rolls. After our trip to Morimoto where Picky had his first spicy tuna roll, he's wanted to try another one. He ordered a spicy tuna roll, a California roll and a Philly roll. The Philly roll consists of crab strips, cucumber and cream cheese in an inside out roll, which makes for an odd taste and texture combination. Picky's food was brought out artfully, on a large black stoneware circular plate. The mini kettle holding the soy sauce was an elegant black stoneware piece as well.

Kisso is no Morimoto, but what is? Kisso wins out in it's intimate setting and if you snag a window seat on a nice Spring day as we did, you get a gorgeous view of cherry blossom trees. Neither of us are fans of slabs of raw fish on a hunk of rice so we can't tell you how their nigiri is, but rest assured that the maki we sampled were great.

Messy ****
Picky ***1/2

The final word: Japenese food that looks and tastes good, in a simple, welcoming atmosphere.

Kisso
205 N 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-922-1770
Lunch: Mon – Fri: Noon – 2.30pm, Sat & Sun closed
Dinner: Mon -Thu: 5pm – 10pm, Fri – Sat: 5pm – 11pm, Sun: 5p – 10p

First of all, normally we could not afford to eat at Morimoto – we were lucky enough to get a gift certificate from Picky's sister and brother-in-law. We didn't know exactly what to expect from a hybrid of minimalist neo-Japanese cuisine and Steven Starr's traditionally over-the-top style. We walked through the opaque lime green doors under the curved white entranceway facade and were greeted by a hostess behind the reservation booth. We arrived a few minutes early but our table was ready right away. (This was both good and bad, as it prevented us from experiencing the upstairs bar). The night we were there happened to be the opening night of Morimoto NYC, which may have been why Morimoto Philadelphia wasn't too crowded. It also meant that the Iron Chef himself, sadly, was not in attendance. We were lead past a large black sculpture reminiscent of a Bang & Olufsen speaker. The entrance opened up into the dining area with an ostentatious minimalist décor. The walls were stark white, but their sculpted curves gently jutted into the cavernous space. The undulating ceiling was made of bamboo. The booths were all linked up to a lighting system whose lights simultaneously changed from reds to purples to blues to greens. No matter how long Messy stared at them, they always seemed to change as soon as she looked away.

As we were seated against the right hand wall at a table for two, we immediately noticed the immobile phallic plastic candlelight. It didn't get in our way too much during the meal, but it was kind of obtrusive when we attempted to share food. The seats could not be moved forward or backwards, but they were comfy.

Messy started off with an $11 glass of Choya plum wine. (Messy is not sure if she has ever even had an $11 bottle of wine). It was the best glass of wine she has ever had, but Messy doesn't know anything about wine. For an appetizer, Messy ordered a delicious warm mushroom salad which came in four portions dusted with different curry powders. She was instructed to use the bundle of endive leaves to scoop up the chopped mushrooms. (We weren't used to two servers coming out to tell us "The chef recommends that you eat this like this. . .") Picky started off his meal with a lobster salad with warm soy croutons, red romaine lettuce and hard boiled quail eggs (which Messy found reminiscent of pigeon eggs). Morimoto didn't skimp on the lobster, it was a heaping portion.

For the main course, Messy decided to order a bunch of appetizers since they didn't have any vegetarian entrees on the menu. Our server offered to prepare a special vegetarian dish, but Messy felt it would be more cost-effective to try a couple of appetizers. In retrospect, this was a mistake. Morimoto's appetizers are clearly meant for sharing: the portions too large for one person. Messy ordered up the Morimoto tempura, which came with gorgonzola cheese sauce (two of the pieces were not vegetarian — Picky ate those). The tempura was delicious, but way too heavy for one person. She also ordered up cha-soba noodles, which were pretty basic — yet very tasty — noodles.

Picky went with an order of spicy tuna maki and lobster epice. The spicy tuna is easily envisioned, but it must be noted that it was the first 'raw fish' sushi that Picky had ever ordered up. It was delicious. It came out on a wooden slab — we noticed that all of their sushi came out on long wooden slabs depending on how large the order was. But the lobster epice, wow. It looked to be about a .5lbs lobster split lenghtwise and baked with eight hot spices. Served not with a wedge of lemon and melted butter, but with a crock of crème fraise with a little citrus juice. It was the single best entree Picky had ever had; it was heavenly.

For dessert, we splurged (in addition to the previous two courses of splurging) and ordered up two desserts, a chocolate tart and wasabi tiramisu. The chocolate tart came out with these weird liquored raspberries. The tart was served with a large thin wafer. We ate it up quickly. The wasabi tiramisu had a very subtle wasabi flavor which wasn't overpowering, but was still a little too weird for us to order again. Both of the desserts were good, but neither was spectacular.

And one more note: the bathrooms. Walking into them, you are greeted by a trough style sink with water coming out and flowing downstream into the far wall. There is a wall of bamboo stalls which look seamless. The oddest thing in the bathrooms was this hole in the wall with a bed of rounded black stones. It said "DRY" above the cut out and it seemed as if it was concealing a sensor-driven hot air hand dryer. Both of us stood in our respective bathrooms waving our hands like fools, but . . . no dice. Anyone been to Morimoto who knows what the purpose of those cutouts are for?

Messy ****
Picky *****

The final word: Worth every penny.

Morimoto
723 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-413-9070
Lunch: Mon – Fri: 11.30am – 2pm
Dinner: Mon – Thu: 5pm – 11pm, Fri – Sat: 5pm – Midnight, Sun: 4pm – 10pm

When we visited Serendipity the results were very different. This time, Messy decided to branch out into the non-Japanese section of the menu (Serendipity also offers Chinese and Thai dishes). Big mistake. Although the portion was huge, the Pad Thai was dry and flavorless. Messy spent her meal kicking herself for not sticking with the sumptuous rolls she'd had before, which our dining partner – visiting from Connecticut – was happily consuming right across the table.

Picky was brought to Serendipity under the assumption that he would find something to eat in the non-Japanese section of the menu (he doesn't like most Japanese food). He started off with the wonton soup. How could he go wrong? It came out looking like wonton soup, but tasting like watered-down broth and with a flavorless filling. Even a large schmear of hot paste did not improve things. It got worse when the General Tso's chicken came out. It didn't even look right this time. This dish was barely edible, had Picky not been starving, he would not have finished it, but he was, and he did.

Messy ****1/2 (Japanese) & *1/2 (other)
Picky 1/2

The final word: Stick to Japanese food at a Japanese restaurant.

1009 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 592-8288
Sun – Thu: 11:30am – 10pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 11pm

Tampopo has lots of good take-out Japanese and Korean food on the cheaps – in fact, the cheapest Korean food Picky has ever had, in his whole Korean life. The vegetarian rolls are also very good, but not as filling as the traditional Korean specialties like Bi-Bim-Bab and spicy Kal-Bi [spicy beef teriyaki on the menu]. Basically any of the "bowl" dishes [hot-and-spicy or teriaki tofu/beef/etc.] are great choices, as they are served in bowls with plenty of white rice, and they don't skimp on the meat/tofu. We also noticed a few creative variations on standard roll options for the adventurous, but we did not try them. The most expensive thing we saw on the menu was $8 and that was for a 12-piece order of eel roll with cucumber. [One of the few things we have in common: we're not big fans of eel rolls.]

There's not too much available in terms of seating, as Tampopo is primarily a take-out place. There are a few tables, but no table service. However, the service is extremely fast and they do deliver [$15 minimum], but unfortunately, not to our neighborhood.

Messy ***
Picky ***1/2

The final word: Quick and yummy, for cheaper than one might expect.

Tampopo
104 S. 21st St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 557-9593
M-F: 11.30 – 2.30 [lunch] 5.30 – 9.30 [dinner]
Sat: Noon – 9