A quick post as I've finally deciphered the familiarity of the taste of Wawa Mac and Cheese. Velveeta? No. Kraft Dinner? No, eh. Jones? Certainly not. But Stouffer's? Yes, everyone's favorite microwaveable meal is available already nuked at the Wawa. I cite two reasons:
1) Overcooked elbows: Alone, this is not a valid reason. But neither Wawa nor Stouffer can produce anything even close to Al Dente, resulting in a too-soft noodle.
2) Cream Cheese consistency: You know when you eat cream cheese and it reminds you of peanut butter, in that you can't seem to get the cheese film out of your mouth? And it's tasty, so you just kind of deal, despite being grossed out that your mouth is now enveloped in a coating of dairy. Well, mix that cheese with some canned Cheddar, and you have Wawa Cheese. What it lacks in sharpness or, well, flavor, it makes up for with that certain sense of home. Why does this remind me of home? Because nothing comes closer to home than Stouffer's. Point proven.
What I would give for a 24 hour Whole Foods in Rittenhouse...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The dish that brought me back: under $10 perfection
I'm not the biggest believer in Tampopo. Sure, the food is good enough, but there are better options. Typically I find the chicken a little too dry and the portions a little on the small side. This evening, however, I tasted their gold standard.
To be honest, yesterday I went for some Teriyaki Chicken mainly because it's close and inexpensive. Someone had ordered a Fresh Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop which looked simply amazing -- I quickly developed "order jealousy."
As I walked home today, something was pulling me towards Tampopo. Vic? Not today. Palumbo's? How much Chicken Salad can one person eat? Primo's? Like they'd be open at night. And as I appreciate food as much as the next person, Wawa Mac N' Cheese wasn't going to do it for me. So I walk into the minimalist space, run up to the counter, and get the Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop. Extra Tuna for $2.00 extra. Brown rice. And I wait... and wait... and 10 minutes later, they call my name. In the elevator, I'm trying to figure out how to take a picture of it, as it looks so good, it could be a display piece. Large morsels of rich deep pink floating over a bed of green and purple, red sauce, and brown rice on bottom. Magnificent.
I open up the plastic dish and immediately the smell of fresh tuna and spicy sauce comes flying out of the container. I mix the cabbage, avocado, lettuce, rice, and other greens in this atypical bi-bim-bop (remember, Tampopo is not a traditional restaurant by any means). The taste is incredibly fresh, if not overly spicy. The fresh fish has great bite, and the portion is very generous for $10. The veggies provide a nice crunch, the avocado (a fruit), a nice fatty contrast to the lean fish. Too much hot sauce marred the dish, but not enough for me to lose the fact that underneath that mask was a perfect combination of food.
Full and inspired, empty plate in front of me, I'm back to blogging.
To be honest, yesterday I went for some Teriyaki Chicken mainly because it's close and inexpensive. Someone had ordered a Fresh Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop which looked simply amazing -- I quickly developed "order jealousy."
As I walked home today, something was pulling me towards Tampopo. Vic? Not today. Palumbo's? How much Chicken Salad can one person eat? Primo's? Like they'd be open at night. And as I appreciate food as much as the next person, Wawa Mac N' Cheese wasn't going to do it for me. So I walk into the minimalist space, run up to the counter, and get the Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop. Extra Tuna for $2.00 extra. Brown rice. And I wait... and wait... and 10 minutes later, they call my name. In the elevator, I'm trying to figure out how to take a picture of it, as it looks so good, it could be a display piece. Large morsels of rich deep pink floating over a bed of green and purple, red sauce, and brown rice on bottom. Magnificent.
I open up the plastic dish and immediately the smell of fresh tuna and spicy sauce comes flying out of the container. I mix the cabbage, avocado, lettuce, rice, and other greens in this atypical bi-bim-bop (remember, Tampopo is not a traditional restaurant by any means). The taste is incredibly fresh, if not overly spicy. The fresh fish has great bite, and the portion is very generous for $10. The veggies provide a nice crunch, the avocado (a fruit), a nice fatty contrast to the lean fish. Too much hot sauce marred the dish, but not enough for me to lose the fact that underneath that mask was a perfect combination of food.
Full and inspired, empty plate in front of me, I'm back to blogging.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Palumbo's Grill
It’s been a little long since I’ve written. As many of my b-school readers know, I’m one of the writers of Follies, and that was consuming most of my life for the last five months. There’s other stuff too, but that was the largest time sink.
I figured if I’m getting back into my blog, I might as well try to help out the business owner who is responsible for the weight I’m putting on, so that when he loses my business in the next few months (I’m training for my first ten-mile race), there are other customers to fill the void.
Jack Palumbo recently opened up Palumbo’s Grill on 21st and Chestnut. What appears as a storefront diner actually dishes up fantastic home-cooked food at reasonable prices. I’ve been in there a number of times, so I think it’s best to comment on specific dishes rather than write about the entire experience.
Breakfast:
I’ve only tried the French Toast, but received three thick slabs of cinnamon bread perfectly egg dipped and fried. Frankly, there are many ways to screw up French Toast. They don’t.
Sandwiches:
Sandwiches are all offered “deluxe” with fries, a pickle, and cole slaw. Frankly, the slaw is a little peppery for my taste, and I’m not a fan of dill deli pickles. The fries are pretty standard, and they haven’t ever been undercooked. Sandwiches themselves come stacked high. The chicken salad is quite tasty and light on the mayo, which I like – it’s also enough for two meals. The grilled chicken on a hard roll with mushrooms and cheese was quite filling and a good flavor combination, but I felt that the chicken was a little overcooked and did not enjoy the sprinkling of rosemary.
The selection of sandwiches is rather limited for a diner.
Dinners:
This is where Jack provides value and taste. The first time I ordered dinner, I got the grilled chicken pomodoro (topped with sauce and cheese), served with rigatoni and salad. I got two meals out of it, and probably could have gotten three if I wasn’t too hungry. The chicken was good, but at the end of the day, it’s a chicken cutlet. The sauce had a nice spice to it, and the flavor permeated the rest of the dish. The rigatoni was cooked al dente and quite tasty – not typical for a diner. The bill came to under $11.
I should mention that you get either pasta or choice of two veggies. When I asked Jack what the options were, he had green beans and three types of potato. Hopefully as he’s added business, this has changed.
I’ve also had the Chicken Parm. I’ve never seen a piece of chicken that big in my life. I’m not really sure what breading he uses – it reminds me of a Panko crumb and brought new life to a traditional dish. This came with a side of the rigatoni, as well as a salad and garlic bread. The Caesar Salad served on the side is generous and tasty. Furthermore, the loaf of garlic bread that Jack gave me that night was buttery delicious.
Jack doesn’t have much of a dessert menu, but you won’t have room for it anyway. If you eat in, it’s BYO, but this isn’t exactly a date place. However, a couple of well hidden take out trays, and your guests will never know that Jack cooked dinner for you.
Monday, October 09, 2006
My favorite restaurant in Philadelpiha
There have been several “restaurant renaissances” in
When you think of the remnants of the first restaurant “renaissance” in Philadelphia, there are some shared characteristics – long time waitstaffs, gourmet food done simply and well, and a feeling of comfort in the restaurant – you feel like you’re eating at a restaurant, not a theme park (although sometimes I enjoy this as much as the next person). The restaurant that I think best embodies this spirit is the famed Fri Sat Sun, my favorite restaurant in
Fri Sat Sun is a funny place. First off, the décor is pretty tacky – and surprisingly similar to that of Japanese restaurant Aoi, but we’ve already discussed that. Neon tube lighting is ample at worst, and the dark space is in use of a makeover. However, that’s where the negatives end, in my opinion.
The service at Fri Sat Sun is exemplary. It’s my understanding that the waiters are all partial owners and this shows. Waiters are courteous, helpful, and gregarious, yet polite. There is such a difference when you experience service by people who have chosen this as a career, rather than as a stepping stone. Each time I’ve been there, I’ve been impressed. This time was no surprise, where my dining companion and I chose to split a salad, and they responded by bringing out half portions on separate plates for no charge.
A nice feature of Fri Sat Sun is their wine policy – all wine is offered at only $10 above cost. This gives you the opportunity to experience a really great wine at a pretty reasonable price. We enjoyed a Napa Cab that was quite good, and would have gone for a lot more at most other restaurants.
And then there’s the food. Simple, yet elegant. I have a few favorites on the menu, first of all being the
Fri Sat Sun won’t break the bank, either, with apps in the $7-11 range, entrees from $18-25, and desserts at an incredibly reasonable $5. It’s the combination of great, consistent, reasonably priced food and unbelievable service that make Fri Sat Sun my favorite restaurant in
www.frisatsun.com
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Pardon the Interruption
Minor setback in the blogging due to this thing called school. I'll be back shortly with the following reviews:
- Fri Sat Sun
- Mizu
- Why Au Bon Pain is the worst run restaurant chain in Philadelphia
- Jack's Firehouse
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Melting Pot
My sister was in town a couple of weeks ago and really wanted to go to the Melting Pot. For some reason I obliged.
The restaurant itself is fairly pleasant looking - large tables and fairly plain, cookie cutter decor. That's probably where my excitement about this restaurant ends. We start off by waiting about 10 minutes for the Host to find our reservation and get his act together -- this despite the place being empty and our telling him that we were in a rush.
Finally we sit, and the waitress gives us menus and takes our drink order...and forgets my drink. I'll chalk this one up to ineptitude. We pick our choices and the food comes out.
The first course is the cheese course. We order traditional Swiss fondue and a dish called "Wisconsin Fondue:" a mix of cheddar, blue, and fontina cheeses. Now I don't know if this is a requirement for fondue, but the bread that came out was stale. Other than that, this was a decent course -- i mean, you can't go wrong with cheese.
Then the main course comes out. We ordered a vegetarian plate, a fish plate, and a beef plate (there were five of us in all), and ordered both oil and broth as our cooking media. They bring out a number of batters and sauces and show us what to do. I try battering some meat. The batter (of course) won't stay on the meat. I stick the half-battered piece of steak into the fryer and overcook it. Even overcooked, the batter doesn't cook properly (the oil isn't hot enough). So I wind up with some nasty excuse for tempura beef. The salmon, veggies, etc. aren't much better. The nice thing is that it's hard to really truly overcook food in fondue -- it's probably going to stay moist. In few words: this became a meal of sauces, as they were the only way to mask my distaste for basically everything else.
All in all, my take is that this is a gimmicky chain with mediocre food. See, I did promise you some bad reviews...
The restaurant itself is fairly pleasant looking - large tables and fairly plain, cookie cutter decor. That's probably where my excitement about this restaurant ends. We start off by waiting about 10 minutes for the Host to find our reservation and get his act together -- this despite the place being empty and our telling him that we were in a rush.
Finally we sit, and the waitress gives us menus and takes our drink order...and forgets my drink. I'll chalk this one up to ineptitude. We pick our choices and the food comes out.
The first course is the cheese course. We order traditional Swiss fondue and a dish called "Wisconsin Fondue:" a mix of cheddar, blue, and fontina cheeses. Now I don't know if this is a requirement for fondue, but the bread that came out was stale. Other than that, this was a decent course -- i mean, you can't go wrong with cheese.
Then the main course comes out. We ordered a vegetarian plate, a fish plate, and a beef plate (there were five of us in all), and ordered both oil and broth as our cooking media. They bring out a number of batters and sauces and show us what to do. I try battering some meat. The batter (of course) won't stay on the meat. I stick the half-battered piece of steak into the fryer and overcook it. Even overcooked, the batter doesn't cook properly (the oil isn't hot enough). So I wind up with some nasty excuse for tempura beef. The salmon, veggies, etc. aren't much better. The nice thing is that it's hard to really truly overcook food in fondue -- it's probably going to stay moist. In few words: this became a meal of sauces, as they were the only way to mask my distaste for basically everything else.
All in all, my take is that this is a gimmicky chain with mediocre food. See, I did promise you some bad reviews...
Monday, September 11, 2006
A Nation In Mourning Five Years Later
It's hard not to reflect on the fifth anniversary of the largest terrorist attack the world has, and hopefully will ever see. Like many people, I'll never forget where I was when I learned of the attacks. A sophomore in college, we had lost power two of the last three nights as PECO struggled to fix a transformer on fortieth and spruce. We spent much of the night of the 10th playing board games by candlelight and talking to our neighbors on the porches around us. I resolved the following morning to call PECO. I also called my dad and asked him to call me at 10:30 to make sure I got up for class.
At 10:15 or so, I wake up on my own (I didn't have class until noon), and we still don't have power. I try calling PECO and get the "all circuits are busy" message that became so common that day. About half an hour later, the power comes back on and my phone rings about 30 seconds later: it's my sister and she's in tears, but at least she's reached both of my parents and they're alive. I never before considered the possibility of the death of my immediate family members before that day, but as a born and bred Lower Manhattanite (I grew up about a mile from Ground Zero on the lower east side), it was quite real that day.
I was beside myself. Luckily, I lived with a fantastic group of guys who realized that none of us should be alone that day. One of my housemates suggested we go to donate blood, and we walked towards the hospital. This is when the most inspiring part of the day occurred. Everybody was trying to help. Phone banks had already been set up on campus, allowing students to find family. People were being turned away at the blood bank (including us) because they couldn't handle the crowds. Money was raised, and the entire school (it seemed) wore ribbons made of intertwined red, white, and blue threads. We helped as much as we could, sending supplies and volunteers to DC and NY, yet it never felt like enough as our help could only go so far.
I wanted to link to Matt Gelb's piece on the first Mets game post 9/11, as it really resonated with me.
I'm not going to write about my feelings on the current state of the world -- today is a day of reflection (and this is a food blog anyway). But today, like many of you, I will take some time out of my busy day to reflect, mourn, and remember.
At 10:15 or so, I wake up on my own (I didn't have class until noon), and we still don't have power. I try calling PECO and get the "all circuits are busy" message that became so common that day. About half an hour later, the power comes back on and my phone rings about 30 seconds later: it's my sister and she's in tears, but at least she's reached both of my parents and they're alive. I never before considered the possibility of the death of my immediate family members before that day, but as a born and bred Lower Manhattanite (I grew up about a mile from Ground Zero on the lower east side), it was quite real that day.
I was beside myself. Luckily, I lived with a fantastic group of guys who realized that none of us should be alone that day. One of my housemates suggested we go to donate blood, and we walked towards the hospital. This is when the most inspiring part of the day occurred. Everybody was trying to help. Phone banks had already been set up on campus, allowing students to find family. People were being turned away at the blood bank (including us) because they couldn't handle the crowds. Money was raised, and the entire school (it seemed) wore ribbons made of intertwined red, white, and blue threads. We helped as much as we could, sending supplies and volunteers to DC and NY, yet it never felt like enough as our help could only go so far.
I wanted to link to Matt Gelb's piece on the first Mets game post 9/11, as it really resonated with me.
I'm not going to write about my feelings on the current state of the world -- today is a day of reflection (and this is a food blog anyway). But today, like many of you, I will take some time out of my busy day to reflect, mourn, and remember.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Coocoo for Tampopo Puffs
Less than a block from my house is the oft-crowded Tampopo, a little teriyaki hut that typically releases fantastic smells. Having never been, I avoided the temptation of Five Guys to try the rice bowls at Tampopo. Basically, Tampopo makes about 6 different types of meat (breaded, grilled, and spicy chicken, beef), some fish, and some vegetarian options. You then pick between rice bowl and bento box, and you enjoy. Some sushi is available.
The place is quite clean and the staff very cheery. Many people were eating in, despite everything pointing to a focus on takeout (cash register at the counter, disposable bowls). Prices are reasonable, in the $5-8 range.
I ordered Bi Bim Bop with beef, a classic Korean dish consisting of rice, steamed veggies, egg, and meat. This used to be my favorite dish at the old "Korean and Japanese Food Truck" on 38th and Walnut, now known as KoJa (the quality, in my opinion, suffered greatly when the new owners took over), and since they removed it from the menu, I've been pressed to find the dish for under $10. I paid $7.44 at Tampopo.
My food arrives and I mix in the hot oil (to me, much more palatable than the usual korean sauces, which are way too hot for my taste). The egg was missing from the dish, and the meat was not exactly plentiful. Additionally, the veggies were soggy (I like some crunchier bean sprouts in mine). Tasting the dish, the rice was well cooked and the meat was very flavorful. For the most part, I enjoyed the dish, yet it lacked the depth of a "traditional" bi bim bop. I put traditional in quotes because I'm not Korean, I've never been to Korea, and I'm basing this solely on the sum of my experiences with Korean foods at different restaurants.
So in general, I need to try this place again, but I thought it was a mediocre attempt. Based on the crowds, I'm expecting better than what I got. Readers, weigh in...
The place is quite clean and the staff very cheery. Many people were eating in, despite everything pointing to a focus on takeout (cash register at the counter, disposable bowls). Prices are reasonable, in the $5-8 range.
I ordered Bi Bim Bop with beef, a classic Korean dish consisting of rice, steamed veggies, egg, and meat. This used to be my favorite dish at the old "Korean and Japanese Food Truck" on 38th and Walnut, now known as KoJa (the quality, in my opinion, suffered greatly when the new owners took over), and since they removed it from the menu, I've been pressed to find the dish for under $10. I paid $7.44 at Tampopo.
My food arrives and I mix in the hot oil (to me, much more palatable than the usual korean sauces, which are way too hot for my taste). The egg was missing from the dish, and the meat was not exactly plentiful. Additionally, the veggies were soggy (I like some crunchier bean sprouts in mine). Tasting the dish, the rice was well cooked and the meat was very flavorful. For the most part, I enjoyed the dish, yet it lacked the depth of a "traditional" bi bim bop. I put traditional in quotes because I'm not Korean, I've never been to Korea, and I'm basing this solely on the sum of my experiences with Korean foods at different restaurants.
So in general, I need to try this place again, but I thought it was a mediocre attempt. Based on the crowds, I'm expecting better than what I got. Readers, weigh in...
Saturday, September 09, 2006
New Feature: Recipes
So I don't only like to eat, I also like to cook. Periodically, I'm going to share a recipe that I've created for some of my favorite foods...
I'm on a little bit of a barbecue kick. Luckily, since my readership is quite discerning, you all realize that I'm talking about sauce and meat, and not coals and meat. Big difference. While barbecue purists will be appalled by what I do, I can make a decent pulled chicken in maybe 20 minutes.
Quick Chopped/Pulled Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 medium onion
1 bottle of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce (I like the smoky taste of it)
Oil
1. Chop the onion and heat in a saucepan (oiled) until tender. Remove from flame and set aside in mixing bowl.
2. Cut chicken into strips, and heat in saucepan on low/med heat. Keep the lid on the pan, yet turn the chicken every few minutes. By keeping the lid on, you'll create a steaming effect which will keep the chicken nice and moist. When the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and let stand for 10-20 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and either a) chop or b) manually pull the chicken apart. I chop, as I'm lazy. Place the chicken in the mixing bowl with the onion.
4. Slowly mix in your barbecue sauce. Make sure all of the chicken is coated with sauce.
5. Enjoy!
This was a pretty simple one, but hey, I'm a student (as are many of my readers) and don't necessarily have time to be more complex...
I'm on a little bit of a barbecue kick. Luckily, since my readership is quite discerning, you all realize that I'm talking about sauce and meat, and not coals and meat. Big difference. While barbecue purists will be appalled by what I do, I can make a decent pulled chicken in maybe 20 minutes.
Quick Chopped/Pulled Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 medium onion
1 bottle of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce (I like the smoky taste of it)
Oil
1. Chop the onion and heat in a saucepan (oiled) until tender. Remove from flame and set aside in mixing bowl.
2. Cut chicken into strips, and heat in saucepan on low/med heat. Keep the lid on the pan, yet turn the chicken every few minutes. By keeping the lid on, you'll create a steaming effect which will keep the chicken nice and moist. When the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and let stand for 10-20 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and either a) chop or b) manually pull the chicken apart. I chop, as I'm lazy. Place the chicken in the mixing bowl with the onion.
4. Slowly mix in your barbecue sauce. Make sure all of the chicken is coated with sauce.
5. Enjoy!
This was a pretty simple one, but hey, I'm a student (as are many of my readers) and don't necessarily have time to be more complex...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Why I Hate The New Marathon Menu
I love Marathon Grill. I've been going there religiously since I was an undergrad, and have shared many a lunch at pretty much all of the locations. I love the simplicity of the diner food and appreciate the gourmet spin. Now I love a tuna melt as much as anybody else (probably moreso), but I feel much better about doing it with a garden salad on the side rather than french fries. Marathon lets me do that. Sure, it's a little more expensive than Midtown, for instance, but, as I'll post in a couple of days, you don't have to deal with possibly the poorest excuse I've ever seen for french onion soup. Today I went twice, just to show my loyalty.
Breakfast was fine. The "Blue Dot" coffee was, as always, refreshingly strong and effortlessly bottomless. The home fries were fantastic, and the egg wrap (with Pico, cheddar, and sour cream) was solid, but a little light on the pico.
Lunch was a whole different story. First, let's start with the menu. The new menu is smaller, with some new items, such as the flounder filet sandwich, the curried turkey salad on walnut bread (served with a beet and feta salad?!), and a shortribs sandwich. They've also changed several of the items, adding, for example, lemon aioli to my personal favorite, the chicken salad sandwich, and adding thousand island dressing to one of the burgers, in an attempt to gourmet-ify a Big Mac. They also removed (as far as we could tell), the hot dogs and the cheesesteaks.
The weirdest part of the menu though is a section called "Jay's Faves." In no particular order, "Jay" lists about 8 items off the menu that he "likes," yet all of these are new menus on the item. Thus, while a clever way to highlight the new items, this will get old fairly quickly. Plus, the B-School student in me realizes that they may make future menu decisions without taking into account the overpromotion of these items.
Then, the paper insert suggests some "items from the new menu" which is just a rearranged version of "Jay's Faves." Lastly, Mr. Rogers does not appear on this menu, a highlight of the old menu.
So after being told three times about the new short rib sandwich, I figured I'd try it, against my better judgement. What came out was a mess. First off, the sandwich is spilling out of the bun from the kitchen. I don't know how meat wound up UNDER the bottom of the bun, but it was there. There's really no excuse for this -- my sandwich rule 1: as hefty as a sandwich is, all meat should be reasonably contained by bread at time of serving.
My first bite (with only about a third of the meat in the roll) presented me with a slightly leathery beef drenched in gravy. Now I make short ribs. And the whole POINT of short ribs is that you cook them until the meat is incredibly tender. You don't quickly cook this meat, as the muscle fibers don't get broken down. Either their beef was very cheap, or the ribs needed more time in the crockpot. Furthermore, they've loaded up the sandwich with this horseradish mustard, which I was really looking forward too. However, when mixed, Grey Poupon and Horseradish create a tart, overbearing taste, taking away from the meat. A good deli mustard and a little bit of horseradish would have been a better choice to bring out the flavor. In essence, this sandwich pretty much tasted like something that would be served at Penn's 1920 Commons. My side salad was decent, coated an interesting, yet tasty thai lime yogurt dressing.
I tasted my friend's flounder sandwich, and it was quite good, leading me to believe that at least some of the new menu was decent. On further thought, however, I realized that Marathon is sending mixed signals. Their new comfort foods are good, because Marathon is good at comfort foods. That's their thing. When they try to fancify foods, they tend to mess up. Hence I don't think I'll be trying the curried turkey salad on walnut bread with a beet and feta salad on the side.
Marathon, do me a favor and bring back the cheesesteak... this is, after all, Philadelphia.
Breakfast was fine. The "Blue Dot" coffee was, as always, refreshingly strong and effortlessly bottomless. The home fries were fantastic, and the egg wrap (with Pico, cheddar, and sour cream) was solid, but a little light on the pico.
Lunch was a whole different story. First, let's start with the menu. The new menu is smaller, with some new items, such as the flounder filet sandwich, the curried turkey salad on walnut bread (served with a beet and feta salad?!), and a shortribs sandwich. They've also changed several of the items, adding, for example, lemon aioli to my personal favorite, the chicken salad sandwich, and adding thousand island dressing to one of the burgers, in an attempt to gourmet-ify a Big Mac. They also removed (as far as we could tell), the hot dogs and the cheesesteaks.
The weirdest part of the menu though is a section called "Jay's Faves." In no particular order, "Jay" lists about 8 items off the menu that he "likes," yet all of these are new menus on the item. Thus, while a clever way to highlight the new items, this will get old fairly quickly. Plus, the B-School student in me realizes that they may make future menu decisions without taking into account the overpromotion of these items.
Then, the paper insert suggests some "items from the new menu" which is just a rearranged version of "Jay's Faves." Lastly, Mr. Rogers does not appear on this menu, a highlight of the old menu.
So after being told three times about the new short rib sandwich, I figured I'd try it, against my better judgement. What came out was a mess. First off, the sandwich is spilling out of the bun from the kitchen. I don't know how meat wound up UNDER the bottom of the bun, but it was there. There's really no excuse for this -- my sandwich rule 1: as hefty as a sandwich is, all meat should be reasonably contained by bread at time of serving.
My first bite (with only about a third of the meat in the roll) presented me with a slightly leathery beef drenched in gravy. Now I make short ribs. And the whole POINT of short ribs is that you cook them until the meat is incredibly tender. You don't quickly cook this meat, as the muscle fibers don't get broken down. Either their beef was very cheap, or the ribs needed more time in the crockpot. Furthermore, they've loaded up the sandwich with this horseradish mustard, which I was really looking forward too. However, when mixed, Grey Poupon and Horseradish create a tart, overbearing taste, taking away from the meat. A good deli mustard and a little bit of horseradish would have been a better choice to bring out the flavor. In essence, this sandwich pretty much tasted like something that would be served at Penn's 1920 Commons. My side salad was decent, coated an interesting, yet tasty thai lime yogurt dressing.
I tasted my friend's flounder sandwich, and it was quite good, leading me to believe that at least some of the new menu was decent. On further thought, however, I realized that Marathon is sending mixed signals. Their new comfort foods are good, because Marathon is good at comfort foods. That's their thing. When they try to fancify foods, they tend to mess up. Hence I don't think I'll be trying the curried turkey salad on walnut bread with a beet and feta salad on the side.
Marathon, do me a favor and bring back the cheesesteak... this is, after all, Philadelphia.
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