Ramen Boy

204 N. Ninth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
267-687-1355

Ramen Boy has been one of the most anticipated openings in recent Philadelphia history. While New York is known for its incredible ramen joints, we have been all but void of this soul satisfying broth and noodle mix (besides a few pop-up places here and there). Keep in mind that real ramen is not the $.25 noodle and spice pack that college students notoriously survive off of, but a rich and complex bowl of broth, noodles, a bit of meat and often a few other adjuncts.

The interior is almost entirely wood, with everything from the seats to the floors to the walls looking rather sleek. Unfortunately the romance is lost when sitting on the backless benches that attempt to be cool, but instead are literally more of a pain in the ass.

There is an open kitchen with all kinds of awesome equipment, and it does make for an interesting atmosphere.

Each table is stocked with the essential Japanese "doctoring up" condiments, my favorite being the chili oil.

The menu offers much of the same on each side, with four featured styles of ramen.

I went with the beef and cheddar "cheesesteak" gyoza. These dumplings are cooked on a special grill that steams them while crisping the bottom. At $6 an order, these were the best part of the meal. They are served with a variety of dipping sauces, two spicy, two sweet. The wasabi is quite tasty, as well as the other spicy one (orange) on the end.

I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever had/seen cheddar cheese sauce on my chopstick. I liked it.

After the dumplings came the ramen. I went with the miso and spicy beef varieties.

The spicy bowl is ten-spice oxtail broth with bean sprouts, ribeye, and jalapeno, in addition to the noodles. This is a delicious and satisfying broth. I added a bit more spice in the form of chili oil, but overall I was a big fan of the beefy, spicy liquid. However, the meat that was served with it might as well have been shoe leather. I was hoping for a meltingly tender bite of steak, but was left tearing at the tough pieces of meat before I gave up and ate around it. The noodles and soup were good together, but I couldn't help but feel cheated. It was a $13 bowl of soup, after all.

The miso ramen is made with miso paste and sake, and served with hard boiled egg, noodles, sprouts, and corn. This ramen base was flat out bland. As much doctoring as I could muster was necessary to make it taste more than faintly like miso soup. I understand the intricacies of Japanese cooking, and simple, subtle flavors are often key, but in this case, it wasn't cutting it. I also couldn't get a read on exactly what pieces of chicken were in the soup. There were thighs, but also some strange parts that were chewy and less than appealing.

The corn also threw me for a loop. I couldn't help but feel it was out of place, and it certainly didn't add anything to the dish.

By the time the bill came, I was pretty unhappy. For starters, my ass hurt from the ergonomically incorrect divots in the bench I was sitting on, and, to follow, the fact that I was paying over $40 with tip for six dumplings and two bowls of miso (for lunch!) was outrageous. That's well above what I consider acceptable for Chinatown eats. With so many delicious soup places around Ramen Boy, I can't see myself paying that kind of money for noodles in broth with questionable meats. I understand they just opened and they need time to get their act together, but even taking that into consideration, this just didn't live up to the hype. You can see what Midtown Lunch thought of it here.

LaSpada's Original

2912 Edgmont Avenue
Chester, PA
(610) 872-9881
Website

My Delaware county hoagie and cheesesteak hunt continues. It seems everyone I talk to has their own favorite, often a relic of childhood trips to the local shop. LaSpada's was always coming up in conversations about the best Italian hoagie, so I stopped by to check it out.

Although there are multiple locations of LaSpada's (including in Florida?), the Parkside store I visited is the longest-running one around. The store is small, and nothing fancy, just the way a sandwich shop should be.

I went with an Italian. This store does not have as extensive a menu, as some of the others do, and that's fine with me.

The Italian came with peppered ham, hot coppa, salami and provolone. The DelCo original meat-cheese-veggie-ham format was followed (still have no idea where that came from), and doused with oil and vinegar. The bread was mighty tasty, as was the sandwich.

I am still undecided on their traditional "top ham" wrapping. It does help hold everything in (like a meat wrapper should), but it also makes all of your bites extra hammy. Some days, I love it, some days I hate it. Best part is, however, you can simply remove it if/when you want.

This is definitely a solid sandwich. Next time I am going for the cheesesteak, because when I was leaving I saw one come hot off the grill, and it was a finely chopped thing of beauty. I almost went back and ordered one of those as well, but I am trying not to go all Paula Dean, at least before summer. That being said, I am always open to endorsement opportunities.

Frankford Hall

1210 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 634-3338
Website

Although I wrote about Frankford Hall when it first opened, I wanted to do an update. They have changed their menu around quite a number of times, and at this point, they have a variety of burgers. Which is always a plus. Below is the poutine burger, named "The Ultimate Poutine." At $12, it's not the cheapest around, but damn if it's not one of the tastiest. Dry aged patty, with fontina fries and foie gravy (made with veal), served open faced. It's a fork and knife meal, to be sure, but I had no complaints. Besides the fact that I had just undone an entire week's worth of workouts. But this sandwich/platter and 1L of German beer is the best mistress with which to cheat on your diet.

I also tried "The Classic" burger, which came in at a more wallet-friendly $7, and was still surprisingly good. Cooked to a nice medium, it came with white cheddar, house made pickle and the usual lettuce, tomato, and onion. Also, it comes with a side of fries, which are no slouch themselves, especially with the addictive curried ketchup.

Frankford Hall elicits a range of emotions from a variety of people, from love to hate. However, there is no better place to drink outside (even in the winter) in the area. The beers are not over-the-top expensive and the food is solid. Not to mention the fact that you can sit around a fire pit and roast s'mores. Sure, some of the clientele may have an air of superiority, but just remember, you don't have to talk to them.

Mama's Vegetarian

18 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-3313
(215) 751-0477
Website

I can't believe after searching the archives that Mama's hasn't been done on here. It IS the best falafel in the city, after all. Yep, that's right, the best falafel in the city, hands down. Other places may have a 1,000 item salad bar, and that's great, but when comparing balls to balls, Mama's reigns supreme. You walk in and jump in line. Try not to go at peak hours (between noon and one) because it's kind of slow and gets very crowded for such a small store.

So you figure out what you want, which shouldn't be that hard with such a small menu, and then place your order. You can specify white or wheat pita. I also get it spicy, which just means they put a bit of chili sauce in first. Then the assembly line takes over.

They routinely run back to the fryer for fresh falafel.

If you are not a falafel fan, for some strange reason, or you are looking for a great side order, try the latkes. Packed with veggies, they are cripy on the outside and tender in the middle.

At $6, the large falafel sandwich is the stuff dreams are made of. Packed with tomato, cucumber, cabbage, hummus, tahini and hot sauce, this is a healthy, delicious and wallet-friendly lunch. Not to mention keeping it Kosher.

A large and small sandwich plus a latke was $11. That's more than enough for two, or one fat person. The sandwich stays together well, and it is packed with flavor. The falafel itself it absolutely perfect. Crispy on the outside, light on the inside and packed with parsley-fresh flavor.

Oh wait, you aren't sold yet? (I know you are) There's more. They offer a free side salad bar of various pickled veggies and sauces. More hot sauce, tahini, and chili pepper spread, as well as pickles, olives, carrots, and these maroon things that I thought were beets, then I thought they were some sort of fig. No, I have no idea what they were, but damn they were all so good. Anyone know what these mystery vegetables (or fruits) are?

When it comes down to it, the falafel at Mama's is just perfect. Everything else is a much appreciated bonus. This is the very definition of a perfect, cheap Center City lunch.

Sammy Chon's K-Town BBQ

911 Race St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215 574-1778
Website

I had been to the Cherry Hill Sammy Chon's, but the new outpost in Chinatown had me intrigued. Koagies are a pretty great fusion concept and the promise of Korean Fried Chicken meant that I was headed to C-town.

They brought out two dishes of banchan, I suppose they throttle your free snacking when you don't order Korean main dishes. Others around me had about seven little dishes.

I went with a four piece order of the Korean Fried Chicken, which they allowed me to order two ways. Sweet soy, and spicy pepper (Diablo) sauces coated the crispy breaded chicken pieces. Unfortunately, this was not the best rendition I have had. Cafe Soho way up in K-town is significantly better. While the batter was crispy, it flaked off very easily, as though they had not been given the proper rest time to let the batter set up. They were still good, just not as good as others I have had.

I also went with one beef bulgogi and one spicy pork koagie. They are served on a Sarcone's roll and come pretty loaded with meat. The spicy pork (jae yook bokum-style) was far and away the winner. Cabbage, pork, onions and a side of white sauce made for a well balanced sandwich. The spicy marinade really packed a punch and the cool sauce subdued the burn.

The bulgogi was slightly disappointing. Especially compared to the pork. It had okay flavor, but really needed some kind of sauce. It was a bit dry without smothering it in the white sesame sauce provided - and when that didn't pack enough punch, a side of go chu jang was required to really round it out.

It was a pretty decent experience, and I would certainly go again, but I would likely try some of their more authentic food, and mop up those sauces with a pork koagie.