Quince

209 West Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 232-3425
Website

Quince is a Spanish shop that offers packaged goods, sandwiches, coffee, and imported gourmet foods. You know, from Spain.

They also have an awesome lunch combo.

As you can see, the interior is quite nice, and well kept.

They offer things like handmade Spanish pottery and entire legs of prosciutto. Which I am obviously a fan of – the latter, of course.

Unless you are eating at one of the tables they have set up outside, you will need to get your order to go. Which works out to be a hell of a boxed lunch, with a sandwich, bag of chips and an iced coffee for $8.

One of the things not to be missed is the dolmas. These are an excellent healthy snack food. I am addicted.

Grape leaves stuffed with rice, onion, dill, and lemon juice. Damn good.

The real star at Quince, which by the way, means this, are the baguettes. These sandwiches will take you back to that summer you spent in Spain, or at fat camp wishing you were in Europe, or make you feel like you have been to Europe. One of my personal favorites is the prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, roasted pepper, and pesto. Simple perfection. The salty ham is a perfect match for the billowy cheese, and the peppers give it a burst of freshness, while the pesto adds a punch of umami. The bread (Metropolitan bakery representing) is also fantastic, a tough exterior with a soft, airy inside (much like the author) makes for a perfect Euro-style lunch.

The other top pick, in my opinion (and there is some decent competition among these baguettes), is the Cambozola. My God, this cheese is good. A combination of brie and gorgonzola, this is a smooth, super tangy cow's milk cheese. It takes everything good about each cheese, and blends it into a singular masterpiece. At least for this sandwich. If you are ever planning a picnic, you would be a fool not to stop in here and grab some food. Reasonably priced, exotic, and classy, you will almost definitely get to make a move while sitting on a blanket in the woods if you get one of their baguette sandwiches, or two.

So this baguette is even more simple, and just as good. If not better. It contains a healthy spread of Cambozola cheese, walnuts, and a Vidalia onion and fig spread. It does not sound like much, but it packs quite a punch.

The mix of the sweet spread with the pungent sharp cheese and the fatty crunch of walnuts is too good to resist. This was a big surprise to me when it was recommended to me years ago by the owner. I thought there was no way something so simple could be so satisfying. I guess it goes to show I WAS wrong – that one time.

Quince is a fantastic place to have in the neighborhood, and definitely worth a trip, especially if you like Spanish style sandwiches, cheeses, meats, sides, or housewares.