Lucky Old Souls (L.O.S.) Burger Truck

Website

Although it is tough to stand out in the over-saturated food truck market that has exploded in Philly, the Lucky Old Souls burger truck has been getting a lot of fanfare. I figured it was the least I could do to stop by and see if it lived up to the fuss. You can follow them on the facebook or the twitter to see where they are at on a daily basis. I suppose you can look at the schedule on their website as well, if you aren't down with the social medias. I caught them at Love Park.

I love the fact that their menu consists of a burger, veggie burger, fries, and milkshakes. No need to do twenty things, just stick with what works and execute it well.

I grabbed a spot that was free from skateboard wax and irrational vagrants and sat down for lunch in the park.

I decided to run the gamut, and ended up with a maple-black pepper milkshake, a L.O.S. burger, fries, and one of each dipping sauce. They offer hot pepper, bacon, and roasted garlic mayo. You have to get the roasted garlic, and you should definitely skip the bacon version. I know, I can't believe I said that either. But it had a weird flavor to it, somewhat chemical. However, the roasted garlic is fantastic. Oh and that milkshake was also absolutely fantastic. The maple was sweet, but not overpowering, and it was buffered with occasional pockets of spicy black pepper. It was also nice and thick. I loved it. From the left, garlic, hot pepper and bacon mayo.

The L.O.S. burger was another story altogether. Lancaster county grass-fed beef, with house-made bacon, smoked cheddar, pickled tomatoes, sauteed onions, and L.O.S. sauce served on a brioche bun. Hell. This was a mighty fine burger. While eating it, I actually said "this is just as good as the burger at Village Whiskey." I still stand by that statement.

The burger came together to become more than the sum of its parts. The thick, smokey, crunchy, bacon coupled with the briny, pickled green tomatoes held the bottom, while the tender, sweet, sauteed onion danced with the generous portion of smoked cheddar, and zesty sauce took the upper deck. The tasty bun stood up well against these hearty toppings (and bottomings).

They didn't ask how I wanted it cooked, but it came out a perfect medium, which made me very happy.

The hand cut fries cooked in peanut oil were another winner. They tasted fresh, and like potatoes – an often overlooked quality. Nicely salted, and addictively crunchy, these fries perfectly complemented what was about the most American lunch you can have. Burger, fries, and a shake. Coupled with the roasted garlic mayo, these fried potato sticks were impossible to stop eating.

As it turns out, the L.O.S. burger truck is well worth the hype. I could not have been happier with my meal, and as long as you steer clear of the bacon mayo, you will not be let down. They take the loca-vore concept on the road, and everything just works.

Buttercream Cupcake Truck

Love Park
Website

I'm not much for sweets, especially in the middle of my work day. I prefer to have a steaming hot cup of black coffee to give me the necessary afternoon boost. Today, however, with a staff meeting fast approaching, I thought I'd kiss some ass and bring in some treats to share, and made the trek over to Love Park.

I guess in the wake of Far From Home's retirement, a few new contenders have taken to occupying Philadelphia's center city locale. (Pizza? I guess Pitruco will have to be another day's experience.)

Buttercream's menu offers a variety of different cupcakes, with a few that are somewhat unique, but not too off-the-wall.

I decided on a six-pack of the following, from left to right, top to bottom: pumpkin with cream cheese, red velvet with cream cheese, chocolate with peanut butter, chocolate with chocolate ganache, banana with Nutella, and vanilla with vanilla.

I cut three up to share (small staff), with the anticipation of eating the rest later tonight - sharing with roommates, of course. Unfortunately, I don't think I even want to go through the trouble to carry the three remainders home with me. Anyhow, we sampled the chocolate/PB, vanilla/vanilla and banana/Nutella.

They were all cold, like almost out-of-the-freezer-for-one-hour cold. The vanilla was so dense, there was not a lick of air to be found inside. Like a heavy pound cake meets angel food cake, it was a bit flavorless with no vanilla coming through. Sugar, yes; vanilla, no. The icing was more of the same - there was definitely buttery creaminess here, with a smack of sugar, but no vanilla.

The chocolate/PB was compared to, "Duncan Hines cake mix out of the box," (only not as moist) and when my colleague suggested this, I couldn't agree more. The chocolate cake was also heavy and the icing, again, was primarily a butter-sugar whip with the very slightest hint of peanut butter.

The banana was more like a muffin than a cupcake and again, was lacking much banana flavor. Need I explain the 'Nutella icing'? I didn't think so. It was more of the same, flavorless filler.

Nothing was rich or delectable about these cupcakes. There wasn't much to talk about, other than the obvious sugar content – which is expected, but not as the primary flavor from a cupcake purveyor whose claim is "fresh cream butter, dark chocolate and whole eggs."

Maybe I don't remember what a cupcake is supposed to taste like, or maybe they're just meant to be eaten fresh out of the oven, but what I do know, is that these confections are mediocre and likely made at least one day in advance; not fresh and served at an undesirably cold temperature. I won't be sharing the remaining three, the roommates can have their pick. Note: I came back and tried the additional three last night. The red velvet was the clear winner. An eight hour stint at room temperature really helped. The pumpkin was pretty good as well, though incredibly sweet. And the chocolate ganache was like pound cake.

-Posted by gabulous

King of Falafel Cart

16th and JFK
Philadelphia, Pa 19103
M-F 11am-2pm

The inevitable search for cheap eats around lunchtime in Philadelphia, which cure both hunger and headache and give you a chance to escape the office for about an hour each day, often lead to the variety of food carts around the city. I used to eat at King of Falafel a long while ago when the falafel cravings started, but upon discovering the Falafel Nazi, and Mama's Vegetarian (review coming soon), I never looked back. Until now. It was a beautiful day in Center City, and a perfect opportunity to sit at Love Park and people watch, all while eating one of the cheapest, best cart foods around.


I opted for the falafel sandwich with feta cheese, hummus, and hot sauce. $4. Awesome. I even splurged on a soda for $.75 bringing the grand total to under $5. Amazing. The sandwich, while not huge, fills you up quite nicely, and is relatively healthy compared to a lot of the cart food out there (I am looking at you, sausage/cheesesteak carts).


The pita is whole wheat, and they wrap it tightly in foil to prevent what could result in everyone being able to see exactly what you had for lunch on your work tie. Well played, "King".


The sandwich combines two smashed falafel balls, hummus, chopped lettuce, diced tomato, feta, and some Frank's red hot-esque hot sauce. The falafel is good, crunchy, and not overly garlicy, and I am not sure which component had the fresh zing of lemon juice, but it was appreciated. The hummus kept everything moist, and the lettuce added the crunch. All in all, I must say, it's not too shabby. My present location, plus a pool of lunchmates with the same time constraints as myself, really hinders my ability to make it to 20th and JFK for falafel; not to mention his line is excruciating, and his sandwiches are double the price. For now, this cart will do quite nicely, and it's always fun to rediscover an old friend/cart. Especially one across from the park with some of the best people watching in all of Philadelphia.