Garden Cafe

23 South Jackson Street
Media PA 19063
(484) 444 2424
Website

Media has a great bar scene, but the restaurant selection leaves something to be desired. The higher end places can't compete with the city for the most part, and the medium to lower budget options just don't have any soul. Now, when I read the Garden cafe was offering panini's and salads, I thought, typical. Luckily they have an ace up their sleeve.

They were rated as the best chicken pot pie by some publication in some geographic area. So that was certainly something that piqued my interest.

The pie crust is just about perfect. Crispy without being overly browned, a nice X ventilation system, and served in it's own foil pan.

But the interior was even better. Creamy, with perfectly executed veggies, moist chicken, and plenty of black pepper. This was a delicious standout within the potted pie community. I have to say, it's been a while since I have had a chicken pot pie out, and even longer that I have had one as good as this. Buttery,crispy crust, paired with the creamy succulent filling helped keep this one a winner.

I also tried some sandwiches, including the Cuban, pictured below. It was perfectly fine, and quite acceptable for a Cuban. Though like most Cubans (the SANDWICH) nothing to write home about.

A very well executed sandwich below.

The buffalo chicken panini was lacking in nothing but napkins, and potentially something other than meat and cheese. Again, totally a fine sandwich, and even good for a panini. But it is not my typical cup of tea.

The salad was refreshing and had fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. It is perfect for someone the opposite of me, but expected for a place called Garden Cafe. This is a good, healthy spot for a quick lunch, unless you get the chicken pot pie, in which case you can wait a bit longer for something much less healthy and much more delicious.

Gusto

240 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 546-7200
Website

Gusto is tucked away on 22nd, and to be honest, I totally forgot about it. I ate there years ago (+/- 8) when I lived in Rittenhouse, and it was good, but not that memorable. It's still about the same. But for the prices and quality of ingredients, Gusto earns a hefty 4 cheesesteak rating. The pictures will show you why.

The buffalo chicken cheesesteak hoagie was pretty decent. It had freshly shredded romaine and sliced tomato over gooey chicken smothered in a tangy, spicy buffalo sauce served on a nice crusty roll.

The bread here would be better suited to hosting a po' boy, but even with that, it made for a good vessel.

They certainly didn't skimp on the blue cheese either. It was nothing life changing, but not bad in a pinch (that area is a tough spot for a decent lunch at times).

I have also recently had the Italian hoagie, and though it was a bit fancy for my liking, it was surprisingly delicious. I attribute this to the quality of ingredients they use in all of their food. Again, you could certainly do worse, given the neighborhood.

Did I mention the pricing??? The above mentioned chicken cheesesteak ran a whopping $8 and the Italian hoagie came in at under $7. I mean, DiBruno's would serve the same for about twice the price.

They use Carangi's rolls and this seeded version won my heart. The freshly sliced and generously applied Italian meats and thick chunks of sharp prov didn't hurt either. I mean, it is a fancier version of my favorite Italian and given the competitive pricing in a ritzy part of town, I think I'll be revisiting Gusto sooner than later.

Well played.

Nick's Charcoal Pit

1242 Snyder Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19148-5532
(215) 271-3750
Website

With all of the new places popping up, and the old stand-by's keeping me well fed, I often forget about some of the little hole-in-the-wall spots that make (South) Philly great. Nick's Charcoal Pit is one of those places. I used to order the filet-mignon sandwich all the time, but I haven't had one in years.


Nick's is tiny inside, really it's a takeout and delivery kind of place, although in a pinch they have a table and small high bar.


It's nice to have a place in South Philly for sandwiches that goes beyond cheesesteaks on a flat-top. However, "charcoal pit" is a bit of a stretch, as they are actually propane grills that they cook on. Well seasoned propane grills, but propane nonetheless. Nick's offers a "Nick's special" sandwich with filet mignon, charbroiled with spinach and provolone. One nice thing is that they use Sarcone's rolls. As my dining mate mentioned, if they didn't use those rolls the sandwiches wouldn't be much. The steak is good, well done, and crispy on the edges. The sandwich would benefit from some more moisture. It wasn't dry, per se, but it was on the cusp. The steak is quality, and the simplicity of the ingredients is the key to the sandwich. It is a nice change of pace from the average steak sandwich.

I was disappointed, however, in the buffalo chicken sandwich. It was simply some chicken fingers with hot sauce, some blue cheese and provolone on the roll. This would have been just okay, but when you are the "Charcoal Pit" and your tag-line is "everything is cooked on a charcoal grill and made to order," you might want to mention on the menu that the chicken is indeed just regular old chicken fingers, not cooked on the (propane) grill and made to order. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. It was okay. The fact that I felt they misled me on this one was big letdown. I will definitely go back for my old standby, the filet, but steer clear of the breaded chicken.