Mi Pueblito Taco Truck

Girard at Frankford
(late night edition)
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Well, the old neighborhood has certainly changed. Long gone are the days of grabbing a seat at JB's on a warm night and relaxing. It seems the introduction of Frankford Hall and the ensuing gentrification has led to various levels of douchebaggery – from the influx of too-cool hipsters migrating from South Philly, to the college kids who can't handle their liquor, to South Jerseyites (no explanation needed) – the hood has turned into a shitty circus and lost its charm. At least they have this taco truck.

Mi Pueblito sits at Girard and Frankford on the weekend nights and cranks out some of the best Mexican in the city. Cheap, quality, and delicious, it's the triple threat. They also have guacamole salsa, which is one of my favorite things on earth.

Tacos are cheap, $2 a pop, and offer a variety of protein choices. Chorizo and pollo are two of my favorites.

The burritos, however, are the best thing going. Huge, loaded with flavor, and wrapped to go, you don't even have to worry about getting any drips on that expensive vintage-looking shit-your-parents-paid-for/popped collar polo shirt/anything from your personal "Affliction" collection.

The flour tortilla tastes fresh and lardy, like it was just rolled and grilled on the flat top moments before. It glistened in the glow of the street lamps and made my mouth water at first glance.

No joke, all of their meats are tender, juicy and full of complex flavors – and this isn't just the drunk hunger talking, this stuff is the real deal.

As I mentioned earlier, the burrito is wrapped tight and the tortilla's elasticity kept everything in order as I plowed through both. That's right, one of these monsters wasn't enough. I had two.

I'm hoping the crowds die down and that people stay in their own respective neighborhoods so I don't have to fight to get some of the best, most authentic burritos around.

Pizza Brain

2313 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 291-2965
Website

I was reluctant to review this place at all because I am fundamentally opposed to the idea of hipster pizza. Not just a generalized, younger person, hipster-run place, but a place where they might be wearing My Little Pony pajamas (with footies) while they cook. I hate that shit.

I was invited there for an event, however, and I begrudgingly went and ordered some pizza. See below for what I am talking about.

I DID like the pizza art, I must admit.

Below is Brian "Pizza Brain" Dwyer, who is the mastermind/pizza Nazi behind this whole ordeal.

When I got inside, I was comforted by the fluidity of operations, and the professionalism of the staff. I started coming around.

Luckily I had some cans of Bud heavy (which I shared with the staff), while I waited for my slices. This pizza is THIN. Good sign.

The "Wendy Wedgesworth" boasted mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, arugula, and honey goat cheese. The crust was quite spectacular, and the ingredients were none too shabby. Light and easy to eat, I imagine the veggies go nuts for this stuff.

The "Jane" is the plain slice, though it touts mozzarella, aged provolone, Grana Padano (a less sharp parm-style hard cheese), and fresh basil. This was probably my favorite slice. Simple, with a well seasoned sauce and nutty flavor from the cheese, I could eat this one on the regular.

The "Lucy Waggle" came with mozzarella, Grana Padano, pine nuts, fresh thyme, sweet dates, crisped prosciutto, and arugula. The salty ham was great with the fresh arugula, and the dates added just enough sweetness.

There was a hell of a lot of care put into this place, and the pizza really shows it.

Bottom line, don't let the hipster fool you, they really make some of the best pizza around right here on Frankford.

Milkcrate Cafe

400 E Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(267) 909-8348
Website

Brunch is just so overrated. All I ever really want is a quick and cheap breakfast, in sandwich form. Enter my favorite neighborhood coffee spot, Milkcrate Cafe. I've been eating here regularly since their opening in 2009 and the quality is consistent every time.

Everything on their menu is cleverly named, they put a spin on each item with food & band mash-ups like the "A Tribe Called Quesadilla" and the "Ike & Tina Tuna." In addition to being a full service breakfast & lunch cafe, it also doubles as a record shop. You can head downstairs and peruse the collection of new & used vinyl at your leisure.

But me, I'm only ever there for the food. They serve La Colombe coffee and their bakery items come from Le Bus - they also do a customer card system, buy 10 drinks, get one free - so be sure to sign up for that.

My two absolute favorite menu items are the "Bagella Fitzgerald" and the "Notorious E.G.G." seen above, respectively.

The Bagella is fresh and delicious every time, piled high with cream cheese, avocado, tomato, cucumbers and S&P. I don't know how the ingredients don't slip and slide right out the side, but everything's made with such care, the stack almost always stays put. Talk about a refreshing (and [mostly] healthy) breakfast.

Of course, with anything healthy, I must balance it out with some over-indulgence. Bring on the Notorious.

First, you choose your sandwich vessel: bagel, wrap, bread or English muffin. I skip right along to the croissant for an extra $1.50 - it's completely worth it. Next you add your cheese: American. Then add tomato ($.50). Then add bacon ($1.00). They'll provide the 2 eggs cooked omelette-style. Ask, also, for a dash of hot sauce & ketchup plus S&P.

Eggy, cheesy, bacon-y, buttery perfection. I do believe the croissant is the only way to go here. It ends up costing you around $6, but it will be some of the best breakfast bucks you've ever spent on a croissandwich.

The staff are friendly and the coffee is always good. Stop in and see for yourself.

Pizzeria Beddia

115 E Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125

For the NKOTB (for those of you too young to know: New Kid On The Block) in the Philly (Fisthtown) pizza scene, Joe Beddia's new spot is small and non-descript, but the pizza speaks for itself.

As it was the soft opening during our visit, there was some help in the kitchen from Scott Schroder, of American Sardine Bar/South Philly Taproom fame.

The space itself is beautiful, with white subway tile and exposed brick.

Most everything is sourced locally, and the small menu reflects the quality over quantity approach that wins every time.

The hand shredded Old Gold Aged Cheese lends a bit of bite to the creamy mozzarella.

It is (at least in theory) a BYO restaurant, so some cheap domestics were brought and shared with the staff. There is only one table - standing only - so you either need to be lucky, or have previously fed the owner delicious BBQ *ahem* to eat-in at the restaurant.

The crust is absolute perfection. Thin, crisp and chewy, it's the ideal vessel for the zippy sauce and flavorful cheese. See a plain pizza above and below.

Not to mention the finishing drizzle of EVOO.

The salame and pickled chili pizza below was amazing. The bright vinegar bite of the chilies blended with a bit of heat to balance out the rich sausage. A great combo to say the least.

The (surprising?) favorite of the night was the final pie, with mushrooms and caramelized onions. The mushrooms were phenomenal, rich, earthy, flavor-packed, and a nice complement to the salty-sweet onions, creating a perfect matchup.

This older couple could not stop talking about the pizza. It was charming.

I can't say enough good things about Beddia. It's going to be a landmark institution, like Taconelli's, only closer and better.

Bubba's Texas BBQ

19 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 324-3530
Website

Editor's note: photography was not easy here, so apologies in advance for the lack of visual representation here. Just take my word for what you're about to read.

First, the good. The wings were great. Smoked, then fried, they were packed with flavor and served in a spicy and deep hot sauce. I would go back for these alone.

Now for the bad. The service, atmosphere, and BBQ. Which is kind of a big deal for a * ahem* BBQ joint.

Service: Our waitress was texting WHILE I was ordering. I thought it was some kind of new tablet system that sent the orders to the kitchen. Until I got done and she said, "sorry, what was that again?" and she pulled out a notepad for me to repeat my order. Come on.

Atmosphere: Weird. It was part Applebee's and part Famous Dave's. Had a feeling of weirdness all around.

BBQ: Most disappointing. We each had a sandwich, one pulled pork, one chicken, one brisket. All were served on a LeBus roll that had no business housing BBQ. The tops of the bread were so big they were discarded by each of us, while the thin bottom let you holding a soggy piece of roll covered in meat. Not to say that the meat was abundant. The pork was flavorless and dry (no sauce served on the table) and overpowered by the enormous piece of bread it is served on. The chicken was just okay, until I bit into a bone, that's all I'll say about that. The brisket was the best of the lot (as it should be for Texas BBQ) but again, it was not as juicy as it should have been. At least it had some sauce on it. The menu said each sandwich was served with half sour pickles. Well each one in our group came with a sad little slice that was roughly the size of one McDonald's french fry. Big disappointment, especially for the $11-14 price tags on the sandwiches. The chips were pretty good, especially because they helped bulk up what was not exactly a heaping portion.

I would go back for a $3 Kenzinger and some wings. That is about it, and barely. Just a disappointment all around. Especially with their competition around the corner.

Ida Mae's Bruncherie

2302 East Norris St.
Philadelphia, PA
(267) 259-6493
Website

Ida Mae's is a Fishtown institution – part greasy spoon and part low-key brunch spot - it is great for a leisurely breakfast or lunch. Just make sure to bring cash.

When you walk in, you are greeted by the open kitchen. There is a bar with some seats, and additional seating in the rear.

They are famous for their huevos rancheros, and you don't have to tell me twice to order anything with eggs and salsa, I am already on it. The huevos are prepared with crispy corn tortillas, two sunny side up fried eggs, avocado coulis, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro over black beans.

This is a visually appealing dish, and it's quite tasty as well.

One issue I had was the overly watery and abundant black beans, seen below. Other than that, add some hot sauce and dig in. Highly recommended.

I can never pass up some SOS, so getting the creamed chipped beef was a sure thing. This one is pretty standard, nicely seasoned with a good consistency, served over toast, and accompanied by crispy hash browns. Definitely a solid offering.

Ida Mae's is a great neighborhood spot with flavorful and reasonably priced breakfast food. If you're up that way looking for something along those lines, you can't go wrong.