Tom I.'s Profile

Lemon Grass Thai is one of our go-to lunch places near work. I'm not one to usually point our prices as I am more inclined to focus on the food itself, but I have to say that they have one of the best lunch deals. For under $9, they have a fixed price lunch that includes soup, an appetizer and an entree. They have a wide range of options with a nice selection of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices.

Despite all the options, I tend to order some of the same dishes that quickly became favorites. I normally start with either the lemongrass or wonton soup and then usually have the corn cakes appetizer. The soups are both on the light and brothy side and quite tasty. The corn cakes are delicious and come with a sweet pepper and cucumber sauce.

My favorite entrees are the Royal Noodles (rice noodles with sliced chicken breast & vegetables seasoned with fresh basil, onions, garlic, bell peppers and chilly paste) and the Evil Jungle Princess (chicken and vegetable medley in a spiced tropical sauce). Occasionally, the Royal Noodles can be on the greasy side but normally it is nicely prepared. I have a soft spot for wide rice noodles and have a hard time resisting. I've had the Pad Thai a couple of times as well and found it good if not outstanding.

Varying from the fixed menu is discouraged, but given the wide array of selection, it would be hard to find something that wouldn't satisfy. This isn't the best Thai food but everything has been reliably enjoyable.

The service is very efficient if not particularly friendly.

White Dog Cafe is one of our go to places for lunch since it's about 3 blocks from where we work. We also have been there a handful of times for dinner.

I had been a fan of White Dog when I lived in Philly before and was looking forward to returning. I had heard some things about it changing hands and that the quality had declined, but I'm happy to say that White Dog is as good as I remember.

They focus on getting their produce from local family farms and their meat and fish from sustainable and humane sources. This quality results is quality dishes. Everything is fresh and delicious. The preparation can be lacking at times as we've had the occasional overcooked burger, but more often than not, things are just right.

They have a small but usually interesting beer list. Oddly, I've never taken a close look at their wine list so cannot comment.

The atmosphere is a little hit and miss depending on what room you are in. Some of the rooms are pretty tight and parts of the downstairs tends to be rather dark. I even had to use my phone to see the menu one time. They also have a really pleasant patio which has been a nice place to enjoy and after work drink.

Service is always friendly and attentive.

I know some people complain about it being pricey, but it's worth the extra cost when you are getting food made with such fresh and local ingredients.

As a big fan of Jet Wine Bar, I've been eagerly awaiting their new restaurant, Rex 1516. They had a few delays which only added to the anticipation, but, Rex 1516 lives up to expectations.

We've been there twice in the short time they've been open. Once for dinner and once for drinks. The night we went to dinner was just a couple nights after they opened and they did not yet have their full bar, so they offered two complimentary glasses of wine. Coming from the same people who run Jet, the wine was quite good, definitely not your First Friday plastic cup Chardonnay kind of free. We were curious about many of their southern influenced offerings, so instead of my partner and I each ordering an entree, we opted to select a few of the appetizers so that we could try more. We started by sharing the fig bruschetta and the arugula and roasted pear salad. They had a special duck soup which we split and ended with the mac 'n' cheese. Everything was absolutely delicious. Can't wait to go back and try more.

We stopped by for a couple of drinks on a Friday night. It was pleasantly not crowded, although that won't last long as word spreads about how excellent everything is. The bar tends toward variations of classic cocktails. They have a small but nice draft and bottled beer selection and, of course, an excellent selection of wines. I had a perfect Sazerac and an excellent old fashion. The bar is dark and elegant with a very inviting couch along the back wall.

The staff have been all very nice and incredibly welcoming.

Between Rex 1516 and Jet Wine Bar, I don't know if I'm ever leaving that block of South Street!

After hearing so many wonderful things about Mica, we decided to go there for a special occasion early in March and it certainly lived up to expectations. The food, the service, and the atmosphere were all top notch.

They have an adventurous menu, without it being too wild. My dinner began with a coco bean soup that included medjool dates, shaved bacon, and thyme. I followed that up with Barnegat NJ scallops that came with gooseberries and a white chocolate and banana paste. For my entree, I had Lancaster County poulard with sour cherries, fingerling potatoes and lardons. Everything was cooked just right and absolutely delicious. They have a small but nice selection of beer and wine. They don't have any beers on tap, but my bottle of Saison Dupont was a good choice for my meal.

The service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The building looks as if it used to be a house, and the front dining room is small but not over-crowded. The noise level was surprisingly pleasant for such a small, repurposed space.

We've been to FARMiCiA, twice. Once shortly after we moved to the area. We went there for breakfast--which was excellent--not realizing that shortly after we arrived, they started their brunch menu. Breakfast was so delicious that we were mightily intrigued by brunch.

FARMiCiA is not particularly far from where we live, but it's not exactly close either, so a few months went by before we got around to returned. And let me say it was totally worth the wait and it did not disappoint.

The two of us each began with a Farmer's Daughter, which is a combination of orange juice and Proseco. It was as good as it sounds.

Because of the long walk, we were starving, so we ordered on of their starters: the trio of starters (black olive tapenade, Tuscan white bean, and artichoke-walnut pesto) that came with sliced baguette. The spreads came out promptly which was good because we were drinking on a couple of seriously empty bellies.

Our next round of drinks featured a glass of champagne flavored with peach bitters for her and their house sangria for me. Both we delicious but the peach champagne drink was sublime.

For entrees, my friend had the Hacienda Eggs which was two fried eggs, crispy tortilla, re-fried black beans, salsa, sour cream, and queso fresca. I had the Amish Cheddar Grits & Country Pork Sausage which came with scrambled eggs & sourdough toast. Both were fantastic.

In a way, I wish FARMiCiA was closer to home. But in another way, I'm glad it isn't because it was good to walk off the meal!

When we feel the need to get away from University City where we work, we often will head to Day By Day because it's pretty close to the 22nd Street Trolley stop, so it's easy to get to.

Our lunches have always been good and occasionally exceptional. Most recently, I had a cup of an excellent split pea soup and the quiche of the day, which was bacon and scallops. Overall, the quiche was tasty but it was over cooked. The crust was too hard and the scallops were a bit dry. But previously, I really enjoyed an open-faced turkey sandwich and an incredible roast pork sandwich.

They always have a tempting selection of pies and one time, we opted to just have bowls of soup and pie for lunch. Good times.

The service has always been attentive and friendly.

We arrived in Dallas on a Friday afternoon and were starving. We needed to eat before getting involved in the conference. Our hotel was about a mile and a half from the convention center area and we looked on Yelp to find something between our hotel and that area. Luckily, we found Medina Oven & Bar, a Moroccan restaurant in Victory Park, a planned community on Houston Street.

We walked over and were immediately struck by the unique decor. The restaurant is rather small, but it was not crowded when we arrived. The waiter was super friendly and seated us promptly.

Everything we had was quite delicious. We started by sharing the Med-Rim Salad, which is a beautiful concoction of spinach, poached figs, toasted almonds, cinnamon-spiced orange, feta, and a honey-lemon vinaigrette.

We followed that by sharing the equally delicious oregano-fennel famb sausage pizza with tomato, feta, peppers, red onions, mozzarella, and olives.

We finished with some outstanding cinnamon-spiced coffee and the orange blossom creme brulee.

In fact, we enjoyed Medina Over & Bar so much, we made sure to get there one more time before we left. Often, we return to a place we really like at the end of a trip to make sure our last meal there is a good one. We were trying to make plans with friends for dinner the last night and tossed around a few ideas before coming back to the idea of bringing them to Medina. We were a party of five, so we made reservations, knowing how small the place is. Thankfully, Medina is on Open Table, which I find hugely convenient.

At my previous job, I had 2 options for coffee: Seattle's Best (which, I'm sure it's not) and Starbucks. At my current job, I am fortunate to have 3 excellent coffee shops and 1 excellent coffee truck within an easy walk.

Artisserie Chocolate Cafe is one of the shops. The standard drip coffee is much better than any of the main chains, but I often go for the Americano. They also have a wide selection of teas.

Although they are known for their baked goods, I actually haven't gotten much in the way of sweet treats, but the couple of things I have had there (biscotti and zucchini bread) have been wonderful.

The staff is always friendly and helpful.

We've been living in Philly for about five months now and a few places have emerged as neighborhood favorites and The Sidecar Bar & Grille tops the list. Mainly, we have been going for their fabulous Sunday brunch, but we have also visited once for dinner and it was equally enjoyable.

Recently, they have opened the second floor which is a comfortable, sun-filled room that is ideal for brunch.

The one time we were there for dinner, I have a wonderful special of mussels and homemade sausage over cannellini beans. For brunch, I tend to gravitate to the Crabby Benny or the Huevos Rancheros. Whatever you do, get the bread basket. It changes weekly but has always been delicious whether it's the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread or the Crumb Cake or whatever.

And the beer list is to die for. They always have a nice variety of styles from a wide-assortment of breweries, usually featuring local brews. When we were last there, we were thrilled to find they still had Stone Vertical Epic 11/11/11.

We were out of town one weekend recently and were totally having Sidecar brunch withdraw.

The Cedars Social was the food/drink highlight of our visit to Dallas. I want to detract a star for the totally sketchy walk we had to take to get there. Does anyone actually live in downtown Dallas? But the experience there was so good, I can't give it anything but 5 stars.

The Cedars Social is small and cozy. We were probably lucky that we went on a Sunday night. I would imagine it is packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Our waitress was very friendly and exceedingly knowledgeable about the wine options and menu and helped us make excellent choices.

The food was dynamite. We started with the daily preparation of scallops and grilled asparagus. We followed those up with the totally delicious mac 'n' cheese and the charcuterie. We ended with the pork belly and collard greens. All was excellent and the portions were just right for getting a variety of things and sharing. The wine selection was not extensive but it was well chosen and we were quite pleased with our pairings.