Hoagie Quest Visits The Corner Foodery

"Would you like mayo, oil, vinegar or balsamic with that?" With that question I had to make a split decision whether or not to cancel my order at The Corner Foodery.

The last time someone asked if I wanted mayo during Hoagie Quest it turned out to be one of worst Italian hoagies ever. (I’m looking at you, Dolce Carini!)

Corner Foodery menu of specialty sandwiches

Good thing I didn't walk out because The Corner Foodery turned out to be a pleasant surprise albeit with some execution errors. It reminds me of Jake’s Sandwich Board in that neither shop necessarily gets talked about much.

There is no straight Italian hoagie on the Corner Foodery menu, but I found out later that you can create your own sandwich from a selection of meats. I ordered The Godfather, the closest menu item, with prosciutto, pepperoni, coppa and sharp provolone (3 out of 5 of necessary ingredients).

Despite the overplayed name, The Godfather was quite good, but won't make it into the upper echelon of my Hoagie Quest list.

Photos of the Week: Two Food Truck Favorites for Winter Weather

We love food trucks, period. But God bless the people who keep their trucks running all winter long. It's COLD out there! We've read about all sorts of truck breakdowns on Twitter this season and don't envy anyone who has to spend hours cooking out of a tiny mobile hut. 

In honor of those efforts, here are a few recent, cold-weather food truck favorites. 

Macaroni and cheese ON pulled pork ON a giant sandwich. Holy crap, this was good. Not only was it good, but it was constructed and wrapped by the owner of Phoebe's BBQ with the most impressive precision, so that not a single noodle nor sliver of meat came loose during transport back to the office. The mac was just the right amount of creamy and the barbecue sauce had just the right amount of punch. Admittedly, I ate this with a fork because it's obviously quite sizable and I didn't need the extra carbs. But it made my day nonetheless. Follow @PhoebesBBQ for truck location and tweets from its South Street storefront.

Another hit from last week... sweet & sour fried chicken tacos from Taco Mondo, ordered with a chicken and cheese empanada on the side. My initial visit to the Taco Mondo truck didn't leave me impressed with their basic pork tacos, but that was during it's first few weeks of business. Fast forward to today, and these guys were something special. The scallion, pickled veggies and sesame seeds on top balanced out the tangy, slightly hot sauce over fried dark meat, with more sauce hidden underneath. The empanada was still crispy after a 10 minute walk, with a hearty portion of chicken/melted cheese enclosed and tasty dipping sauce on the side. Follow @TacoMondo for its location.

Slideshow: Reading Terminal Market is Philadelphia's Hub for History and Food

Reading Terminal Market is one of our favorite places to eat in Philadelphia. It's been the centerpiece of Philadelphia's food community since opening in 1892, now with more than 100,000 people passing through each week.

We've written several posts on 22nd & Philly about what to eat in Reading Terminal Market and recently published a slideshow on Chowzter.com. Check it out for the quick history of Philly's most famous market as well as some of Reading Terminals' best sandwiches, desserts, produce stands and festivals.

Thanks Chowzter for giving Philadelphia and Reading Terminal Market a spot on the international food stage! Check out the site for other food recommendations in 100+ cities around the world.

The Daddy Wad Takes on Hoagie Quest

An all-time Sandwich Quest favorite is Paesano’s Bolognese, a brilliant combination of fried lasagna, mozzarella, provolone, red sauce and a fried egg served on a delicious roll. No wonder it was the 2011 Scarpetta Award winner for best sandwich.

The question for Hoagie Quest, then, was: would Paesano's Italian hoagie, called the Daddy Wad, inspire the same level of love?

The short answer is that the Daddy Wad fulfills all the requirements of a great Italian hoagie and is one of the best in Philadelphia.

We'll get to the actual hoagie in second, but Paesano's itself needs some explaining.

It's often the atmosphere of a hoagie shop or the care a chef puts into his creations that can elevate a meal or sandwich from good to great. For me, being in the heart of the Italian Market conjures up images of the young Vito Corleone roaming the streets with his fellow immigrants, surrounded by push carts sharing their wares.

Yes, most of that image is from a bygone era, but the dreamer in me still likes to think I can recreate it, if only for minute.

On any given day, Paesano's is filled with locals just looking for a good sandwich. It's a small space so you need to sit elbow to elbow on a crowded day. You'll find yourself talking to others and asking them what they think of their hoagie, helping others know where to order, etc. It's that type of experience that helps make a place like Paesano's stand out. I'm sure others that reach the top of Hoagie Quest will also offer similar experiences. Salumeria surely benefits from the liveliness of Reading Terminal Market, but in turn creates a different, but equally special, experience.

Okay, on to the hoagie already.

The One Restaurant You Should Spend Your Christmas Bonus at in 2014

The start of a new year brings resolutions, new adventures and a focus on the future. But hey - no harm in relishing a little in the past if it meant a year-end bonus from work or a Christmas gift check sealed with a kiss from Grandma. Ahhh, the possibilities!

Here's one idea. Treat yourself to a delicious dinner at Serpico.

Serpico's duck buns quickly became the talk-of-the-town

For starters, we've probably talked about Serpico's deep fried duck leg buns at least once a week since eating there in November. They even give the pork buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC a run for their money (not surprising since chef Peter Serpico trained under David Chang.) Follow them up with the raw diver scallops and you are off to the taste bud races.

The duck buns ($13) are served with hoisin sauce, scallion and pickles on toasted Martin’s potato rolls. Melt-in-your-mouth raw diver scallops ($14) float beautifully in a low bowl of buttermilk, poppyseeds, green yuzu kosho, white soy and chive. We were not shy about slurping up the excess sauce with a spoon.

Thin, raw diver scallops dancing in a buttermilk cloud

For mains, we went for Cope's corn ravioli ($15) and the Elysian Farms lamb ribs for 2 ($60). The ravioli is a unique turn for Serpico to spanish flavors, with chorizo, white cheese, pickled and roasted onions, sour cream and lime complementing the light corn flavor inside and out. The result was a perfect cross-cultural blend of Spanish and Italian flavors. Like an enchilada inside a ravioli. Hola bellisimo!

Short of the dry-aged Creekstone rib eye, the lamb ribs are the biggest dish on the menu. For a restaurant that serves everything to share and otherwise in small-to-mid sized portions, this dish was hearty - but remember it's meant for 2 people.

Thick, delicious cuts of lamb meat fell right off their skinny bones, making it easy to mix with accompanying Japanese eggplant, scallion, mint, yogurt and black olive oil. These ribs topped off a meal that started off great and only got better with each bite.

Corn ravioli

Hearty bowl of lamb ribs

Why are we suggesting you spend your bonus at Serpico? Because it ain't cheap. Portion sizes get larger as you go down the menu but to fill up two hungry people, I'd suggest 4-5 items, unless you get the lamb ribs, which counts for 2 entrees. The food you see in this post, plus 1 dessert and 2 glasses of wine each ran us $180 before tip. For some that's a normal Saturday night out, but for many it's a splurge. We had a sizable gift card from last Christmas that eased the blow. Either way, if you're looking for a special occasion or way to spend that year-end cash, this is one route to consider.

Despite all the hype and initial rave reviews, I wasn't immediately drawn to Serpico when it opened in June 2013. Maybe the menu descriptions and price combo didn't jump out at me. But thank goodness we did go. If you're looking at it online and thinking the same thing, don't worry. It was awesome. 

Bar seats overlook an open kitchen. Watch meals being prepared and Chef Serpico (pointing) add the final touch.

Not a huge dining room inside Serpico - couple booths to the right, a few more tables to the left and a small bar.