The 2011 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards

Welcome everyone to the first-ever 22nd & Philly Scarpetta Awards!

Why the Scarpettas? On the About 22nd & Philly page, we detail why we started this blog and how we define a good food experience: "at the end of the day, if Bradd cleans his plate with a piece of bread, you know it was a good meal." Little did we know there is an Italian phrase for using bread to clean your plate, Fare La Scarpetta. We learned about the word from Anthony Bourdain's show, The Layover, when he visited Rome.

What better way to characterize our own "Best Of" awards for Philadelphia?

The Scarpettas are based on the eateries we visited in the past year, food quests, local events, readers and friends we’ve met, among other considerations. It's our way of pointing out some of our favorite - and least favorite - discoveries within local food scene during 2011. Either our plates were clean, or something was left to be desired.

And the 2011 Scarpettas go to...

Sandwich Quest: Philly's Koja Food Truck

Who should start Game One for the Phillies - Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee? The reality is that it doesn't matter because you would be more than content with either taking the mound. Both pitchers are that good.

This is how I think about the question of which sandwich was the best so far on our Sandwich Quest. I emphasize so far because we still have many to try, such as Nick’s Roast Beef, Shank’s and McNally's Schmitter, to name just a few.

Japanese/Korean Koja Truck

The lasagna Bolognese from Paesano’s has been the clear front runner for quite some time. But then I went on my University City food truck tour, where I devoured the ridiculously good bulgoki steak sandwich from the Koja Truck. Some call it bulgogi, but Koja has bulgoki on its menu so we'll go with that name.


Which is better you might ask? I don’t know. Heads I win, tails I win. I could eat either sandwich at any time and be happy.



The debate is only fitting because both were on list of the best new sandwiches in the U.S. from Endless Simmer, the genesis for our sandwich quest. Endless Simmer, you’ve done your research!