Sunday, July 16, 2006
by Ospite. 
I spent a chunk of this past week in Philadelphia visiting my sister. She does a lot of work in Kensington and I was getting the grand tour. We saw the touristy things only briefly and then moved onto real Philly. There was no way we could wander through Center City on South. and not stop at Jim's Steaks for quality cheesesteaks with mushrooms and whiz.
While Jim's is a landmark in the cheesesteak world, I have to say that the dining experience that hit the spot was La Lupe. If you're in the mood for some serious Mexican food it's the place for you.
We grabbed a table outside around 9pm and our waitress was a little slow so I scoped out the joint while conversing with my sister. One cook. One waitress. 18 tables. Wednesday night. Only 6 tables were occupied.
Most of the patrons looked like locals and regulars, specific with their orders, knowing the menu well (my sister falling into that category). One of the 6 tables, however, fell clearly into the tourist category. They were rude, demanding, and couldn't understand why the waitress couldn't say more than "hi," "ok," "thank you," "you're welcome," "yes," and "no" in English. As the meal went on, I watched her table interaction closely...her nervousness is what first drew my attention. She greeted the tables with "hi" and that was it, waiting for the customers to speak first, giving their order. She then wrote the entire meal names on the ticket, no abbreviations...which is waiter suicide depending on table size. She was obviously brand new at this. But at least her body language had charm.
She held her 6 tables well and the food was fabulous. My enchiladas hit the spot with the Manzana Verde soda accompanying. Should you be in Philly and want some good Mexican, find Geno's Steaks and then head east for La Lupe.
Also, if you decide to chill at Geno's make sure you speak English, or don't expect service.
While Jim's is a landmark in the cheesesteak world, I have to say that the dining experience that hit the spot was La Lupe. If you're in the mood for some serious Mexican food it's the place for you.
We grabbed a table outside around 9pm and our waitress was a little slow so I scoped out the joint while conversing with my sister. One cook. One waitress. 18 tables. Wednesday night. Only 6 tables were occupied.
Most of the patrons looked like locals and regulars, specific with their orders, knowing the menu well (my sister falling into that category). One of the 6 tables, however, fell clearly into the tourist category. They were rude, demanding, and couldn't understand why the waitress couldn't say more than "hi," "ok," "thank you," "you're welcome," "yes," and "no" in English. As the meal went on, I watched her table interaction closely...her nervousness is what first drew my attention. She greeted the tables with "hi" and that was it, waiting for the customers to speak first, giving their order. She then wrote the entire meal names on the ticket, no abbreviations...which is waiter suicide depending on table size. She was obviously brand new at this. But at least her body language had charm.
She held her 6 tables well and the food was fabulous. My enchiladas hit the spot with the Manzana Verde soda accompanying. Should you be in Philly and want some good Mexican, find Geno's Steaks and then head east for La Lupe.
Also, if you decide to chill at Geno's make sure you speak English, or don't expect service.
3 Comments:
What exactly is a cheese steak?
I'm from Australia and I don't know what they are. I picture, in my mind, a steak with cheese on it but I have no idea really.
It's chopped steak on a long sandwich roll with melted cheese. They're yummy!!
Ohh, I get it. Thanks for the explanation.
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