Lunch Time (or “Food-o-clock”) in the South End

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Tags: life

Despite being surrounded by a diverse plethora of midday eats, my coworkers are often painfully indecisive when 12:15 rolls around. As such I’ve been elected an oracle of sorts, worshiped only for my unique ability to decide where to go for lunch.

It’s easy to take for granted just how damn good my lunch hour tends to be. I remember working retail and having only 30 minutes to run to a nearby Arby’s to grab some random greasy napkin full of something that passed for food; scarfing it down like some half-famished hyena before huffing it back to work. There was a much better but slower deli next door that I could sometimes get away with, but only if I was lucky. Now, I take a leisurely afternoon stroll with my coworkers to one of the 8 different places in our typical lunch rotation, none of which would qualify as your average fast food. Better yet, these local joints don’t break the bank. I spend an average of about $7 a day for a more than suitably filling meal, which is especially nice given the modern South End’s reputation for not exactly being a haven of frugality.

So if you find yourself in that neck of the woods and are looking for a quick bite, here’s an alphabetical rundown of the places we’ve determined delicious and convienant enough to hit up on a regular basis (more info, including locations, can be found by clicking on the name of each place).

Andre’s Cafe: Andre’s is one of those classic a little bit of everything doused with Americana middle eastern cafes. Mediocre incarnations of similar places are a dime a dozen in Boston. What separates Andre’s is the consistent quality of the rather large wrap selection and the addictive nature of their spicy fries (a single small order of which can feed 3-4 people). I’m a big fan of the honey mustard wrap myself. It’s about %125 the food you really need at lunch, but at around $6.80 that’s a winner.

Blunch: Blunch is the culinary love-child of Nikki, an exceptionally nice restaurateur who will remember your name after one visit and has a penchant for exaggerated baked goods and ridiculously high quality sandwiches. The sandwich descriptions tend to be 3 lines of small type. At most places, this sort of thing would be all show; not so at Blunch. Each sandwich has a unique and well constructed character ranging from crisp to heavy. I like the Beef, the Bird, the Colonial (particularly around Thanksgiving), and the Boca (best veggie burger I’ve ever eaten in my life, and the only one I’ve ever craved after the fact). Likewise, their bread pudding is a heavy but oh so good treat that I often can’t resist. The only downside is that the wait can be rather long (a byproduct of such good but complicated sandwiches) and the place is a bit small, particularly during their lunch rush. All things considered, though, Blunch may be the best damn cafe in the South End.

El Triunfo: Burrito day is celebrated at El Triunfo, a formerly tiny spot near the border of the South End and Chinatown. As with many things, Burrito construction is more an art than a science. You need good ingredientsfor sure, but it’s more about knowing exactly how much of each ingredient to grab. There’s a woman who seems to be working there every time we go who’s got the skills of a Leonardo or Rembrandt. You place your order and bam, a perfectly ratioed solidly wrapped package of food materialized in front of you at breakneck speed. If you’re used to Qdoba or Chipotle, El Truinfo will open your eyes to just what you’ve been missing. It’s also our longest lunch hike, so we tend to reserve it for the nicest day of the week.

Equator: The great thing about Thai food is that you can very easily make up semantic reasons to get it. For example, “Thai Friday”; or if you’d rather use alliteration: “Thai Thursday” or “Thai Tuesday”. Well, I suppose that’s not really the great thing about it. After all, it’s delicious. Equator is not a take-out joint, it’s a real restaurant for sure. However, it has the little known trait of producing lunch orders at warp five. We’ve walked in there four or five people and walked out 7 minutes later with a bag full of curry-oriented deliciousness. The only downside is that Equator is on the more expensive end of our lunchtime spectrum, costing closer to $10 a pop. Still, it’s well worth it for the speed and quality of the food.

Formaggio: The South End Formaggio is technically a wine and cheese shop. However, if you make your way to the back of the store, there’s a small deli with pre-made sandwiches galore. Roast Beef, Turkey Robert, Spicy Italian, Avocado Torta and Chicken Salad are all excellent choices. Couple the sandwich with a bag of semi-obscure potato chips and you’re golden. When I’m feeling particularly nostalgic for school-day lunches, I’ll throw a cookie in there for rounded off dessert. My coworkers are also fans of their selection of sodas, which span well outside the typical spectrum of Coke and Pepsi products. It’s also our most pleasant walk, consisting of a single residential street than emodies the character of South End architecture and always seems to have tons of awesome dogs (perhaps due to the proximity of Polkadog).

Orinoco: Venezuelan food often consists of sauces that are impossible to describe. They’re the sorts of flavors that you can only experience, and that experience will become craving-inducing. Orinoco has a great lunch selection of salads, sandwiches (pepitos), and arepas. Their meats are spiced to perfection and their portions are ample without being overwhelming. The only downside is that they tend to take quite a while, particularly with big orders. This is unsurprising given the artful complexity of the food coupled with the small kitchen staff (typically one person). Fortunately, the place is on a very nice corner and has a good atmosphere for long waits. If you order the tequenos appetizer be sure you get some of the spicy sauce that comes with it. I want some just writing about it.

Siraj Cafe: Siraj is a small, couple-run fusion cafe on the corner opposite Orinoco. Focusing on Indian and Greek flavors, they create some very cool sandwiches and wraps. The real staple, though, is the chicken corn chowder. It’s spicy, hearty, and the best damn thing in the world on a winter’s day in Boston. The couple who run the place are very friendly and laid back. They do occasionally suffer from the same time problem as Orinoco for the same reasons, but if you’re just grabbing a soup you’ll be rewarded with instant deliciousness. They also have what I like the refer to as the “heart attack lunch”, a half-sandwich and soup combination consisting of a cheesesteak and the chicken corn chowder. If you dip the sandwich in the soup, your taste-buds will thank you, your cardio-vascular system will not. I reserve it for only the most brutal winter days.

The Upper Crust: Old reliable, The Upper Crust is most certainly my favorite widely available pizza in Boston. They focus mostly on thin crust creations with tons of high quality toppings. The selection is a bit limited if you’re going by the slice, however, as you can only grab cheese, pepperoni, or the enigmatic but  frequently excellent “slice of the day”. Even so, one loaded slice of the day is enough for a meal, and it costs under $4. The Bub’s BBQ Chicken Pizza is an office favorite.

© 2010 Jeff and Company