The line outside the Philly Street Food Festival at Xfinity Live! wrapped around most of a block on a chilly Saturday evening, taking a little less than 30 minutes to enter.
More than 40 food stands and trucks sprawled across the expansive Xfinity Live! lot for the third annual festival, hosted by Taste of Your Town. Billy Penn sent two reporters to sample the offerings.
Before choosing among the foods, visitors had to decide whether to pay for general admission or splurge on a VIP ticket. A VIP ticket got you a blue wristband and an apron full of 20 food vouchers and four free drink tickets. With a general admission ticket, only one free drink was included. Many food items cost five vouchers. By doing some bargain hunting, we were able to visit five establishments each. So off we go …
Geno’s Steaks
The obvious first must-try was a cheesesteak. Geno’s Steaks was serving up the classic sandwich to festival attendees out of their Xfinity Live! location. When placing an order, either half or full sandwiches were offered. Strips of steak and onions sizzled on the grill as customers waited for their orders. Cheese whiz was then smeared onto Italian rolls before the rest of the contents were packed inside. Notably, no one was asked the famous cheesesteak question — “wit or witout?” — and so onions made it into some sandwiches, but not in others. Our sampled cheesesteak came “witout”. Geno’s is a pillar of Philly food history, so it felt criminal not to try. The extra greasy, whiz-slathered sandwich was pure Philadelphia — and, honestly, neither reporters’ favorite.
Dump n Roll
As per its website, Dump n Roll’s mission is to “create the first sustainable, philanthropic-focused restaurant aimed at providing a unique culinary journey, to empower future generations by uniting with charitable organizations. All while delivering a seamless goodwill eating experience, that’s accessible to all.”
The service at Dump n Roll was by far the most attentive. Customers were guided through the ordering experience and were included in the process for topping the dishes. Clever names accompanied many of the food items, such as Infamous Piggy (a pork dumpling), Chick-A-Palooza (a chicken dumpling), Veggie in Heaven (a veggie dumpling) and Holy Phuc Wanton (a turkey bacon cheeseburger wanton). The dumplings had a fried or steamed option.
Veggie spring rolls were also served. The dumplings were drizzled with a roasted garlic soy mixture and the spring rolls received a squirt of sweet chili sauce. Both were topped with chives if the customer approved.
Tender chicken and vegetables were tucked inside the Chick-A-Palooza’s perfectly crunchy dumpling shell. It was gone in two bites. The Veggie in Heaven was another China-inspired item on Dump n Roll’s menu. It had a blend of fresh green vegetables, glass noodles, and mushrooms.
The drizzle of garlic soy sauce on top and the fried exterior made these dumplings satisfying to the taste and touch.
Los Gallos Mexican Taqueria
Los Gallos had two booths dedicated to its delicious tacos. The taqueria served multiple kinds of tacos, containing chicken, pork, or beef. Your intrepid reporters went to one stand and got la birria and al pastor tacos.
Two fried tortillas surrounded tender beef, melted cheese, and chopped onions in the birria tacos. Birria is a soup of Mexican origin with meat stewed in a chile pepper broth. Los Gallos served its birria tacos with a side of this broth to be used for dipping between bites. The broth tackled the heaviness of the meat-and-cheese combination, while adding an extra layer of flavor.
The taco al pastor had a sweet and tangy taste. The grilled pork was sliced, marinated in spices, and then topped with pineapples and vegetables. The meat and fruit combo scratched an itch for food lovers looking for something a little outside the box. One reporter also opted to add some green sauce, which enhanced the tanginess of the pork.
Los Gallos was our reporters’ favorite sampling of the evening.
Waffles and Desserts
The longest wait of the night was for a slightly different take on a classic sweet treat. When customers finally reached the front of the line they could choose from Oreo-, Fruity Pebble-, and Strawberry Shortcake-flavored waffles on a stick. Warm donuts and apple crisps were available for non-waffle lovers.
The Oreo waffles were heavily sprinkled with crumbles of the famous sandwich cookie, with dollops of whipped cream added to the side for dipping. The desserts emerged warm and crispy, and while they seemed overpriced at first, their execution made up for it. As the only dessert we tried, it managed to compete with the other delicious foods we tried.
Thaiherb
Affixed to the front of Thaiherb’s food stand was a sign that read, “When it comes to exploring the vibrant and diverse food scene in Bangkok, Thailand, Thai street food stands out as a true culinary delight.”
One reporter can confirm that the Drunken Spaghetti Wagyu Beef with chili and garlic basil sauce was a “true culinary delight”; the other took just one bite before their low spice tolerance kicked in. The most prominent flavor was the spice, mainly found in the noodles. The sweetness was more subdued, but had a slightly stronger taste for the wagyu beef.
In Thai, the dish is known as “Pad Kee Mao,” and Under the Drunken Spaghetti claims it’s one of the most populars street food dishes in Thailand.
The food festival still teemed with people into its closing hour. Many lines still extended past 10 people as attendees were eager to continue tasting their way through Philly’s street food scene until 8 p.m.
The crowds took their toll, as some places had started to run low on supplies by the time the sun went down. We had been excited to try french toast sticks from Big Daddy’s and water ice flavors from Dino’s Ice Cream. We left feeling satisfied but a little disappointed we could not try more. We’re ready for next year.
