Cheap Eats: Taste of Philly

(Credit: Danielle Hier)

There are some things that are distinctly Philly: Philadelphia cream cheese, cheese steaks, cheese covered pretzels, cheese fries, cheese danish, cheesecake, quattro formagio pizza, and Italian hoagies with provolone...Okay, so we Philadelphians like our cheeses.  But, in our defense, we also have Tastykakes and Hires root beer.

Several years ago, I traded pigeons for pelicans, dogwoods for palm trees and the Phillies for the Rays.  All in all, it was a good trade, but sometimes I miss the tastes of home.

Therefore, I crawled into Taste of Philly in Bradenton like a castaway finding water.  I didn't even ask for the menu.  "Okay," I challenged general manager Cari Piepiora. "I'm from Philly. You've just gotta have a buffalo chicken cheese steak."

She nodded, knowingly. "With red cherry peppers and fried onions?"

The Sights / Sounds:  The diner is simple, with two rows of booths lining the walls in perfect symmetry, and a line of four laminate tables and high-backed chairs with green vinyl cushions at center.  The upolstery pattern on the booth seats showed images of chianti canteens and bottles (though the restaurant does not serve alcohol).   The pale walls with old-fashioned wood paneling were decorated with minimalistic pictures of cartoon chefs.

In the background, country music was piped in over the speakers, the one reminder that I wasn't in Philly, but further south than South Street.  Laughter from the kitchen could be heard while Cari took my order.

The Food:  I started with the Yellow Split Pea Soup ($1.95), creamy with bits of ham, before moving on to my glorious 10" Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak ($7.50), served with hot wing-style sauce, hot cherry peppers, grilled onions, and Swiss American cheese, on a homemade roll.  Served in a basket with potato chips and extra hot sauce, the only thing missing from my feast was a sliced pickle.  I finished my lunch with a freshly prepared slice of rich Raspberry Cheese Cake ($2.95).

Grand Total: $12.40 pre-tax.

Additional foods include: Italian Hoagies, calzones, pizza, and baked pasta, sausage and other Italian dishes.  The recipes were created by the late Bruce Piepiora.  The restaurant is in his memory, and run by his wife and daughter (Cari).

The Sizes:  All foods come with options, like Half or Full portions of Ziti, lasagna, and Chicken Piccata, 10" or 14" pies (that's pizza to you), and the choice of 6", 8" or 10" sandwiches.  In addition to money-saving options based on small or large portions, there are also daily lunch and dinner specials.

Philly Tawk: Know the lingo, slang and ebonics.

Tawk = Talk                                                                                                                                                                          Yous guys = You guys (and girls)                                                                                                                                      
Cough-ee = Coffee                                                                                                                                                             Whouder = Water                                                                                                                                                             Whichew = With You                                                                                                                                                                Dis & Dat = This and That                                                                                                                             
Where You At? = Where Are You?                                                                                                                                           Day didn' tell me nuttin' like dat. = They didn't tell my anything like that.

The Bottom Line:  Simple and to the point, the diner is small and comfortable, and offers fast service and great authentic foods reminiscent of the Italian Market.

The average cost of lunch and dinner specials $10-$20 (including beverage, appetizer/side, main course and dessert), making Taste of Philly this week's best "cheap eats" option in town.

****

Taste of Philly is located at 6513 14th St. W., Bradenton Fl 34207. Phone: 941-756-5500. Hours: Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Friday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Closed Saturday & Sunday.

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