Wrap Shack - American @ 120 S 18th St.

Wrap Shack on the square is an exclusive wrap restaurant located between Chestnut and Sansom on the 18th St in Center City. Dont let the name dupe you.This place is no shack, but a full blown restaurant that is well maintained.

I decided to try it just to satisfy my craving for a quick bite after my writer's workshop at Rittenhouse sqaure on a cold May Tuesday at 7:45PM. I was walking along the 18th St towards Market and saw the name Wrap Shack on the wall that was next to a cheese steak place. I quickly read the menu from outside. I liked the content and most importantly the price. The description on the menu was also very simple and clear.

I was quickly asked by the cashier with a pleasant smile as to what I wanted. I said give me couple minutes. I read the menu again and was torn between the Thai peanut popper on the Vegetable Wraps section and Shrimp Stir Fry wrap on the Seafood Wraps section of the menu. For a moment I also wanted to be safe and try the Buffalo Chicken Wrap on the Chicken and Steak Wraps section. But my love for seafood took me over and I asked for the Shrimp Stir Fry Wrap.

The cashier was a young lady and there was a gentleman cleaning the tables on the rear end of the restaurant. On hearing me order the Shrimp Stir Fry the gentleman came over and said that they are out of bean sprouts and asked if I want to replace with carrots, zucchini or mushrooms. I thought that was a nice gesture. I would not have known the difference if he did not mention it. I said I will have zucchini. He instructed the cashier not to bill me for zucchini. You have a choice of white, wheat, spinach or tomato for the outer tortilla kind of bread. I asked for the spinach wrap.

The restaurant was well lit and the ambiance had a wooden tone to it. The walls had wooden panels and the floor was also wooden. The wrap was about $8.5 including taxes. While I was waiting for the wrap, I struck a conversation and asked how when the restaurant was opened. She said the restaurant had been at the present location for about a year and it was situated in old city for the about four years prior to that. I asked how the business was and she replied that they were doing well.

The restaurant was quite empty when I entered at 8:05PM but a little later a group of about 8 entered. Some of them looked like repeat customers as they were explaining what was good to the others.

The restaurant had a board displaying the specials for the day. They had Chicken Parm Wrap with French Fries and Soda for about $10. The same display was located at the cashiers counter as well.

I brought the wrap home and wanted to see how it looked. That was a mistake which I found soon. I had wraps several times before but nothing that was stir fried in them. I opened the aluminum foil and cut the wrap into two in the middle. As I did that the juices of the stir fry came out. The wrap had succulent shrimp in broccoli, fried onions and zucchini. The wrap was tasty. But it became tough to manage the wrap with the juices flowing out continuously. The shrimp were fresh and succulent and the vegetables were well cooked in the stir fry sauce that had a subtle deliciousness to it. I would have been fine if the wrap had been in the aluminum foil.

The size of the wrap was big enough to satisfy the appetite. The spinach wrap was also good. It was thin than wraps from other places and hence did not contain the juices well within it. But it did not have the raw taste to it like that of a tortilla.

The menu also contains Breakfast Wraps, Salads, Appetizers and sides like fries and onion rings, Smoothies and Milkshakes. Overall, I liked the enthusiastic people, the ambiance and food was great. I will definitely try the Thai Peanut Popper my next time.

I could not find a website for this restuarant excepting thier page on my space at http://www.myspace.com/wrapshack. You can find their complete menu on this myspace page though. They have another location at 146 N. 2nd Street in Old City which is actually a shack. I have not been to the shack in Old City. I am just reporting what I found on thier myspace page. Correct me if I am wrong and I will do my due diligence in updating the information.

Bonners Irish Pub - American @ 120 S 23rd St

As the name suggests, this page is a pub. It does have a good lunch menu to satisfy your mouth and wallet. This is located between Chestnut and Walnut St on the Sansom St and 23rd St Intersection. It looks like it is kind of nowhere, given its location and the look of it. It has a sort of rundown look to it, but I think it is intentional to give the boisterous feel of Irishness. The outside of the building is green and you can surely say it has that the place has something to do with Irish. I chose this place after a long walk to Mama Palmas Pizza of Spruce, only to find out it was open for dinner only. I was walking back to Market St on 23 st with my Business Associate who saw this place and said that it where he had met his wife. So we decided to give it a try. The interior was little dark, but we were pleasantly greeted by the lady at the bar, who placed us on a table to the left of the bar. The place is surely a pub that is converted to a restaurant on one side. We both had Iced Tea. The tea was unsweetened and little bitter. But a little sugar eased it out. A lemon wedge would have made it better. I ordered Crab Cake with Mashed Potatoes and Cajun Fries. My colleague had Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwich on a Rye Bread. She did ask both of us if we wanted our fries together with the main course which I thought was good to hear. Very few ask. I said yes and my colleague no. The fries were great. They were fresh, hot and mildly spicy just I had expected. It did not have the smell of grease either - Prefect. A few minutes later the Crab cake was on the table. It was all I expected of a crab cake, excepting that the cake was big. They should have made it into two, instead of one big cake. The exterior was nice and crispy; the interior was soft and creamy. A tard bid high on cream I should say, but it was good. The mashed potatoes were good as well. My partner liked his sandwich immensely and fries as well. Overall the check came out to $20 for the two of us with the drinks and tax included. The average price of a sandwich on the menu was like $6-$7. The place was not crowded at all for a beautiful lady like this. It was sixties in the early February. The food was quick. Also the host did mention that the patties they use on their burgers are fresh and not frozen. They do have some specials daily displayed on the board and the host did mention them again. Overall the pluses are the food, friendliness of the waitress and the host, cost of the items being very reasonable, not so crowded and time it took to bring the food to the table was quick. The only thing I would recommend they improve is the exterior of the place and also adding some light indoors would help.