Mmmmm....Koch's Deli

One of the hidden jewels of west philadelphia, Koch's Deli might be the best thing for a hangover since gatorade was invented.  Mountains of hot pastrami and melty swiss cheese on ridiculously good bread make for a nap and a lazy Saturday on the couch.  

The quintessential Jewish deli, I started going to Koch's while at school at Drexel, and have been coming back ever since.  It's a bit of an institution at UPenn, with the walls decorated in pictures and hand written letters to the Koch brothers to prove it.  It's definitely not the fastest service, but thats part of the appeal.  The almost overly friendly staff will chat you up and hand out free slices of turkey, muenster and homemade pickles while you wait for your little piece of heaven on a roll.   And they warm up the meat & cheese for each sandwich individually, so that when they finally put it all together it just oozes with flavor and makes you realize that it was worth the wait.  

I went for the reuben today and never looked back.  A 5" high stack of pastrami, swiss cheese & kraut with homemade russian dressing on perfect jewish rye.  I dare you to find a better one this side of New York.  Not much has changed at Koch's in 40 years.  They still have their original refrigerators & scales, which they are fiercely proud of, and they still know how to make a sandwich to write home about.  Thousands of hungry college students can't be wrong. 

-TKaso

Koch's Deli is at 4309 Locust Street, at the edge of UPenn's campus in West Philadelphia.   

Quizzo at The Lost Bar

I'm a big fan of the Quizzo games in Philadelphia.  Nothing like trying to recall the real name of Sting after 3 or 4 beers (it's Gordon Sumner, if you're counting).  It's more than just the sheer nerd factor of being able recall the author of Crime & Punishment or know how many 3-letter body parts there are,  it's about having a reason to drink on a week night.  We've been making the rounds at different games for the past few months. 

We hit up The Lost Bar in Kensington/Fishtown last night for Irish John's early game at 8:30.  If you haven't played his game, it's pretty entertaining.  Not for the questions so much as his vocabulary - this guy could make a sailor blush.  His game is great though with a really good mix of questions, extra credit, and a lighting round.  We had been going to Liberties quizzo on Tuesdays with Tom Asher but the questions seem to be geared towards those that were in college during the Carter administration.  

As for the bar, it's a great shot & a beer joint with a good selection of beers - none more than $3.  No food, but the cheap beers made up for it.  The only fault I could see is that there's no ATM at the bar, and it's cash only.  I had to walk 4 or 5 blocks to York street to get cash.   Think we'll be back again next week though, early enough to get a table and cash in hand. 

-TKaso

The Lost Bar is at Frankford at Hagert streets, across the street from the Philadelphia Brewing Company.  Quizzo game starts promptly at 8:30 on Thursday nights.  All PBC brews are $3, along with Magic Hat, Lager & other microbrews.  Domestics are $2.50.