Unbreaded

Starr Spices Up Cafeteria Sandwiches

Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr has sure made a name for himself in the past 10 years. His Starr Restaurant Organization now owns and operates over 15 restaurants in Philadelphia, Atlantic City and New York and last month he was featured as a guest judge on Top Chef. The restaurant mogul’s most recent venture is Starr Events, a business which focuses on catering for a variety of functions and is also now serving corporate clients.

In February, Starr Events assumed operations of the first floor cafe at Center City law firm Duane Morris. An avid Unbreaded tipster informed us the menu which changes daily and features dishes from Starr chefs, does indeed include sandwiches. Obviously we had our work cut out for us. At first glance, the space which is seemingly open to the public (please inform us if we are wrong) looks like a typical office cafeteria. It wasn’t until we noticed items being offered from the menu at Pod that we realized this place was the real deal. A designated sandwich station offers both daily specials and the ability to build your own sandwich with basic meats. It was the specials that we were most interested in.

The Tuscany layered thick-sliced capicola, ricotta cheese, roasted red peppers and spring mix with balsamic vinegar on an Asiago cheese ciabatta roll. A robust flavor profile prevailed with the salty capicola complimented by the slightly sweet and creamy ricotta. The red peppers were seemingly roasted in house, as they were a bit on the crunchy side. We were unable to find out what bakery provided the rolls, but the cheesy ciabatta used only added to the complexity of the seemingly simple sandwich.

Perfectly cooked meat is what drew our eye to the Chimichurri Flank Steak wrap which was adorned with roasted tomatoes, baby spinach and pepper jack cheese. The flank was cut thick and the quality of the meat was surprising for the price paid, it literally melted in the mouth. The chimichurri sauce and other toppings added a nice South American flavor that immediately made us think of Brazilian churrasco. Unfortunately, the wrap used seemed store bought and was on the verge of staleness.

For office dining, the sandwiches at the Duane Morris cafe were top notch and at the very reasonable price of approximately $6 each, we would eat these any day of the week over Cosi.