#80 Nora's Taqueria and Grill and #81 Dunkin' Donuts - Sam's synopsis

I have had the pleasure of eating at Nora's before, but in a slightly different setting. The owners of this fine establishment started off with a food truck, which happened to be parked at 38th and Spruce, making it a convenient spot for lunch while I was still on campus. It was known to me as the Peruvian truck, and it has - slightly confusingly - a bunch of flames painted on it. But that did not stop me from trying it, and I'd almost always get the chicken and rice, with one (or more!) of their many delicious sauces - creamy chipotle, mole, teriyaki, the list goes on... So this time around, I was determined to order something different.

We had a nice group of six people, and were able to find space in the front for all of us, which was great. Nora's is certainly a hole in the wall establishment in every sense of the word, which can either mean really great food or really terrible food. Luckily for us, it was the former. The restaurant is small, with some sparse decorations here and there and the grill right behind the register for everyone to see. The menu is also sparse, with just a few options - tacos, burrito (/bowls), or the infamous chicken over rice. They do seem to have specials that may potentially rotate, with enchiladas being on the board the day we were there. I went with a burrito bowl made up of zucchini, corn, and cheese (listed as calabacitas on the menu) served over rice with some shredded lettuce, with the creamy chipotle sauce because mmm it is delicious and creamy and adds a nice touch of flavor. I also ordered guacamole and chips for the table, because obviously.

Minutes after ordering, our food was already arriving at the table. We were all pretty pleased about this. Well, Ari had to wait a little longer for his (the enchiladas with mole sauce - a very nice dish. Even though we are self-proclaimed "food bloggers," I can't say I know the qualities of what makes up a good mole sauce. But my guess is that this one probably fell pretty well on the better side of mediocre), which we all decided was due to the fact that his rice was arranged into a very neat pyramid on his plate. In my case, my food came out almost immediately but was still the perfect temperature. There was a big glob of melted cheese, which might turn some people off because it wasn't evenly distributed, but it was gooey enough to disperse around the food. And it was a damn nice touch to the burrito bowl. Not that adding melted cheese to a burrito bowl is anything out of the ordinary, but it was quality, salty, warm, gooey cheese. That's great in almost any situation. The vegetables were fresh, the rice was the perfect texture, and the serving size was spot on. Oh, and the guacamole was delicious too - it also tasted incredibly fresh and had a nice amount of citrus added in to give it some tangible zest. Nora's is definitely a great spot for quick, cheap, tasty food - both from their food cart and at their location on South Street.

Despite being satiated already, we needed to actually finish off 3rd Street with a stop at Dunkin' Donuts. Let me tell you something about Dunkin' Donuts - if you are from Massachusetts, it is a holy place. Dunkin' Donuts (or as I like to call it - Dunky D's) originated in Massachusetts (Quincy to be exact), and you probably only need to drive a maximum of 5 minutes from any location in the state to reach one. My hometown does not permit fast food restaurants - yet there are at least 3 Dunkin Donuts. You get the idea. So I grew up with it. Other people may hate their food and coffee and all that jazz, but it's got that certain feel of home that I'll never be able to dissociate. Of course, not drinking coffee, I actually have no opinion on if their coffee is a go-to or not. Almost everyone I know from MA swears by it, so it's pretty biased. But unlike approximately 95% of the world, I could care less about coffee. So I'll just give you my opinion on the food.

I've always liked the donuts at Dunkin'. Growing up, even though I'm a huge chocaholic, I'd always go for the strawberry frosted donut. I also really love their pumpkin cream cheese muffin (it's seasonal). For nostalgia's sake, I ordered the strawberry frosted, and it tasted just as a I remembered. Pretty sweet, a little artificial, and just like home.

Nora's Taqueria and Grill
248 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(267) 758-2413

Dunkin' Donuts
308 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 627-1657