Philly went from winter to summer in less than a week. One Monday we were all shivering in our hoodies and, by Friday, everybody was in flip-flops and yoga pants and reserving sidewalk tables at favorite restaurants.
The point is, we’ve all but missed spring. Suddenly, it’s almost beach-body time. Fuel, the city’s healthier casual-food outlet, has a slew of new dishes under 500 calories.
If you’re new to Fuel’s modus operandi or your regular sources of sustenance are the guilty-pleasure gut-bombs Philly is famous for, Fuel will satisfy your cravings at under 500 calories a pop. If you don’t believes us, take a gander at the steady stream of people going in and out of the place during the lunch and dinner rush hours.
The salads boast a fresh array of ingredients with extras to bolster the flavors, such as the citrus-chopped Caesar salad ($7.95), which throws some garden-fresh curves such as kalamata olives, grape tomato and citrus into the mix to elevate the familiar dish.
The pitatini ($8.95) is a delightfully good pita sandwich, bursting with veggies and a layer of hummus and chickpeas underneath a bounty of olives, feta cheese, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
If you like comfort dishes such as grilled cheese and burgers, Fuel offers guilt-free vegetarian alternatives. The quinoa black-bean burger ($8.95) is one of the best vegetarian burgers in the city. The burger itself has real texture — not exactly meaty, but juicy enough to pass. The addition of thick slices avocado, tomato and onion adds a toothsome feel to the sandwich.
The spin-dip melt ($7.95) tastes almost too decadent to be healthy. The wrap overflows with silky melted artichoke dip and mozzarella alongside spinach and tomato.
For meat options: One of the most popular new dishes is the Korean barbeque ($9.95), a wrap with grilled chicken (or tofu) dressed with Korean BBQ sauce and filled out with kimchi, carrots and lettuce that add spice and texture.
With the days getting longer and heating up, Fuel will fill you up without slowing you down.
If you go
Fuel
1225 Walnut St.
215-922-3835
http://fuelrechargeyourself.com
Mon.-Fri.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sat.: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.