What do you bring to the table? (A Miles Table Review)

May 24th, 2022

Edited and Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

*Pictured top to bottom. The Short Rib Omelet ($14), El Guapo Burrito ($13), The Tres Leches French Toast ($10), and Salted Caramel French Toast ($12-14). Courtesy of The Brunch Besties.*

On a dreary and bleak Saturday morning, we ventured out to the Graduate Hospital area to visit Miles Tables. The restaurant is located at 1620 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19146 has an all- american menu, consisting of tex-mex, middle eastern, and southeast asian inspired dishes (Philadelphia Inquirer).

The restaurant is owned by Michael Lynch, a graduate from the The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College (LinkedIn), who has garnered a wide range of experience since his graduation in the late 90’s. From working at Gallo’s Seafood & Burger Bar, to working with Culinary Concepts (a now defunct catering company), to even working at local gem Buddakan. Lynch has been active in the Philadelphia culinary scene for quite some time. His catering company, Catering by Miles, has serviced the Philadelphia area since 2008, and was the inception of what would eventually become Miles Table. Lynch formally opened Miles Table in 2013, and named the restaurant after his son, Miles, who was 5 at the time.

We visited on January 22, 2022, and arrived around 10:15 am. The atmosphere was cozy. Reservations were not required to get a table, as seating is on a first come first serve basis. The walls were painted a shade of livid, with plants mounted on the walls. When you entered the restaurant there was a small table along with a baby’s high chair affixed to the wall, a subtle nod to the namesake of the restaurant. On this particular morning the music featured 90’s classics which added to the overall vibe. When we arrived, we were presented with menus, ordered, and paid for our food at the counter.

In terms of service, we received our order quickly. The staff that brought us our food were friendly and nice. Thus why we rated the service 3 out of 5 stars.

Now onto the main event, being the FOOD. We ordered 4 items in total, The Short Rib Omelet ($14), El Guapo Burrito ($13), The Tres Leches French Toast ($10), and Salted Caramel French Toast ($12-14) which was a weekend special.

Short Rib Omelet

The Short Rib Omelet, pictured above, made our mouths salivate upon first sight. The restaurant’s menu, cites the dish as containing “avocado, mozzarella, jalapenos, red onions, avocado salsa, and home fries.” The presentation was sloppy, but the dish retained some appeal. We liked that the omelet was well seasoned and well proportioned. The short rib alone was very tender. The toppings complimented the dish nicely. However, it could have been improved with the plating of the short rib. As you can see above, It comes as a block over top of the omelet. It would have been a stronger dish if it was broken up over top or mixed into the omelet directly. That way it would ensure you get a bite of the short rib in every bite. Additionally, the home fries were bland and under-cooked. The toast was insignificant. Overall, it was a decent dish and we rated this dish 3 out of 5 stars.

Salted Caramel French Toast

Onto the Salted Caramel French Toast which was a special. It seemed like an appetizing dish based upon its description. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to document the description, but the plate was a french toast with sauteed apples, whipped cream, powdered sugar, and a salted caramel sauce. Like the previous dish the presentation was sloppy.

A short tangent about the presentation; a few days after we visited Miles Table, Dynisha found photos of the same dish posted by a different set of bloggers, Philly is for foodies , and it looked drastically different. See photos below.

*To the left, photo taken by the Brunch Besties. Photo to the right courtesy of* *Phillyisforfoodies’* *Instagram.*

Philly is for Foodies were at the Bok location, whereas we went to the south street location. However, the drastic inconsistencies raised a concern for us both, more so for Dynisha. She believed it evidenced a lack of continuity. Which I agreed with.

Onto the dish itself, there was nothing positive either of us could find to say about it. So I’ll go into our critiques. We felt that the dish was too rich. Nothing was properly proportioned. There was very little salt in the caramel, and that could have helped to make the dish more balanced and break up the richness. Dynisha in particular believed that the bread used for the dish might not have been a good choice, due to its thin and hard texture. Overall, we thought this dish had a lot of potential to be superb, if all the ingredients were proportional. Because they were not, it was a flop, and we gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

El Guapo Burrito

Next up is El Guapo Burrito. The menu described the dish as containing “ chorizo, black beans, scrambled eggs, cheddar, ranchero salsa, crema and jalapenos.” Dynisha believed that the burrito had a great texture and the eggs were cooked perfectly. If you’re an egg person this is the dish for you, however if you aren’t then it may overwhelm you with the proportions. I felt that the dish was well seasoned. The chorizo was delicious and not too greasy, the black beans had a robust flavor, and the eggs were fluffy in texture and consistency which I enjoyed. In terms of criticism we both agreed that if you’re not an egg person this burrito might not be the best choice, because the amount of eggs in it is substantially more than the other ingredients in the dish. Dynisha, felt that the jalapenos on top of the burrito could have been better incorporated into the dish, which I disagree with.

Similarly to the Salted Caramel French Toast, we found discrepancies in the presentation of the burrito pictured below. It seemed to be made a bit more proportional at the Bok location than at the South Street location. Overall, we both felt it was a good dish that was poorly plated, and would be a decent pick to get. Thus why we rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Tres Leches French Toast

We saved the best for last, that being the Tres Leches French Toast. The menu describes this dish as having “strawberries, bananas, dulce de leche, and whipped cream.” It was amazing. So much so, that it rendered us unable to say much about it. The toast was perfectly cooked, it was not gummy and not too sweet. The fruit added an additional element of vibrance to the dish. The toast itself was light and fluffy. The whipped cream on top was airy, and tasted like a cloud. Overall, it’s a must get dish when you go to Miles Table and for only 10 bucks, it’s a pretty good deal. Hence why we gave this dish 4 out of 5 stars.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the neighborhood and want a quick bite to eat, then Miles Table is a good place to go to. Is it a culinary experience? No. But in a city where there are a ton of places that put on the facade of having good food, it's a decent place to get a bite to eat. Overall we rated our experience 3 out of 5 stars. We’re curious to see the difference between the Bok location, versus the South Street location. They also have lunch and dinner menus, which may differ entirely from their brunch menu, so there is a ton to be explored there as well. Let us know what you guys think!

Thank you for taking the time to read through this post, we appreciate it! Please feel free to follow our social media, and until next time…

XOXO,

The Brunch Besties