The best things we ate this week

We’re heading into gobbler season — don’t even think about defaulting to the Wawa version; there are plenty of better options — but the turkey sandwich that captured my attention this week had no gravy or stuffing. Nor was it in the satisfyingly sloppy vein of Middle Child’s best-selling Shopsin Club, whose ciabatta bread can barely contain the many layers of house-roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, sweet pickles, and cranberry miso mayo.

No, the turkey sandwich from the Bread Room, Ellen Yin’s newly opened cafe/baked goods workshop, was neat as a pin and mayo-free. What hooked me was the turkey itself, shaved into near-translucent sheets that packed a flavorful, almost prosciutto-like punch. (No wonder it’s so good — the smoked turkey breast comes from Green Meadow Farm in Gap, Pa.) The salty meat is topped with long, sheer slices of cucumber, a tuft of sprouts, and a smattering a baby greens, then bookended by two thick, untoasted pieces of the Bread Room’s crusty multigrain Pullman bread. A generous smear of ever-so-slightly tangy fromage blanc from Third Wheel Cheese Shop is laced with sunflower seed pesto to bind the sandwich together on both sides. It adds up to a turkey number that feels at once hearty and relatively light. But maybe don’t finish it all in one go: You’d be crazy not to save room for one of the Bread Room’s excellent cookies, crullers, or croissants. The Bread Room, 834 Chestnut St., 215-419-5820, thebreadroomphl.com

— Jenn Ladd

That’s not a bouquet of pretty flowers in the bud vase brought to my table at Mana Modern Chinese in Northern Liberties. They are not a tropical fruit, either, despite the fact that these bumpy-skinned pink orbs are meant to look like the coveted Asian fruit evoked by this appetizer’s name: lychee bloom. Bite through the delicately fried rice cracker crust on those warm fritters (colored red with beet powder) and you’ll discover they are essentially shrimp toast lollipops on a stick — the soft and springy shrimp mousse inside sparked by the delicate crunch of water chestnuts and the warm nuttiness of sesame oil.

This isn’t the only trompe l’oeil dish at Mana, a new Chinese fusion restaurant from business partners Tom Lau and chef Mana Shi, who also makes a “carrot bloom” dish for dessert with a pair of carrot-shaped cakes (made of actual carrot powder) planted into a bowl of chocolate cookie dirt.

But I have a weakness for classic Cantonese shrimp toast, a retro dish that has long been fading from favor. So I was especially delighted to find these irresistible dim sum snacks with their sweet-and-sour dip, because they are both playful and absolutely delicious. There are a number of other memorable dishes on the menu at this serene and contemporary new space on North Second Street, from memorably tender ribs in a not-too-sweet black vinegar sauce to a color-coded array of soup dumplings worthy of some hearty slurps. But great shrimp toast, shaped like flowers? I will readily travel for those. Mana Modern Chinese, 719 N. Second St., 215-933-0536, instagram.com/mana.philly

— Craig LaBan

I’ve never had pizza as an appetizer before, but when I went to the final night of dining with my husband and our friends at Pica’s Restaurant in Upper Darby Sunday, it was a no-brainer. The 69-year-old Delco mainstay is renowned for its sauce-on-the-top square pie, which is beloved by Upper Darby native Tina Fey, and it did not disappoint that final night. The sauce was wonderfully sweet and perfectly spread, the pepperonis were so big I could have used them as blankets, and the crust was crispy on the edges but perfectly doughy in the center. Sure, I’ll still be able to order it for takeout, but eating it in the place where it was made right after it came out of the oven added something to the flavor that I’m really going to miss. Pica’s, 7803 West Chester Pike, Upper Darby, 610-789-7770, picas-restaurantud.com

— Stephanie Farr

Every half-decent Italian restaurant has a chopped salad — iceberg lettuce, red onion, tomato, provolone, and salami, all cut into uniform cubes — whether it’s the “Nancy” salad at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in L.A. or the “Nancy Reagan” from Wolfgang Puck, to name two famous versions. When restaurateur Lee Sanchez was starting out in his career in North Jersey — you might say, during his salad days — the Ricci’s chop salad was on the menu at Nero’s, the Italian steakhouse institution in Livingston. Ricci is Ricci Carroll, Sanchez’s mentor. Sanchez has carried that salad recipe to almost every stop over the last few decades. It’s now a staple at Rhythm & Spirits, the casual Italian bistro he recently opened at One Penn Center. Topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and red wine vinaigrette, it’s essentially a hoagie in a bowl — and a truly satisfying lunch. Rhythm & Spirits, 1617 JFK Blvd., 267-239-2280, rhythmandspirits.com

— Michael Klein