The Lucky Well - Incubator Review - Spring Garden - Philadelphia - The Infatuation
"When The Lucky Well announced they were turning their giant BBQ spot on Spring Garden into a four-in-one restaurant with a rotating line-up of chefs sharing one menu, we were skeptical. Having multiple concepts under one roof usually means diners are in for a lackluster food hall experience, or a cardboard slice from Sbarro and some sesame chicken at the mall food court. But Lucky Well Incubator proves that the flexible, multi-cuisine model can be fun and useful, especially when you're trying to feed a group. The best part of The Lucky Well's shared kitchen is that you can Frankenstein a meal together with Navajo tacos, rigatoni sausage ragu, St. Louis ribs, and wood-fired Vietnamese shrimp. In the past, we've eaten straightforward dishes even picky people would love—grilled pork chops or cloud-like frybread topped with chili beans—as well as sweet corn mochi skewers and cheesy jalapeno sausages that kept the menu feeling unexpected. photo credit: GAB BONGHI photo credit: GAB BONGHI photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO The Lucky Well's versatility means you can bring all sorts of people. The space has the laid-backness and set-up of an industrial brewery, with long communal tables and Kings of Leon blasting through the speakers. When the Sixers score, the people at the bar will probably cheer and order a round of $6 Citywides, while the post-work crowd drinks basil lemon drops and talks sh*t over pasta and pork belly burnt ends. There are some downsides to the pop-up palooza. Each chef only contributes six-ish items to the shared menu. So if you like one concept more than the others, your options are pretty limited. And, don't get too attached to any of the cuisines, except for Lucky Well's BBQ. The rest of the line-up changes every six months. Still, The Lucky Well is dependable and fun no matter who is cooking. Come to mix and match your dinner like you’re at an adult cafeteria. Unlike the mall food court, there won't be Mountain Dew-soaked floors and we're almost sure Sbarro is never making an appearance. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: GAB BONGHI Food Rundown The vendors here can change every six months, but here are some dishes we've eaten in the past. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Rigatoni Sausage Ragu Sauce Boy's ragu is savory and tangy, thanks to tomato sauce and housemade sweet and spicy Italian sausage. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Penne a la Vodka This is the kind of rich, tomato-y dish that you’ll want to eat with a spoon. That way you can scrape up everything in sight. Especially the crunchy, toasted breadcrumbs and melted puddles of stracciatella cheese. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Gà Nướng with Fried Egg In this dish from Nướng, lettuce and cucumbers double as a mattress for strips of grilled chicken. This has a campfire smokiness to it, and comes with a citrusy fish sauce that makes every bite juicy. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Nướng Tom Nướng During the original Lucky Well line-up, this plate of charred head-on shrimp was the dish we kept going back to. It's earthy from muoi ot xanh sauce. It's a little sweet and hot thanks to condensed milk, green bird’s eye chili, cilantro, and lime leaf. It's one of the best seafood dishes we've eaten in recent history. photo credit: GAB BONGHI Maple Bourbon Pork Belly Burnt Ends The menu always includes The Lucky Well's BBQ. So if you see pork belly burnt ends, get at least one order and probably two. These come in a stacked, large mound. Which means your group is basically about to play Jenga with charred meat that stays tender on the inside. photo credit: The Lucky Well - Incubator House Smoked Jalapeño Sausages After eating one of these summer-BBQ-reminiscent sausages on a long buttery roll, your fingers will smell like smoke and sugar. Please control how much your sniff your fingers. It's not a good look. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Carne Adovada Navajo Taco Imagine if memory foam was edible and topped with chunks of pork shoulder braised in New Mexico red chile. That's this taco from Shiprock. It's covered in lettuce, tomato, pickled red onions, and sour cream. So you’ll get a bite that’s the sweet, soft, tart, and a little spicy at once. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Sweet Frybread The concepts at The Lucky Well usually offer their own dessert options. This churro-esque dish was a stand-out for us. It uses the same fluffy frybread as the tacos, only it's coated in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, and honey." - Candis R. McLean
