Bargains on the menu

The true measure of a great cook is not what can be done with truffles and filet mignon, but whether magic can can be drawn from the humblest ingredients.

It isn't hard to find a fabulous meal when times are flush. But when expense accounts stop flowing during an economic downturn, the lights would dim in the dining rooms of a lesser food city. Not in Philadelphia.

To be sure, the high end may still be in for troubles. But our restaurant culture is so deep, so diverse and so resourceful that budget mavens still have a wealth of choices to feed their hunger for a stellar meal. And not simply at our famous cheesesteak and hoagie destinations.

Our rich array of ethnic communities provides the greatest bargain choices. But the neighborhood dining venues that have become Philly's forte in the last decade - gastropubs and BYOBs - also specialize in bringing real value to a thoughtfully cooked meal. And even some of our most upscale dining rooms have begun crafting special, lower-priced menus to broaden their appeal.

My list of favorite bargain dishes across the region - some of them as low as $5 per person - draws on all of the above. I thought of at least 50, but could have named 100 more. Because when it comes to great cheap eats, the lights in our dining rooms are shining as brightly as ever.

The Shanghai steamed buns ($5.25) at Dim Sum Garden (59 N. 11th St., 215-627-0218) are not simply a delicious bargain - learning to slurp the hot broth from inside these eight "soup dumplings" is an eating adventure.

The satay beef noodles ($6.50) at Ong's (1038 Race St., 215-625- 8393) bring a spicy beef broth laden with meat, a nest of noodles, the crunch of lettuce ribbons and the quenching sweetness of pineapple cubes.

The Hong Kong-style noodle house is at its best in menu item No. 36 ($6.50) at Ting Wong (138 N. 10th St., 215-928-1883), where velvety slices of soy-sauce chicken, sweet pads of roast pork and crunchy green bok choy mingle with noodles in golden broth.