Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace

A new addition to the "why the hell isn't there one of these here" department.

Thom Lessner -of awesome paintings & sweatheart fame- designed a killer logo for his sister's new hot dog restaurant in Colombus, Ohio that's filled with his paintings and serves all kinds of hot dogs jammed full of bacon and pulled pork. They also have a full bar stocked with Ohio, Pennsylvania & New York beers as well as root beer floats made with Frotsop root beer from Springfield, Ohio.



This is totally the kind of place I dream about every day... Old school and modern at the same time, everything house made with fresh ingredients, and a big heap of respect for the history of hot dogs and diner style food.

They also seem to have found the perfect balance of over the top greasy delicious food and healthier stuff, including vegetarian versions of all their dogs.

If someone dropped one of these in Philadelphia it would blow all those half-assed faux-retro restaurants out of the water.

Read more at Serious Eats
Check out their site & menu at Dirtyfrankscolombus.com

Photos courtesy of Harold LaRue and Jen Killius

Tijuana dog

Latest hot dog painting & post over at Serious Eats. If you missed last week I did a post about Flo's in Maine, and crowned it the country's best hot dog which got a bunch of people angry.

Mexican hot dogs are really, really good and I haven't seen them anywhere in Philly other than SPTR. There's gotta be someone cranking them out of a tacqueria somewhere, or at least there should be.

In Los Angeles they've been shutting down and arresting mexican hot dog vendors, even putting them in jail, because apparently cooking the dog with raw bacon wrapped around it (the bacon gets fully cooked with the dog on the grill) violates health code. Sounds more to me like an excuse to round up mexicans. Watch this video about the controversy featuring Drew Carey.

Marvin

Named after Marvin Gaye, Marvin is a sort of "soul bistro" serving up everything from pork belly with frisee to shrimp and grits. I felt a bit like a tourist ordering the chicken & waffles but seriously how can you resist... collard greens, white gravy, side of maple syrup, fantastic.

Add lots of belgian beer and an upstairs lounge blasting obscure R&B and, wow, DC is a lot more fun than I expected.


Marvin
2007 14th Street, NW
Washington DC

Drawing for Food Best of Philly 2008

Chau illustrated my picks and vice versa. enjoy.

Best Reason to Wake up in South Philly - Artisan Boulangerie
Artisan Boulangerie aka Andre's - In this strange Pink building across from the mexican taqueria, that's across from the Cantina, is Paris. Fresh baked baguettes and brioches and the best damned croissants in the city, I say this with passion and a little bit of spit. Also as if having the best croissants weren't enough, Andre happens to also have the best coffee in South Philly, because its french pressed fresh and it's make with the best fair trade organic ethiopian beans. He also makes a lot of the bread goods for Honey's and Di Bruno Bros. All that and he doesn’t even have a register yet. (kc)

Andre's
1648 South 12th St

Best weird diner that you've walked past 400 times and never knew it was there - Pinky's NY Cafe
This place never looks like it's open, and well, sometimes it's not. It really is comforting in a neighborhood full of rapid gentrification that those little places where the same 400 pound septa driver sits in the corner and reads the paper and complains about the eagles every single day still exist.

Pinky's is exactly that, dark and pink and packed with hospital staff and construction guys getting take out. The wait for food can be long in the morning but it's actually really good. The staff is friendly including "pinky" himself who I think is the original owner. Plus they have creamed chip beef on toast and grits so I'm sold. For lunch they have ny style deli sandwiches named after celebrities. Seems that 30 years ago in philadelphia the thing to do was open up a combination philly/ ny diner/jewish deli where we get things like pastrami omelettes with a side of scrapple.(hk)

Pinky's
1824 South St



Best Donuts - Frangelli's Donuts
Frangelli's Donuts, Fresh Italian Cream pumped before your eyes with an old fashion hand pump!? I will never lay another hand on a Dunkin' Donuts Donut. (kc)

Frangelli's
847 W Ritner St


Best quaint atmosphere that isn't annoying-
Cafe Con Chocolate
Very welcoming staff, in a an actual sincere real human being way, maybe because they're in the ghetto and need customers, get in there before it's full of yuppies like every place in my neighborhood (graduate hospital). Great huevos rancheros, and great coffee that comes in big giant mugs with delicious froth. Don't let the bagels & japanese specials throw you off, the mexican stuff is as authentic as anywhere else, plus they have a mariachi band. (hk)

Cafe Con Chocolate
2100 S. norwood (at snyder)



Best Burger - 5 Guys and Fries
5 guys and Fries, I crave you like a bad ex-boyfriend. I love a fancy pub/restaurant burger, but what is it about this greasy bag full of fries and smoshy double patty burger that makes me sweat with anticipation.(kc)

5 guys
1527 Chestnut



Best Hot Dogs - A.P.J. Texas Wiener Restaurant
APJ wins for pure atmosphere, the unique taste of the dog, the "greek sauce", and the fact that it's the last standing piece of history from what used to be philadelphia's red light district. They've been there since 1920 - should probably be a historical landmark, god forbid they lose their lease and we end up with a panera bread or something. APJ also splits their dogs (like my mom used to do) which creates more surface for sauce. They also do breakfast. Moe's in grey's ferry is close second, I love them for taking the hot dog seriously, but their hot dogs are really huge, and on giant rolls, it's like eating a meatball sandwich, and honestly I actually prefer a regular sized hot dog, so you can eat 2 or 3 or 4 with different toppings. Texas Weiners on snyder is solid as well. (hk)

APJ- 47 N 13th Street (near filbert)
Moe's - 2601 washington ave (at grays ferry ave)
Texas Weiner - 1426 snyder ave (near broad)



Best Square Pizza/Delivery Pizza - La Rosa!
I admit, I live in South Philly, it's hard to come across bad pizza and when you do, it's really really sad. But this little gem on Broad St. is the best square pizza in Philadelphia. Not too thick, not quite a sicilian and a crunchy crust. And a plain is still 7 bucks for pizza that feeds 3 bellies till its full. They don't even have a menu, you just tell the family what you want and they will let you know if they can make it. (kc)

La Rosa
2106 S Broad St
(215) 271-5246



Best Hoagie - Cosmi's
I love cheesesteaks, but I really think a a good hoagie is the defining philadelphia sandwich. I eat a lot of mediocre sandwiches because most of the good stuff is down in south philly. Most pizza place hoagies are pretty boring, usually too many pickles or cheap meat or peppers with the stem still on them or something. The worst is the soggy bread that falls apart because they put 1/2 a gallon of vinegar on it. And then there's Wawa, Wawa hoagies are junk; stale bread, sweaty cheese, sketchy cold cuts, way too much mayonnaise - there's no reason to eat that in this city.

Cosmi's sandwiches are always piled high with quality meat and good seeded italian bread (I assume it's sarcones, if not sarcones has some competition). Everyone always picks sarcones, chickie's, primo as the best in philly, maybe for location or atmosphere but I honestly think Cosmi's is the king. I've had many, many Cosmi's sandwiches and they're always fantastic with the perfect balance of bread / meat / cheese / toppings and they have the serious italian stuff- prosciutto, mortadella, sopresetta, pepper shooters, etc -from a place that just looks like a corner store.(hk)

Cosmi's
1501 S 8th St.



Best Bar Snacks - Pub and Kitchen
For 3 bucks I normally can't get duck liver toast with cornichons, or home made malt vinegar crisps. Which is a shame, because having this just makes me want to drink more.(kc)

Pub and Kitchen
1946 Lombard



Best Mexican - El Jorocho
I used to eat here all the time a couple of years ago and it was always good, but now it's amazing. Stopped in the other night and the menu has expanded with all kinds of amazing stuff, Tripe tacos, Barbecued Lamb, Soups, 74 different mexican breakfasts, cemitas (mexican sandwiches kind of like a cuban). They seem to have re-arranged the dining room and expanded the kitchen, it was also busier than I remembered and the food was great. This place is the real deal and I just found out they deliver so get ready for 2009 to be the year of El Jorocho.(hk)

El Jorocho
13th & Ellsworth


Best Sangria - Amada
Damn Amada, you make everything great. Like Cheese dipped in Cheese. But for this round, I'm giving you the sangria crown. I don't know if the fruit is soaked in vanilla or cinnamon or something, but nothing is more smooth and exotic tasting than Amada's House sangria. And I love all things served in a ceramic pitcher. (kc)

Amada
217 Chestnut St.


Best Sorbet - Southwark
Southwark, reknown for their excellent service and bartenders who make a well crafted drink, have my favorite sorbet in the city. I'm not a sorbet getting' gal either. Why go for icy water when you can have some kind of chocolatey sticky thing. But this sorbet, which changes daily, can be anything from cranberry champagne to orange Compari. It's always refreshing and surprisingly satisfying.(kc)

Southwark
701 S 4th St.



Best stuff we haven't eaten yet

Khyber
apparently they serve food now,including a chicken fried steak sandwich with sausage gravy, sounds awesome.
56 S. 2nd St.

Taco Truck
you know it's gotta be good.
4th & Washington

ansill

so I worked with a guy who used to cook at Ansill and always told me that I needed to eat here, especially being a fan of "head to tail" eating. I finally made it and it was fantastic - the food is actually not as crazy as some might have you believe, most of the "offal" dishes are pretty classic and really delicious. steak tartar with cognac, awesome; crispy pork trotter with pickled red onions and purple mustard, really really good.

The trotters (pigs feet) are braised, then the meat is pulled off, mixed with secret ingredients and formed into a sausage shape, cooled and sliced into medallions, then breaded with egg & panko bread crumbs and pan fried.

also had bone marrow on toast and baked eggs with black truffle & porcini mushrooms (wow). my only complaint is that every dish was "garnished" with a giant stack of bread-we ordered almost all appetizers so i guess that's my fault. Anyhow the food is incredible, especially for the price and they are byob (no fee) on tuesdays. also bar menu until 1am all week, which is sort of unheard of for this kind of food in philadelphia.
Ansill
627 S 3rd St

divan turkish kitchen

right along the gentrification frontier at 22nd & carpenter. went on the friday after christmas and there was almost nobody there so I was a little worried. but the food was fantastic. sorry forgot my camera so you get drawings.

had some crispy fried calf's liver that was delicious, and grilled lamb that a little bit strangely came with flour tortillas as the "flatbread" but whatever it was great. the lamb and beef dumplings were almost like raviolis, in tomato sauce and a yogurt mint white sauce which also seemed a little wierd at first but we were ready to lick the plate clean at the end.

it's also BYOB but with a $10 corking fee (ouch). they have some turkish beer & wine which seems to be the way to go.

divan turkish kitchen
22nd & carpenter

Dirty Dish

I apologize in advance for the shameless cross-promotion, but I can't hold it back much longer...
For the past year or so I've been doing a comic strip called "dirty dish" for Notion Magazine (UK) that started out as a comic about working in cruddy rock bar and has since evolved into a charming study of the exotic world of fast-paced restaurant kitchens.
You can see more Dirty Dish on my website.. enjoy.

Pizza Book!

"The Pizza Book" by Ansley Joe and Gregory Pizzoli is the greatest thing ever and I wish I had done it! Maybe I will do a tiny addition dedicated to sicilian style pizzas.

It's a fully illustrated book about pizza places in Philly, and they are judged solely on the slice. The drawings are awesome and the information is fun to read. 

Highley reccommended to anyone you know moving to a new area of town or to Philly in general. Seriously if I ever move back to the West Coast, I know there will be no comparison pizza wise. And if you don't think there is a difference West Coasters, it's like getting Mexican food here, close but not quite right. 

To get a hold of this gem email: thepizzabook@gmail.com

Rob and Ako's B-fast

I had great patio envy when I was in LA. Rob and Ako kept a lovely outdoor spot full of lovely plants that of course grow and bloom year round. Here is a most nice morning breakfast with our gracious hosts enjoying the sun and some tea.

Also Rob just updated his website.

drawing for food

I forget sometimes that its drawing for food.
Here is a beautiful drawing by Tim Gough.

tuna sandwich

this looked so good I just had to post it. italian tuna with capers, red onions, olives, tomatoes, basil, etc.


ate this while watching karate kid, then worked on comics until 3 in the morning.

Breakfast Remix

I work hard for the money. So when I get to finally sleep in on the weekends I want to go out for breakfast before I go back home to bleed art in my studio. Because you know what? I'm worth it. So here are my favorite options in the nieghborhood.

Apamate - Tortilla Espanol, but is a quiche with manchego cheese and chorizo with a side to strawberry pine nut salad. Eggs sunny side up with delicious crunchy potatos.





Ant's Pants - Bacon Stack - Most ruling egg on a stack of bacon tomato and greens on yummy thick toast. Delicious avacado chedder omelet with homemade salsa.




Pumpkin Market - I forgot my camera (I know I know) - A drawing of my smoked salmon platter - Everything Bagel, cream cheese, yummy smoked salmon, romaine, caper
berries, and olives.



Apamate
1620 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 790-1620

Ant's Pants
2212 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 875-8002

Pumpkin Market
1609 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 545-1173

Food Illustrations

This is an asparagus illustration I did for the Seattle Stranger a while back. I really enjoyed doing this and I never really realized how alien asparagus looked.



This is a cheese plate I did for the Seattle Stranger's dining out Issue. I love cheese plates. These strawberries were the best to draw. In fact I love drawing food. It's kind of amazing to think that we consume all these different things of shapes, sizes and colors.

drawing and food

drawing food and eating at the same time. ginger rice with shrimp and peanut sauce. sounds fancy but it was literally the last scraps of food in my kitchen... rice, 4 frozen shrimp, peanut butter and a can of coconut milk in the back of the cabinet.

choucroute

sauerkraut braised in wine or beer and sometimes bacon. piled high with sausages, slabs of bacon, giant hunks of pork leg and sometimes duck and a pot of mustard. choucroute originated in the alsace region of france, right on the german border - hence the frankfurters and german flag sticking out of the sausage. best damn hot dogs you'll ever have.

Moe's Fish Cake Combo

The best thing about Moe's is that they have the classic 'fish cake combo' - a hot dog wrapped in a breaded 'fish cake' on a roll. This is a forgotten Philadelphia classic that as far I know is not available anywhere outside of our area.

Other spots for the 'fish cake combo' are-

A.P.J. Texas Weiner

47 N. 13th St Philadelphia

Texas Weiners
1426 Snyder Ave. Philadelphia