Texas Smoked Hot - Tony Luke's

Been doing some exhaustive local hot dog research lately... After months of painting & writing about hot dogs from other cities I realized there's a lot I haven't eaten right here in Philadelphia, and as long as the Phillies are going strong I want to continue featuring Philly dogs for my Serious Eats column.

Headed down to South Philly this morning in search of some new & exciting variations. Never even really considered ordering a hot dog at Tony Luke's before... I looked over the crazy menu and my jaw dropped for a second when I saw the listing for the "Texas Smoked Hot" with onions and special sauce.


The Texas Smoked Hot is an extra long split & grilled smoked dog... covered in onions and Texas-Weiner style chili sauce, with a really strong cinnamon taste, stronger than most I've had in Philly, all on a long steak roll. Sort of a cross between a Texas Weiner and a Half-Smoke. Awesome. I'm a huge fan of the "split and grilled" style, especially when there's a good char on there.


So the Texas Hot was a little close to stuff I've done before to make it as hot dog of the week but it's still a fantastic hot dog. Tony Luke's menu has all kinds of wild items I've never noticed before, like the "Papa Luke" steak sandwich with sliced tomatoes and cream cheese and "hot dog fries". I don't love their steaks as much as some (standing by my current favorites - Philip's on 24th & passyunk and George's on 9th street) but this was a killer hot dog. I've heard that their veal cutlet & chicken cutlet sandwiches are also pretty amazing.

Tony Luke's
Front & Oregon
South Philly

Pine State Biscuits

I've never been a big breakfast person, and for most of my life I've totally ignored the whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day thing. The only times that I make an exception to my no food before noon rule is when I'm on vacation, and oftentimes I end up kicking myself for not venturing into the world of breakfast foods more often.

On my last day in Portland I found myself awake pretty early in order to make a flight and have one last meal with the friends that I was visiting. We made our sleepy way over to Pine State Biscuits for an obscenely early breakfast that was one of the best that I've ever had. Their signature sandwich, the Reggie, sounds like a prime candidate for This Is Why You're Fat but it tastes like a dream come true. A giant flakey biscuit topped with fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, and the best country gravy I've ever had. The biscuit is tinged yellow from all of the great butter that goes into it, the bacon is cooked perfectly, treading that fine line between chewy and overdone, and the gravy has enough coarsely ground black pepper to make it borderline spicy. This sandwich would have been great even if the chicken wasn't, but the chicken itself was amazing. It was a boneless breast which tends to dry out easily, but this one was a triumph. Moist, crisp, and perfectly seasoned with hints of vinegary hot sauce and the tang of a possible buttermilk soak.

It's been a week since my last Reggie and I have to say that there hasn't been a morning that I haven't woken up and craved it. Next time I'm in Portland I'll have to go for the Reggie Deluxe that tops the whole thing with an over easy egg.

Brauhaus Schmitz

Initially I wrote this place off as another college sports bar with a fake theme, expecting something like a Bavarian Fado. The 45 flat screen TV's and dudes banging on the table and chugging car bombs sort of confirmed this. But I arrived half drunk myself after a long week of drawing hot dogs and was ready to give it a go.

The food surprised me - pretty much the real thing. The Schlachtplatte (butcher's plate) was as good as any choucroute I've had anywhere. A heaping pile of saurkraut with a pork chop and 3 different serious German sausages (a few of which they make in house) including blood pudding.

Turns out the chef earned his chops at a German Club near Reading, PA and picked up some old school craft from the kitchen elders. Also a million different German beers on tap and well-informed waitresses decked out in Bavarian rennaissance-faire attire. Awesome.

Brauhaus Schmitz
718 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Skyline Chili

My friend Tim just brought back some Skyline Chili in a can from Ohio.
Cooked it up with some spaghetti, shredded cheese and raw onions in the real deal Cincinnati style. Apparently you're supposed to eat it with oyster crackers but I was all out. How something popular in New England made it onto Ohio chili blows my mind.

Anyway the taste is kind of insane but really good. It was similar in flavor to the "Greek Sauce" I've had at Texas Weiner style hot dog joints in PA and New Jersey, but much stronger. It's really hard to tell what's in there but I would guess cloves, cinnamon, maybe even chocolate? This kind of Chili has nothing to do with mexico but it sort of reminds me of mole sauce. I always thought chili on spaghetti sounded disgusting but guess what it's great.

Washed it down with some Philadelphia Brewing Company Coffee Porter.. talk about pairing food with beer. I still have 2 cans of chili left, next step is putting that stuff on some hot dogs.


Perfect timing because I just featured the Detroit Coney for Hot Dog Of The Week, which uses a very similar chili traditionally made with beef hearts & kidneys but almost never served with cheese.

Otto & Crif Dogs

So I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on the pizza at Mario Batali's Otto in NYC. Didn't exactly blow me away but it was decent. I would say Tacconelli's and even Osteria here in Philly are a notch above.

But what they don't have is probably the best salted caramel gelato I've ever had, pretty ballsy it's more salty than sweet and tastes like something you might rub on a rack of ribs. Awesome.

We also don't have Crif Dogs open for pork-roll wrapped hot dogs at 3am. And the best tater tots in the world, I don't know if they make them by hand or fry them in peanut oil or what but they're always perfect.

New Prints

4 brand new Hot Dog prints available! From my Hot Dog Of The Week series for Serious Eats.
Pick them up at my website, $27 bucks a pop.

Asian Market Report

Every time I go the asian market I can't help but pick up some exotic items to try out. Also I feel sort of guilty going up to the register with my gringo coconut milk and sriracha. So I always grab a can of fried wheat gluten in fermented sauce or whatever. A few weeks ago I decided I was going to eat healthier and picked up these vegetarian meatballs for $1.50.

The label proudly says "No Borax" and I cooked them in some broth with noodles.. the broth was great but these meatballs literally smelled like canned dog food and tasted even worse. The texture was like chewing on a rubber ball and they messed up my stomach for three days. Anyway if you want to make Pho broth at home they have these bags of mixed Pho spices for 75 cents full of cinnamon, star anise and crazy ass hunks of tree bark.


Fortunately these $2 Durian popsicles were awesome. Highly recommended if you aren't ready for the real thing, you still get the durian funk taste but not so much of the weird ammonia aftertaste. I haven't actually had straight durian fruit yet but they've got em and it's only a matter of time.

Seattle Cream Cheese Hot Dog

Latest "Hot Dog Of The Week" illustration and article on Serious Eats.

This week it's Seattle's Cream Cheese Hot Dog, which apparently started about 10 years ago at vendors outside the Mariners stadium. They take a split & grilled hot dog, smear a toasted roll with cream cheese and add on a pile of grilled onions. Other toppings include everything from grilled cabbage to jalepenos and BBQ sauce, depending on what vendor you go to.Recently it's become a late night thing with makeshift hot dog stands setting up outside of bars on weekends.




The article got a nod from the Seattle Stranger's blog and is generating lots of hot dog controversy. It blows my mind that there was / is almost no coverage of the Cream Cheese Dog by the local alt-weeklies or food blogs. The most I found was a short list of favorite stands from Seattle Magazine.

Anyway many thanks to Garrett Morlan for tipping me off to the Seattle Dog and sending some great photos. Check out his awesome illustration work at Garrettmorlan.com

Kong

The idea behind Kong is Chinese street food. I don't know if it really lives up to that ..the offerings were a little bit "safe" compared to what I might expect on the street in Hong Kong, or even Philly's Chinatown. But this is coming from someone who actually wants to eat blackened fermented chicken gizzards and durian shakes, so take it with a grain of salt..

Anyhow any issues I had with the concept were gone as soon as I ate the food. Went with a large group and I think we went through half the menu. Everything looked great..The crab & rice omelette with chinese sausage and splattered with sriracha was gone in 2 minutes. Simple and awesome... the kind of thing I would make at home with leftover rice. Sauteed longbeans were also nice & simple. Softshell crab was kind of lost in a big salad, I dont think I got any crab but I just might have been the last person to get to the bowl. Lamb / pine nut / eggplant dumplings were also delicious.






We also tried the short rib buns, really good, there was a kind of "slider" thing going on with the presentation, and we passed around various noodle and rice bowls, I think I had about 5 different styles of pork belly and chinese bacon- crispy, star anise braised, etc etc.. - that were all terrific. Oh and the pork ribs were great. And the tofu / edamame dumplings, surprisingly good for vegetarian stuff, nice texture, etc. Velvet corn soup - really wanted to try it but it was kind of warm out still... next time.

So even though I wasn't exactly transported to a busy market in China - you can't seem to go wrong with anything on the menu, I believe the noodles are all made on site, the prices are reasonable and the beer is cold, good service... good deal.

KONG
702-704 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia PA

Hot Dog Of The Week- Half Smoke

Washington DC's delicious Half-Smoke. I had one at Ben's Chili Bowl in January. What the hell is a half smoke? Read the full article at Serious Eats.

Aritisan Boulangerie

I don't think I ever posted about this amazing gift from Andre at Artisan Boulangerie, but it was unexpected and of course I had to heat the entire thing up in the oven and consume it in one nite. It was salmon with creme fraiche wrapped in pastry dough shaped like a fish with coffee bean eyes. It was amazing.

Jose Garces

Here is an illustration of Jose Garces for Eat Beat in the Philly Weekly this week. I can't wait to eat at whiskey tavern, which combines my 2 greatest food fetishes, pickled things and mason jars.

Meal Ticket Interview

Drawingforfood did a short interview with Drew Lazor over at Meal Ticket, the Philadelphia Citypaper's food blog. Part of their new Good Word column highlighting local food type people. Instead of answering the questions with words we did drawings. Except I had to throw in some rambling nonsense, mostly because I couldn't decide on "most beautiful thing I've ever eaten".

Read here!

Hot Dog Of The Week - Charlie's Pool Room

Some of the best Dogs I've had, in probably the coolest Hot Dog Joint I've ever seen. Charlie's is hidden in western New Jersey, across the river from Easton PA and a few miles south in the town of Alpha. Hard to find it but it's so worth it.

The Fencz brothers who run the place are terrific hosts and you'll learn the history of the place while you wait for your delicious hot dogs. Check out the hand lettered signs, read some chick tracts and play some pinball. The pool table no longer seems to be in operation as people come mostly for the dogs these days.

Read my full review on Serious Eats.





Charlie's Pool Room
1122 East Boulevard, Alpha NJ 08865

Abner's BBQ

Who knew that some of the best BBQ in the Philadelphia Area is in a strip mall in Jenkintown? I've read about Abner's a few times but couldn't believe that it could be that great. Figured people in the burbs just like it because there's nothing better.

And Philly's just not a big BBQ town. Mediocre chains and a few old joints that are hit or miss. Apparently the good stuff is all in trucks and makeshift roadside smokers in North Philly. Although I haven't been to Bebe's in the italian market. Hopefully things I will eat soon.


To my surprise walking into Abners I was hit with the smell of real smoke. The chatter of BBQ dudes in dirty aprons shootin' the breeze and hacking up huge slabs of meat. A big condiment island with pickles, different homemade sauces, and lots of napkins.

Since first going to Abner's a few months ago I went back last weekend for more (and pictures). All the meats are ultra-slow smoked with a mix of oak, hickory and sugar maple. Dry rub on the ribs and probably the brisket but maybe not on the chicken.

Authentically served "dry" you can add sauce yourself if you choose. The brisket is so moist is doesn't really need it. Pulled pork and smoked sausage, equally amazing. Ribs and 1/2 chicken, delicious, fallingoff the bone & all that. The sauces are really good though, great vinegar mustard sauce and two different tomato based sauces, one spicy & one sweet.





Sides are decent but definitely not the star. The baked beans and cornbread were really good though. Plus they have awesome classic southern desserts that change (weekly?) like pineapple upside down cake and banana cream pie. Good thing my folks (who live in Jenkintown) like it too, because I plan to stop at Abner's every time I visit. (Note the table setting and Pepper Cabbage are my mom's, not Abner's.)

Abner's Authentic BBQ
505 Old York Road (Jenkintown Square)
Jenkintown, PA

Shank's Original

Shank's and Evelyn's Roast Beef has been on 10th street in South Philly since 1962. I tried to go a few times after everyone told me it was the best, but they always seemed to be closed. Not open on my day off (monday) and breakfast & lunch only. It's sad to have never made it to the original location... which recently closed for good when they opened up Shank's Original on 15th & Sansom.

Still primarily a lunch operation, the new Shank's has that great "chrome and signed picture of Bob Saget" atmosphere that we know and love here in Philadelphia. I'm told it doesn't hold a candle to the "old italian guy in the back room smoking a cigar and playing penuckle" authenticity of the old location, but hey I bet they're paying the bills these days.

At first a bit dissapointed that my Roast Pork came on a kaiser roll. I was thinking the "regular size = italian hoagie roll / large size = 2 foot long loaf of bread" system that many delis operate with. But after tasting it - who cares. I've had a lot of mediocre roast pork sandwiches at some pretty famous places lately, and Shank's blew them all away. Big pile of meat, nice and moist, good flavor, love the longhots that weren't overcooked into mush.

The italian hoagie was suprisingly good. Super premium meats, prosciutto and I think mortadella, sopresseta... and this isn't a "specialty" hoagie, just the standard italian. Pretty much the best sandwiches in center city.

I'm a big fan of south philly institutions moving to center city, i think the Chestnut Dibruno's is the best thing to happen here in years. On one hand it's unfortunate to lose the italian market atmosphere, but it's also amazing to be able to grab some fresh mozz and a real hoagie on the walk home from the post office.

Shank's Original
120 South 15th Street
Philadelphia PA

Depression Dog

Latest Hot Dog Of The Week on Serious Eats. The Depression Dog is a minimalist Chicago-style dog that's piled high with french fries, almost like a North Jersey- style Italian hot dog, and served in overstock mcdonald's bags at awesome out-of the way hot dog joints with bullet holes in the signs.


Check out Titus Ruscetti's blog for more on Depression Dogs: chibbqking.blogspot.com


I haven't been posting all of my hot dog of the week illustrations here so if you missed any be sure to check them out. Last week I did the NYC Papaya Dog, and before that Hawaii's Puka Dog, and the West Virginia Slaw Dog.

Nick's Charcoal Pit - Again

Chau wrote about Nick's maybe a year ago and kept telling me how great it is. Finally gave it a shot and it was awesome. Now for the purists, some of the stuff on the menu says "BBQ" but this is not smoked, traditional southern bbq at all, but charcoal grilled ribs, chicken and even filet mignon slathered in BBQ sauce. They also do burgers and philly-style sandwiches on Sarcone's bread packed with everything from grilled sausage to tuna steak.

The ribs were really good and tender, wings better than most.. but my favorite thing was the char-grilled, split hot dog covered with bacon and cheese whiz on a kaiser roll. Amazing.

Nick's Charcoal Pit
(Take Out & Delivery Only)
1242 Snyder
South Philadelphia

Hot Dog Prints!

Prints available now! 4 different designs from my Hot Dog Of The Week series. I think they came out fantastic, thanks to the kind folks at Silicon Gallery Fine Art here in Philadelphia.

These are 11 x 14, high quality giclee prints on acid free, archival paper. 27 bucks a pop plus shipping from my website.

Initally produced as illustrations for an ongoing series of hot dog articles for seriouseats.com. I really don't know who wouldn't want one of these in their kitchen.

BUY PRINTS HERE

Dinic's at the Navy Yard

Didn't even know this was here! A real steak and hoagie stand smack in the middle of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. I'm assuming it's somehow related to the other Dinic's- the roast pork stand in the Reading Terminal Market (always terrific and one of the best things about the reading terminal) and the tavern on Snyder (never been there..looks amazing, hope it's still open).

Busted up old picnic tables, dockworkers and union guys... you know it's going to be good. Cheesesteaks and Roast beef on the same menu. The chicken cutlet was delicious. Cheesesteak hoagie with longhots was decent, although I hear the hoagies are the way to go.
Lunch only, closes at 4pm!

Dinic's
15 Kitty Hawk Avenue
Philadelphia Navy Yard
(map)