MealPal: Philly Launch Party

Website/Join MealPal

I was invited to a launch party for a new lunch purchase program for folks working in Center City. MealPal lets you pay per month, and then choose from a multitude of vendors for a daily lunch option. Kind of like Netflix for food. You can choose what you want to eat from a mouthwatering display of Pinterest-style food photos, up until 9:30am that morning, and then pick up your meal around . . .  lunchtime. It ends up costing about $6 a day, and you basically just walk in and grab your food without having to pay or wait in line. Some of the vendors were offering samples, so I indulged. My favorite of the night ended up being these Kansas City Beef Dogs from Destination Dogs.

The casing had a great snap, and the short rib chili and house slaw on top added just the right amount of savory and sassy accessories. They also baked the top loader buns in house. I was a big fan.

You could also tell that the care that was put into the assembly process was a carry-over from the general thoughtfulness and "love" that these guys had for the product.

I spent a good bit of time eating these doggies talking to the chef/co-founder Jimmy, who clearly has a passion for what he does and as I mentioned before, it shows. The short rib chili is a task in itself and when you make your own sausages (and other cased meats) and breads in house too, the dudes at DD have their hands (deliciously) full.

I may or may not have eaten three (along with all of the other foods I sampled). I felt a bit like Frankie MacDonald by the time I was done.

Real Food Eatery is another newcomer on the Center City scene that I pleased to meet, literally. I spoke to John (co-founder) about his passion for nutrition and how it shouldn't be considered a bad thing. AKA bland. I was surprisingly pleased with his options. I tried some of the sweet potato hummus and the chicken dish, again both surprisingly good for how healthy they looked.

Plenty of herbs on the tender and flavorful chicken thighs.

And here I was trying yet ANOTHER new place with some Asian flair, Oishii Poke in Chinatown. The spicy salmon poke bowl was yet another favorite.

Look at the color on that salmon!

The shrimp "ebi crunch sushi burrito" rolls were also delicious. Reminded me of my original favorite sushi burrito, but with a little less pizzaz (AKA spicy sauces).

The Farmer's Keep brought some ranch flavored beef meatballs that were not made with your packet of dried ranch mix, but with actual fresh herbs. Surprisingly delicious.

I passed on this one, below, from a local fitness-oriented fast food joint (too healthy for my tastes at that moment) but just want to show you that there is definitely a good mix of options for those who might be watching their waste line.

Matt and Marie's brought some sandwich options including their famous Italian stallion. A decent choice for an Italian hoagie in Center City.

This is actually a great lunch option for people who work downtown and want a reason to get out of the office. You have the option to eat on premises or go back to your desk (like so many of us are guilty of doing). You also get a huge variety of options every day, and can get in and out of the restaurant in less than 5 minutes. Definitely worth a trial subscription, if you ask me.

Freddy's Steakburgers (and Frozen Custards)

2084 Sproul Road
Broomall, PA ‎19008
(610) 325-6725
Website

Attention Shake Shack & In-N-Out – you have been put on notice. Freddy's is my favorite fast food burger spot.

I didn't expect too much, given the "steakburgers" slogan, but I heard from some reputable (at least food-wise) sources that it was worth it. They were right.

It's a pretty basic format, you order at the counter, and they call your number when it's ready.

The one secret weapon that will make me a believer every time is a place that throws down some fry sauce. I spent half a decade in the Mountain West, and that stuff is everywhere, and delicious.

Another thing to add is that they crush both the East and West Coast burger-cult chains with their fries. In-N-Outs fries just aren't that good. They are always kind of limp. Shake Shack's fries are a damn joke. Frozen crinkle cut? Get out of the middle school cafeteria. These are thin, especially crispy shoe strings, and they come with house seasoning AND fry sauce. For the win.

Perhaps the best part, however, is that the burger at Freddy's is a thing of gluttonous beauty. The patties are fresh pressed so thin that the edges are basically a generous drape of crispy, fatty ground beef bits. Every time. It's unbelievable. I went back and checked quite a few more times to make sure I was reporting accurately. These burgers are the truth. And the long, crispy Claussen-like slices of pickles? Amazing.

The Chicago dog is a pretty decent offering, but it is missing some key ingredients, namely neon relish and a poppy seed bun. The casing on the dog has a beautiful snap to it, the side effect of a roll on the flat top.

Above all, get a burger and fries. They are delightful. Both the burger and fries are better than anything else in the area, in my never humble, expert opinion.

Underdogs

1205 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 551.8080
Website

So, you have been drinking, it's late, and your friends from out of town want to hit the two most overrated cheesesteak shops. You can make a bad decision or a good one. Though I am no stranger to bad decisions, I would recommend walking a bit further north up 9th street and hitting Underdogs. (Also applicable if you are in Center City, if you are near their 17th street location.)

I went with the Chicago dog, chili cheese dog, and some fries.

One thing I really like is that they don't use a giant hoagie roll that completely dwarfs the encased meat, but rather a hybrid hoagie/hotdog roll that allows the fillings to really shine.

The Chicago Style was not quite authentic, but it was more of an interpretation. No neon green relish, no poppy seed bun, no Chicago dog. Nevertheless, it was a delicious substution. The thick dog with its snappy casing did wonders for this offering.

The Michigan style dog came with beef chili, cheddar, chopped onions, and spicy mustard. Again, this was a nice frankfurter, with tried and true toppings.

The fries were the surprise hit of the meal. These fresh cut, crispy fried spuds had just the right amount of salt and grease. A wide variety of dipping sauces were available, the fry sauce being my personal favorite.

If you don't feel like supporting the pretension for a cheesesteak around the corner, some fries and a dog is a safe bet at Underdogs. And they are open till 3am on the weekend. Perfect.

The Dapper Dog

Food Truck | Special Event
Moore College of Art & Design
Website

I don't know how many people are familiar with Parking Day, but it occurred all over the world on Friday, including Philadelphia. To celebrate being part of the action, The Galleries at Moore hosted an event focusing on urban greening through a 'parklet' design competition and they invited The Dapper Dog to cater the event.

They're usually posted up at their small, stationary unit at 3rd & Poplar in Northern Liberties on the weekends, but for special occasions, there's a mobile unit that was recently put into action. Owners Harry & Seth:

The truck is outfitted with some fresh, killer artwork by local illustrator, Adam Smith.

For this occasion, they offered three menu items: a Coney dog, a Chicago dog and an Italian sausage. Because it was a catered event, there were no prices - the host set up the contract for 100 dogs and paid the invoice in advance. In order to recoup something, they sold food tickets for the wallet-friendly cost of $3, which got you a dog + drink.

The Chicago dog had fresh tomatoes, relish, pickled sport peppers, chopped red onion, a dill pickle spear and yellow mustard. Although this wasn't truly a classic Chicago dog, it was pretty delicious. It was missing the bright green sweet pickle relish, which lends an extra pop of (fake) color that I love – not to mention that tangy sweet flavor. Also, red onions? They have too much punch when raw, and in this situation, were a bit aggressive.

The buns definitely make their presence known in these constructions, and although they're quite good, it was difficult to get a bite that contained beef AND toppings. It was either one or the other. Maybe splitting & grilling the dogs would have taken care of the distribution issue. That said, all of the ingredients were high quality and well worth the struggle. Next stop, Coney Island.

Sort of. Dapper Dog's take on the Coney consists of an all beef dog, beef chili (Coney sauce), shredded cheddar and sliced green onion.

Again, they're really exercising their artistic liberties in the interpretations, but that makes it interesting, right? I really liked this dog, but it could use some more contrast in textures. Maybe the definitive crunch of chopped onion... but with all of the onion on the Chicago and given the limited menu, I can understand their decision in differentiating the two through varying ingredients.

I had no interest in the Italian sausage, but I'm sure it was also pretty good. All in all, the dogs were definitely dapper in appearance. The consumption part – not so much. Sloppy eating aside, they're tasty and worth consideration, especially for an affordable, catered event when you're looking for a gourmet spin.

The Mexican Coney

Hot Diggity's Hot Dog Competition
July 22nd on South Street

Hot Diggity was having a hot dog topping competition this past weekend, and I felt that the world needed to be exposed to my Mexican Coney dog. So I entered. And I did not win.

No cooking was allowed to be done on the premises, so I had to prep everything in advance.

The Mexican Coney consists of: 1) chipotle-lime crema.

2) A hot dog topped with chorizo-based, Mexican-style Coney sauce (scroll down for recipe).

3) A heavy-handed sprinkle of queso fresco.

4) Some cilantro, onion, and pickled jalapeno relish.

5) Another hit of chipotle-lime crema.

The esteemed judging panel consisted of (Left to Right): Owner of Hot Diggity, Keith, amazing hot dog illustrator Hawk Krall, local legend of greasy eats Holly Moore, and head chef at American Sardine Bar, Scott Schroeder.

While I could not ever personally pick braised lentils over chorizo Coney sauce, they did. There were a lot of contestants, and a huge variety of dogs. It must have been exhausting having to eat so much encased meat. Luckily, that crew was up for the challenge. It was a fun contest, and hopefully will become a yearly event. See below for Mexican Coney sauce recipe. Also, try this one over nachos. You will not be disappointed.

Chorizo Coney Sauce Recipe:
1 pack of chorizo (5 links)
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
2 T ketchup
2 T yellow mustard
2 T chipotle in adobo
1 t white pepper
2 t celery seed
1 cup water

Instructions: Remove the sausage from the casings, throw into a dutch oven or stock pot. Break apart and render fat over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add in onions and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. After 5 minutes, add 1 cup water (or a bit more if necessary) as the meat will begin getting crumbly. Simmer another 15-20 minutes, let cool and eat over hot dogs, nachos, or any application where a Mexican style chili would be delicious.